Pittsburgh ? Former Miami Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt accepted the coaching job at alma mater Pittsburgh on Thursday, a week after he turned the Panthers down and said he wasn’t ready to coach again.

Wannstedt, who stepped aside as the Dolphins’ coach by mutual agreement following a 1-8 start this season, began changing his mind after talking to Pitt athletic director Jeff Long on Tuesday night. Wannstedt flew to Pittsburgh on Wednesday night and completed the deal Thursday morning.

“Nobody needs to tell me about Pitt’s tradition,” said Wannstedt, a former Pitt offensive tackle and one of the lead blockers during Tony Dorsett’s 1,600-yard freshman season in 1973. “I lived it, experienced it, felt it. The passion that drives me is to return to the great days at Pitt.”

After Wannstedt pulled out, Long interviewed Ravens offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh and Pitt defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads twice each, but Long said Wannstedt always was his first choice.

Wannstedt, a native of Baldwin, Pa., a Pittsburgh suburb, has never been a college head coach, but is a former Pitt assistant and is known to be an innovative defensive coach. He succeeds Walt Harris, who is leaving for Stanford after coaching Pitt to a 25-12 record the last three seasons.