After nearly a decade, former Pitt football star Scott McKillop has come to grips with living in enemy territory.
“Now, it’s the place I call home,” said McKillop, who resides in Hurricane, W.Va. “My wife was raised in West Virginia, and all three of our kids were born here. It’s my new home, but some of my friends and coworkers don’t let me forget (I’m a Pitt guy). It’s always been good-natured.”
A three-sport standout at Kiski Area, McKillop became an All-American linebacker at Pitt, leading the Panthers to victory over bitter rival West Virginia in one of the most memorable Backyard Brawl games. He then was drafted and played in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.
McKillop will return to his roots when he’s honored at the Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame’s 55th induction ceremony May 16 at Pittsburgh Shriners Center, Harmar.
“I was super excited to find out,” he said. “It’s a real honor for myself and my family.”
A 2004 Kiski Area graduate, McKillop credits a lot of his athletic prowess to being the third of Bob and Monika McKillop’s three sons.
“When you’re the youngest brother, you get pulled along, whether it’s baseball, wrestling or football,” he said. “My mom just signed up all of us.”
McKillop’s oldest brother, Bob, wrestled at Slippery Rock, and middle brother, Chris, also played football at Pitt.
“I was the annoying little brother who wanted to do better than his brother,” McKillop said. “If Chris did this, I wanted to do it better. It was my motivation.”
At Kiski Area, McKillop earned three letters each in football, wrestling and track and field.
In football, McKillop was a three-time, all-conference selection and earned first-team all-state honors at linebacker. He set the Cavaliers record for total tackles.
On the wrestling mat, McKillop posted a 109-11 career record, was a two-time WPIAL champion and placed second in the state at 215 pounds as a senior. He also helped the Cavaliers to a runner-up finish in the 2003 state team tournament.
“It’s ironic that in high school I was probably a better wrestler than a football player,” he said. “At the time, I thought about quitting football and just wrestling.”
McKillop also turned into a track standout, combining with three other Kiski Area football players to finish second in the WPIAL in the 400-meter relay. The Cavaliers brought home silver in the 2004 WPIAL team meet.
McKillop won Kiski Area’s 2004 Male Athlete of the Year award after being named MVP in football, wrestling and track.
“Track helped football for speed and wrestling helped in playing linebacker,” McKillop said. “I wasn’t the most athletic or the fastest, but I knew where the ball was going to be. A kid either has that or doesn’t. It helped to put me in the best position to make the tackle.”
Coming out of high school, McKillop drew strong interest from Pitt, especially with Chris playing defensive end for the Panthers.
“I really started getting recruited when Chris was getting recruited,” McKillop said. “Pitt was recruiting both of us without knowing it. We always joked that Pitt offered Chris to get me.”
At 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, McKillop developed into one of the best linebackers in the country.
As a junior, he led the NCAA in average solo tackles per game (12.58) and was a third-team All-American.
In that year’s Backyard Brawl, McKillop was at his best in helping 28.5-point underdog Pitt to a stunning 13-9 victory over No. 2-ranked WVU in Morgantown.
“We played almost a perfect game to stop WVU and its high-powered, cutting-edge offense,” he said. “If we played that game a hundred times, we probably would have lost 99. But we played that game and won.”
McKillop led the Panthers with nine tackles, including six solo stops.
“I had a good game, but a lot of guys had good games. We didn’t miss a tackle,” he said. “It was my brother Chris’ last football game, and you couldn’t go out much better.”
In 2008, McKillop turned in an outstanding senior season, earning first-team All-American and Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors. He also was the recipient of the Panther Award, given to the top senior student-athlete.
McKillop, who ranks 10th in Pitt history with 344 career tackles, went on to play in the Senior Bowl and participate in the NFL combine for draft prospects.
“I lived in California and trained for four weeks for the Senior Bowl and then eight weeks preparing for the combine,” he said. “It was a very stressful process. I can’t imagine what it’s like today with all of the social media and interjecting opinions.”
San Francisco drafted McKillop in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played two seasons with the 49ers, serving as a special teams ace and a backup linebacker. A series of left knee injuries helped to curtail his pro career.
“I scored a touchdown on special teams my rookie year. There are a lot of (NFL) players who never score a touchdown,” said McKillop, who coached at Pitt, Concord (W.Va.) and Seton Hill before transitioning to a job with Stryker, a medical device company. “I’m very fortunate to have played in the NFL, but it went by quickly.”
Tickets for the banquet are $40 and can be purchased by visiting akhof.com.