Happy new year!
We have a tradition at DK Pittsburgh Sports to wrap up each passing year by compiling a list of the top storylines that dominated the Pittsburgh sports world over the past 12 months.
This year, the staff submitted lists of the top storylines from their own beats, and Alex Stumpf and I took on the task of narrowing the submissions down to one final group, then ranking the submissions by their prominence ... with some input from the rest of the staff for some of the tougher decisions.
What remains is this, our list of the top 25 storylines for 2021.
Here we go ...
____________________
25. THE X-MAN TRANSFERS
Feb. 21, 2021, Petersen Events Center
GETTY
Xavier Johnson
The move was the beginning of the end for Capel's first group of recruits that were to rebuild Pitt basketball. Xavier Johnson's entering the Transfer Portal began an exodus of five players, not including Justin Champagnie going to the NBA, which left Pitt without its top three scorers and forced Capel to rebuild. -- Chris Carter
24. JUJU'S MANY HEADLINES
Heinz Field
STEELERS
JuJu Smith-Schuster
How does one quantify the newsworthiness of someone who's always in the news?
There's only one JuJu Smith-Schuster when it comes to getting people talking in Pittsburgh, and that didn't change in 2021: He's the one player Ben Roethlisberger lobbied to keep after the playoff loss, he was disappointed by the free-agency field but stayed here for a year at $8 million, absorbed a season-ending shoulder injury ... and stayed as visible and engaging on social media and in the community as any athlete our city's ever known. -- Dejan Kovacevic
23. FRANKLIN'S CONTRACT
Nov. 23, 2021, State College, Pa.
PENN STATE ATHLETICS
James Franklin
The coach was considered a prime candidate all season for the USC job, and then later on for the LSU job. The uncertainty about James Franklin's future certainly served as a distraction for him and the team as it struggled late in the season. He ultimately signed a new 10-year contract at Penn State worth $85 million. -- Cory Giger
22. CRAIG'S EPIC BLOOPER
May 27, 2021, PNC Park
"Of course, I will be on a blooper reel for the rest of my life, but I have to keep moving forward with it," Will Craig said about the most infamous play of the Pirates season. After receiving a wide throw from Erik González, Craig was baited to chase Javy Báez rather than touch first base and end the inning, resulting in a run. Craig would be designated for assignment a week later, and would leave the Pirates organization in July to play in Korea instead. -- Alex Stumpf
21. PENGUINS ACQUIRE CARTER
April 12, 2021, PPG Paints Arena
GETTY
Jeff Carter.
Ron Hextall is believed to have been interested in trying to add some toughness at the trade deadline, but couldn’t strike a deal. He ended up with a nice consolation prize, though, picking up Jeff Carter from the Kings for a couple of draft choices. He scored nine goals in 14 games last season and was particularly valuable to have around at the start of this season, when Crosby and Malkin were unavailable. -- Dave Molinari
20. REYNOLDS EMERGES
March 30-Oct. 3, 2021, PNC Park
GETTY
Bryan Reynolds
After a horrible sophomore slump in 2020, Bryan Reynolds bounced back better than ever in 2021, finishing in the top 10 of the National League in batting average, on-base percentage, OPS, hits, doubles and triples. The rest of baseball took notice, and he was named to his first All-Star Game and eventually got the nod as a starter when the Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. was injured. -- Stumpf
19. PENN STATE COLLAPSES
Oct. 9, 2021, Iowa City, Iowa
The Nittany Lions started 5-0 and were ranked No. 4 in the country before it all came crashing down, starting with an injury to quarterback Sean Clifford in a loss at No. 2 Iowa. Penn State lost five of its final seven games to finish the regular season at 7-5 and unranked. Last year, the Lions were ranked No. 7 in the preseason before starting 0-5. -- Giger
18. MALKIN/CROSBY SURGERIES
June 5, Sept. 8, 2021, PPG Paints Arena Paints Arena
AP
The Bruins' Jarred Tinordi injures Evgeni Malkin with a hit.
The Penguins started the 2021-22 season without their two future Hall of Famers, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Crosby sat out the first seven games while recovering from wrist surgery, while Malkin still has not played since having offseason knee surgery. -- Dave Molinari
17. THE PIRATES' DRAFT
July 11-13, 2021, PNC Park
PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Henry Davis is welcomed to PNC Park.
