The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, faculty, and students. Pitt fields 19 university-sponsored varsity teams at the highest level of competitive collegiate athletics in the United States: the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (NCAA Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for american football).
Varsity men's sports sponsored by the university are baseball, basketball, cross country, football, soccer, swimming and diving, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, and wrestling; while sponsored women's varsity sports include basketball, cross country, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, and volleyball. All varsity sports teams compete as members of the Big East Conference, with the exception of the gymnastics team competing in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League and the wrestling team competing in the Eastern Wrestling League. The university also maintains membership in the Eastern College Athletic Conference.
On September 18, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) announced that it had extended a formal invitation to Pittsburgh to join the ACC after approving their application.[3] Pitt will officially leave the Big East, EWL, and EAGL to join the ACC for all sports on July 1, 2013.[1]
The university's athletic program is one of only five current NCAA Division 1A schools to have won multiple national championships in both football (9) and basketball (2), and the Panthers have been ranked as having among the best combinations of football and basketball programs by multiple publications. Other sports have won a variety of conference titles, regularly compete in NCAA championship events, and have produced a plethora of professional and olympic athletes.
The University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics administers the 19 men's and women's varsity sports teams, as well as the spirit groups such as the Pitt Band and Pitt Cheerleaders. The Athletic Department also provides student-athlete academic support, the Panther Game Plan student-athlete life skills program, athletic training, marketing, development, media relations, and other support and administrative services and divisions.
Notoriety[]
The university's athletic program is one of only five current NCAA Division 1A schools to have won multiple national championships in both football (9) and basketball (2), and the Panthers have been ranked as having among the best combinations of football and basketball programs by multiple publications. Pitt was ranked as having the fifth best combination of football and basketball programs in CBSSports.com's Flourishing Five ranking in 2010.[4] In its "Hoops & Helmets" list of the best combinations, CollegeFootballNews.com ranked Pitt ninth in 2011,[5] fifth in 2010,[6] third in 2009,[7] 30th in 2007,[8] 26th in 2006,[9] 12th in 2005,[10] fourth in 2004,[11] and third in 2003.[12] Pitt was also ranked 19th for the best combined football and basketball programs during the BCS era[13] and among the top 25 between 1974 and 2008[14] by Rivals.com. In addition, ESPN.com used the Sagarin mathematical system to rate universities based on the strength of their performance in football and menās basketball for five years through 2006 and found Pitt was tied for 10th as one of the nationās top two-sport schools.[15] Further, in a 2006 all-sports ranking done by Sports Illustrated on Campus, Pitt was ranked 17th among all of the countryās universities in terms of the overall strength of its athletic program.[16]
Joe Walton was both a First Team Athletic and Academic All-American in 1956
Each year the university honors student-athletes who have achieved academic success during the University of Pittsburgh Scholar-Athlete Awards Breakfast where it hands out Blue and Gold awards to student-athletes who have earned over a 3.0 GPA. The 2012 calendar year, out of approximately 450 Pitt athletes, 350 achieved a GPA of 3.0 or above, with 16 earning a perfect 4.0. In addition, 148 student-athletes were named as Big East Academic All-Stars and 26 members of the football team were named to the all-academic Big East football team. This does not include 15 additional athletes from the wrestling and gymnastics teams that compete in other conferences.[17] In 2010, volleyball standout Meagan Dooley was named the Big East Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the university's seventh male or female Big East scholar-athlete of the year winner since the award was instituted in 1985.[18] Dooley was also awarded one of 87 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships for women in 2010.[19]
Varsity sports[]
The University of Pittsburgh sponsors in 19 varsity sports in NCAA Division I (Division I FBS for football), the highest competitive level of intercollegiate athletics in the United States. All Pitt varsity sports teams compete in the Big East Conference except for wrestling, which competes in the Eastern Wrestling League, and women's gymnastics, which competes in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League.
Current university-sponsored varsity sports teams include:
Baseball, Pitt's oldest varsity sport started in 1869[20] and has produced multiple All-Americans, Major League Baseball players, and has become a regular threat in the Big East Baseball Tournament championship.[21] The baseball team was ranked in the top 25 during the 2010 season and moved into a new facility, the Charles L. Cost Field at the Petersen Sports Complex, in 2011. Pitt baseball is coached by Joe Jordano, winner of the Chuck Tanner Baseball Award in 2010.[22]
A Pitt men's basketball game at the Petersen Events Center in 2009
Pitt began playing men's basketball in 1905 and soon become a national power winning two Helms Foundation National Championships in 1927–28 and 1929–30. Those teams, coached by the innovative and legendary Naismith Hall of Fame inductee "Doc" Carlson, were led by National Player of the Year and Hall of Famer Charlie Hyatt. Following a Final Four appearance in 1941, Pitt appeared in a handful of NCAA tournaments throughout the 50, 60s, and 70s, including an Elite Eight appearance in 1974 led by All-American Billy Knight. Pitt entered the Big East Conference in 1982, and by the end of the decade had secured a pair of Big East regular season championships led by All-Americans Charles Smith and Jerome Lane. The last decade has been an era of consistent national and conference competitiveness that has included 10 straight NCAA tournament appearances with five Sweet 16 appearances and an Elite Eight appearance in 2009. In total, Pitt has 23 NCAA appearances, seven Sweet Sixteen appearances, 10 conference regular season championships, four conference tournament championships, ten conference tournament championship game appearances, and 37 players drafted to play professionally with the most recent being Sam Young and DeJuan Blair. Pitt men's basketball plays its home games at the Petersen Events Center and is coached by Jamie Dixon.
