Over the years, prominent men’s college basketball coach Rick Pitino (currently leading the St. John’s Red Storm) has often been discussed as looking like famous actor Al Pacino. Fox’s broadcast of the St. John’s-UConn game Sunday added to that, with a side-by-side image showing a younger Pitino and The Godfather-era Pacino:
“I’ve always thought these guys looked alike. Al Pacino on the left, Rick Pitino on the right. Two guys that can not! be! shaken! down!” – Gus Johnson pic.twitter.com/fExUzGWaff
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 23, 2025
As noted, there’s a long history of this comparison that dates back decades. Indeed, in 2014, Pitino spoke about how many times that’s happened to him over the years, including when he gave money to a homeless person in New York, only for them to go “Holy [expletive], there’s Al Pacino.” But it’s quite something for Fox to lean into it in a game on their broadcast network.
Interestingly enough, it’s not just Pacino’s Godfather trilogy role (which did at least see similar suits to what Pitino has worn over the years) that’s come up in some of these comparisons. Indeed, a more recent one, based on airings of some of Pitino’s locker room speeches (partly due to the VICE TV Pitino: Red Storm Rising docuseries), is to Pacino in his own coaching role in Any Given Sunday:
Rick Pitino is Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday pic.twitter.com/0Wnz3ahsPh
— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) February 18, 2025
As with some of Pacino’s memorable movie roles, Pitino’s also been known for creative profanity usage and standout quotes. And there are other things he’s been involved in that have sparked Godfather discussions. So Johnson certainly isn’t the only one who’s brought this up.
But it was funny to see that on a national broadcast like this, complete with a side-by-side image. And it adds to what’s been quite a broadcasting weekend for Johnson, with that also seeing on-air discussions of everything from pizza to mono.