Now in the early stages of a rebuild, the pressure was on Ben Cherington and the Pirates' draft team to continue to restock the farm. Aided by the No. 1 draft pick and the bonus pool that comes with it, they ended up getting one of the best draft classes in recent memory, with their top four picks (catcher Henry Davis, left-hander Anthony Solometo, outfielder Lonnie White Jr. and two-way player Bubba Chandler) all ranking inside Baseball America's top 32 draft prospects. -- Stumpf
16. HONORS FOR PICKETT, ADDISON
Dec. 9-11, 2021, Heinz Field
JUSTIN BERL
Kenny Pickett
After setting several Pitt and ACC records, Kenny Pickett finished third in Heisman Trophy voting, becoming the first finalist for the program since Larry Fitzgerald. Jordan Addison joined Pickett in having a historic season, having what was the second-best season as a Pitt wide receiver behind Fitzgerald's historic 2003 season. Addison led the country in receiving touchdowns, and was awarded for being the nation's most outstanding receiver. It's Pitt's third such award after Antonio Bryant and Fitzgerald, tying the program with Alabama and Oklahoma State for the most receivers to win the award in NCAA history. -- Carter
15. ROBERT MORRIS HOCKEY DIES, LIVES
May 26-Dec. 17, 2001, Coraopolis, Pa.
ROBERT MORRIS ATHLETICS
Robert Morris women's hockey.
Just prior to Memorial Day, Robert Morris president Chris Howard dropped a bombshell that sent shockwaves through the hockey community far and wide: The university was dropping its men's and women's ice hockey programs. The student-athletes, alumni and hockey community -- including several former Penguins -- rallied together over the course of the next seven months to raise the funds necessary to reinstate the programs for the 2023-2024 season. -- Jarrod Prugar
14. PENGUINS RISE UP IN EAST
May 8, 2021, PPG Paints Arena
GETTY
The Penguins congratulate goaltender Max Lagace in their last game of the 2021 regular season.
The Penguins had been widely expected to be in a group of teams battling for a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, but ended up finishing first in the highly competitive East Division. They actually ended up in a tie with Washington, but got the top spot by virtue of their 37-36 edge in the victories tiebreaker. -- Molinari
13. HALL OF FAME TAKEOVER
Aug. 4-9, 2021, Canton, Ohio
NFL
Troy Polamalu shows his new jacket Saturday at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020 enshrinement.
Because of the pandemic, the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions for 2020 were cancelled and moved to 2021. That creates a weekend in Canton, Ohio, in which the Steelers not only play in the Hall of Fame Game, but they also see Troy Polamalu, Bill Cowher, Donnie Shell, Alan Faneca and Bill Nunn Jr. all inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. No team has ever had five members inducted in the same weekend until this point. -- Lolley
12. NAJEE, FREIERMUTH DRAFTED
April 29-May 1, 2021, Cleveland
GETTY
The Steelers draft Najee Harris.
While many were focused on improving the offensive line in the draft, the Steelers took it another direction, taking Alabama running back Najee Harris in the first round and Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth in the second. They then go with Illinois center Kendrick Green in the third round and Texas A&M offensive tackle Dan Moore in the fourth. It's the first time since 2012 that the Steelers have selected an offensive player in the first round and first time since 2008 that player was a running back. -- Lolley
11. TUNCH ILKIN DIES
Sept. 4, 2021, Oakland
KAREN ILKIN
Tunch Ilkin with his wife Karen.
Tunch Ilkin, who spent more than 40 years with the Steelers as an offensive lineman and a team radio analyst, died Sept 4 at age 63 of complications associated with ALS. Ilkin was respected for his Pro Bowl-caliber play in the 1980s and later beloved for his community outreach, charitable endeavors, and work in the media. His genuine approachability made him a fan favorite long after his playing days had ended -- Tom Reed
10. PITT WINS ACC CROWN
Dec. 4, 2021, Charlotte, N.C.
CHRIS CARTER / DKPS
Pitt celebrates its ACC Championship win in Charlotte, N.C.
For the first time in program history, Pitt wins the ACC Championship and sets itself up for a chance to win a New Year's Six Bowl game for the first time since 1981 and a chance at a 12-win season for the second time in program history. It was a big win on a national stage that has given the program a new opportunity to build a bigger national platform in the coming years. -- Carter
9. THE PIRATES' (LATEST) TEARDOWN
July, 2021, PNC Park
DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS
Ben Cherington meets with reporters in July.
