Aaron Donald Headlines New Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame Class

The University of Pittsburgh revealed its 2025 Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame Class headlined by football great and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Aaron Donald.

Same Young (men’s basketball), Bob Jury (football), Jerry DeMuro (men’s swimming), Jessica Dignon (softball), Wanda Randolph (women’s basketball), Amanda Walker (women’s track and field) and Jack Anderson (contributor: Pitt band) make up the rest of the eight-member class.

Donald, a Penn Hills grad, starred at Pitt as a defensive tackle from 2010-13. He was a Unanimous First Team All-American as a senior after leading the nation with 28.5 tackles for loss, along with 11 sacks and four foruced fumbles. He also won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Outland Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award.

During the 2014 NFL Draft, Donald was selected with the 13th overall pick in the first round by the Los Angeles Rams. In L.A., Donald appeared in two Super Bowls, including a Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2021 season. He was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times, becoming only the third player to do so. He retired in 2024 as many believe he will be a unanimous selection into the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he’s eligible in 2029.

Young is one of the all-time great scorers in Pitt men’s basketball history, pouring in 1,884 career points — fourth-most for the Panthers. As a senior, Young averaged 19.2 points per game as he earned Wooden All-America Team honors and was a finalist for the Naismith and Wooden Player of the Year awards.

At Pitt from 2006-09, Young was a part of a program-best 112 victories in a four-year stretch that included four NCAA Tournament appearances and a 2009 Elite Eight run. He went on to the NBA as a second-round selection by the Memphis Grizzlies and played four seasons in the league.

Another football member in the class, Jury is one of the best defensive backs in program history. He still holds the program record for most career interceptions with 21 and single-season interceptions with 10.

Jury was apart of the 1976 National Championship team, which included an interception in the 27-3 win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. As a senior in 1977, Jury earned consensus All-American honors after eight more interceptions. He was a third-round draft pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 1978.

DeMuro, a member of the men’s swimming team from 1973-77, is one of Pitt’s most accomplished male swimmers. In his final three years, he went undefeated in intercollegiate competition, including six individual Eastern Intercollegiate titles. As a senior, he earned All-America status in the 1650-yard freestyle. He participated in the 1976 U.S. Olympic team trials.

Dignon, a utility player on Pitt’s softball team from 2005-08, finished her career owning Pitt records for career RBI (113) and doubles (45). She was a three-time All-Big East honoree. As a sophomore, she had a school-record 22-game hitting streak. Dignon became the first Pitt professional softball player with the Washington Glory and USSSA Pride of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF).

Randolph, a 6-3 center with the Pitt women’s basketball team from 1976-79, became the first Panther (male or female) to score 1,000 points and pull down 1,000 rebounds. She totaled 1,479 points and 1,107 rebounds, while averaging 19 points and 14.2 boards per game.

Walker, a shot putter for the women’s track and field team from 2001-05, earned All-America honors as a senior at both the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships. She was a six-time Big East Champion both in the shot put and weight throw, along with a six-time Eastern College Athletic Conference champion in shot put and discuss. Walker still holds the program outdoor shot put record with a throw of 16.80 meters.

Anderson served as a director, assistant director and member of the Pitt band from 1986-2013. He joined the band as an undergraduate freshman in 1965 and would later become the director from 1995-2013.

The eight-member class will be enshrined the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame Dinner on Friday, Sept. 26 at the Petersen Events Center. A day later, the group will be recognized at Acrisure Stadium during the Pitt-Louisville game.