On Saturday afternoon a rivalry will be renewed. While it is not the City Game on the basketball court that many are longing for, there is a buzz around town for Pitt versus Duquesne on the gridiron for the first time in 86 years. Pitt has been waiting a long time to avenge that 1939, 21-13 loss. They may even be trying to avenge the 1936, 7-0 loss that some historical accounts suggest cost Pitt the National Championship. Pitt went on to win the Rose Bowl 21-0 over Washington that season, but some believe that loss to Duquesne was a singular reason for Pitt not being named 1936 National Champions.
As mentioned above, this is not the first time that Pitt and Duquesne have met on the gridiron. In fact, this will be the eighth all-time meeting. Pitt holds the all-time series edge with a record of 5-2. Below are the results of the seven previous match-ups. Interestingly, all five losses Duquesne has suffered in the series have come via shutout. They’ll be looking to avoid that fate on Saturday.
On paper, the matchup in 2025 seems very lopsided; Duquesne currently competes in the Northeast Conference (NEC) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) while Pitt competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Division 1 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). However, there was a time where Pitt and Duquesne were both national football powerhouses. In fact, in its heyday, Duquesne football played its home games at Pitt Stadium and Forbes Field. In 1933 at Pitt Stadium, 60,000 fans saw Pitt grind out a 7-0 victory over Duquesne.
It seems rather unfathomable now that the little school from the Bluff was once a college football juggernaut, but it is true. In the first ever AP football poll in 1936, Pitt was ranked ninth in the country and Duquesne was ranked 11th. Duquesne actually finished the 1936, 1939, and 1941 seasons ranked 14th, 10th, and 8th, respectively.
During the 1930s and 40s, Duquesne was indeed a nationally-known football program. In 1934, Duquesne defeated Miami 33-7 in the Festival of Palms Bowl (now known as the Orange Bowl). Three years later, Duquesne would win the Orange Bowl again, defeating Mississippi State, 13-12. From 1933-45, Duquesne had one of the premier football programs in the country. It was during this time span that the Dukes had the sixth-highest winning percentage in the Nation behind Alabama, Tennessee, Duke, Fordham, and Notre Dame. In 1941 Duquesne had a perfect 8-0 season and was retroactively selected as a Co-National Champion by Massey Ratings. During that season, the Dukes shut out five of eight opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 143 to 23. However, that season would be the beginning of the end of the glory years of Duquesne football. With the start of World War II, Duquesne became one of the first schools to abandon its football program to help with the war effort. Fast forward to modern times. The Dukes won a share of the NEC championship in 2024, finishing 5-1 in conference play and 8-3 overall.
The Panthers will be the 12th FBS opponent in Duquesne history. The Dukes are 1-10 all-time against FBS teams, with their lone win coming in 2021, defeating Ohio 28-26. Pitt will be the third ACC opponent for Duquesne, following matchups with Florida State in 2022 and Boston College in 2024. The 2025 opener will be Duquesne’s sixth season-opening game against an FBS opponent and fourth in the past five years (2014, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025).
Both of these schools are steeped in gridiron history. Duquesne’s football program dates back to 1891, while Pitt’s goes back to 1889. While the two programs are competing at different levels now, it is great to see the “City Game” return, even if it isn’t on the basketball court.
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