After a mostly quiet first year as general manager, Cherington started a major sell-off on Christmas Eve, 2020 by trading Josh Bell to the Nationals. That was the first domino of a series of trades that would come once the calendar turned to 2021, including Joe Musgrove, Jameson Taillon, 2021 All-Star Adam Frazier, Clay Holmes, Tyler Anderson, Richard Rodríguez and Gold Glove winner Jacob Stallings. Of the 40 rostered players Cherington inherited in November of 2019, just seven remain with the team. -- Stumpf
8. STEELERS' O-LINE BLOWN UP
Heinz Field
GETTY
Maurkice Pouncey
Maurkice Pouncey announces his retirement. Alejandro Villanueva leaves in free agency. So does Matt Feiler. Then, days after minicamp ends, David DeCastro, dealing with a degenerative ankle injury, is released, completing the complete breakdown of an offensive line that had been together for the better part of a decade. -- Lolley
7. PIRATES LOSE 100
Sept. 30, 2021, PNC Park
GETTY
Derek Shelton gets in the face of an umpire.
For the ninth time in franchise history, and the first since 2010, the Pirates hit the century mark in losses, finishing with a 61-101 record. “It’s not good, especially as hard as we work,” Derek Shelton said about losing No. 100. “We just have to keep moving forward.” -- Stumpf
6. PENGUINS PLAYOFF FLOP
May 26, 2021, Uniondale, N.Y.
GETTY
Jeff Carter in the handshake line after Game 6 in Uniondale, N.Y.
The Islanders upset the Penguins in six games in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, making it the third year in a row in which the Penguins failed to win a series. Tristan Jarry emerged as the goat in the series, committing a ghastly puck handling blunder that led directly to the Islanders’ overtime winner in Game 5, then playing poorly in Game 6. The Penguins have lost their past four series. -- Molinari
5. JIM RUTHERFORD RESIGNS
Jan. 27, 2021, PPG Paints Arena
GETTY
Jim Rutherford.
Jim Rutherford, GM since 2014, stunned the hockey world by resigning. A few weeks later, Hextall was hired as GM and Brian Burke was named president of hockey operations. Rutherford, who did not explain then why he opted to quit and hasn’t done so since, recently was named interim GM and president of hockey operations in Vancouver. -- Molinari
4. STEELERS LOSE TO BROWNS
Jan. 10, 2021, Heinz Field
AP
Ben Roethlisberger and Maurkice Pouncey after the Steelers' loss to the Browns in the playoffs.
Pouncey snaps the ball over Roethlisberger's head on the Steelers' first play from scrimmage and the Browns recover it for a touchdown. It's all downhill from there as Cleveland hands the Steelers a 48-37 loss. After the game, those two sit on the team bench long after the field has cleared. -- Lolley
3. COVID, YEAR II
Every day, everywhere
GETTY
John Marino.
COVID still dominated headlines in the sports world. Rosters were impacted from players entering protocols in different leagues. Games were postponed and leagues had to adjust their season schedules. Fan attendance took a hit due to capacity restrictions, and continued to be impacted once those restrictions were lifted. The Penguins' 14-year sellout streak ended after 14 years and 633 games, something the team attributed to behavioral changes and financial implications that stemmed from the pandemic. -- Taylor Haase
2. MARIO SELLS PENGUINS
Nov. 29, 2021, PPG Paints Arena
DKPS
Mario Lemieux.
The Penguins were sold to Fenway Sports Group, whose other holdings include the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club. The deal reportedly was worth $915 million. Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle, who had been the majority owners in the franchise, retained a minority interest, believed to be about 5%. -- Molinari
1. THE END FOR BEN
Dec. 30, 2021, South Side
GETTY
Ben Roethlisberger
It's the No. 1 story that came as no surprise and, at the same time, still hit like a block of bricks once Roethlisberger finally affirmed it Thursday morning on the South Side: This is it. The next home game, Monday night against the Browns, will be his last, barring an unlikely playoff home game to follow.
No NFL quarterback has stayed with a single team his entire career as long as Ben's 18 years. An amazing achievement among a litany of them.
Here's betting the performance, plus the passion of the crowd, will find its way onto the 2022 list. -- Kovacevic