The undefeated 1924-25 Pitt women's varsity basketball team
Main article: Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketball
The Pittsburgh Panthers women's varsity basketball program started during the 1914–1915 school year and lasted until 1927 before going on hiatus until 1970. Pitt's women's team has posted several NCAA, NWIT, and EAIAW regional tournament appearances. Over the last five seasons, Pitt has appeared in the national rankings and advanced to five straight post-season tournaments. Included in that stretch are three NCAA Tournament bids which resulted in Sweet Sixteen appearances in 2008 and 2009. Pitt women's basketball plays its home games at the Petersen Events Center and is coached by Agnus Berenato.
Men's and women's cross country at Pitt host home meets at adjacent Schenley Park and is overseen by head coach Alonzo Webb with distance assistant Clinton Bell.
Pitt women's gymnastics has qualified for the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship all but two years in the last ten seasons.[3] Pitt is one of only 22 schools in the nation to claim an individual national champion, Lisa Shirk who won the uneven bars in 1982. Pitt Gymnastics host home meets at Fitzgerald Field House, has a Gymnastics Training Center at the adjacent Trees Hall, and is coached by Debbie Yohman.
AIAW / NCAA national championship appearances (1): 1981 Individual National Champions: 1
Soccer[]
Pitt field competitive Big East varsity teams for men's and women's soccer, softball, and women's tennis. Men's Soccer is coached by Joe Luxbacher while women's soccer is coached by Greg Miller. Both programs moved into a new facility, Ambrose Urbanic Field at the Petersen Sports Complex, in the spring of 2011.
Softball was founded as a varsity sport at Pitt in 1998 and entered the Big East in 1999. In 2010, Pitt earned its highest ever seed in the Big East tournament in 2010. The team moved into a new softball facility, Vartabedian Field at the Petersen Sports Complex, in 2011. Pitt softball is coached by Holly Aprile.
Pitt's Swimming and Diving teams have produced several Olympians and dominated the Big East Conference having won 19 men's and 9 women's Big East Championships since joining the conference in 1983. The Swimming and Diving teams train and compete at Trees Pool. The men's team first competed in 1913 while the women's team was founded in 1974. Both men's and women's swimming are coached by head coach Chuck Knoles while diving is coached by Julian Krug. The women's swimming team is assisted by Assistant Head Coach Jeff Berghoff.
Pitt women's tennis host matches at an indoor facility at Alpha Tennis & Fitness of Pittsburgh in Harmar and an outdoor facility at Washington's Landing. Tennis is coached by Michaela Kissell-Eddins.
Olympic gold medal winner John Woodruff is part of Pitt's tradition in Track and Field
In Track and Field, Pitt has produced several Olympic and NCAA champions such as 800m Olympic gold medalist John Woodruff, two-time 110m hurdle Olympic gold medalist Roger Kingdom, and 7-time NCAA champion and 2005 World Champion triple jumperTrecia-Kaye Smith.[4] Pitt track and field is coached by Alonzo Webb.
At the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, the Pitt men have finished as high as fifth place, while the Pitt women have finished as high as third.
Pitt volleyball has won more Big East Conference Volleyball Tournament Championships than any other team
Main article: Pittsburgh Panthers women's volleyball
The Pitt volleyball program was established in 1974, and since that time the Panthers have had 33 winning seasons, one of the nation's top all-time winning percentages,[28] appearances in 14 national championship tournaments, and the most Big East tournament championships, eleven, in the conference.[29] Pitt volleyball host home matches at the Fitzgerald Field House and is coached by Dan Fisher.
Pat Santoro was a four-time All-American and two-time national champion at 142 pounds for Pitt wrestling
Wrestling[]
Main article: Pittsburgh Panthers wrestling
The wrestling program has a rich history finishing second at the NCAA Championships twice and in the top ten 13 times, being 13th in the number of all-time individual national champions produced with 16, and boasting 72 All-American wrestlers throughout its history.[5] Pitt competes in the Eastern Wrestling League but formerly was in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (The Big East Conference does not sponsor wrestling). Pitt wrestling host home meets at Fitzgerald Field House and is coached by Rande Stottlemyer. Starting July 2013, Pittsburgh's wrestling team will compete as a member of the ACC, which sponsors wrestling.
Previous varsity sports and conference affiliations[]
University-sponsored varsity sports that no longer exist at Pitt included men's boxing, fencing, golf, ice hockey, gymnastics, and tennis; as well as women's field hockey.
Pitt's athletic teams have competed as independents or in various conferences throughout their history. Football competed as an independent until the formation of the Big East Football Conference in 1991. Pitt men's basketball competed in the Eastern Intercollegiate Conference from 1932-33 to 1938-39 and in the Eastern 8 conference from 1976-77 to 1981-82 before joining the Big East in at the beginning of the 1982-83 season. Women's basketball also joined the Big East in 1982-83, having competed previously as an independent. Baseball joined the Big East when the conference began sponsoring the sport in the spring of 1985. Men's soccer entered the Big East in fall of 1985. The women's soccer program began play in 1996 as an independent and entered the Big East in 1997. Softball began play in 1998 as an independent and entered the Big East in 1999. Pitt's men's gymnastic team competed in the Intercollegiate Gymnastic League. Pitt wrestling competed in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association until it entered the Eastern Wrestling League in 1976. The men's swimming and diving team previously competed in the Eastern Collegiate Swimming Association.
The history rich University of Pittsburgh Varsity Marching Band was founded in 1911 and performs at sports and other events, including at every home football game and select away football games. Its constituent group, the Pitt Pep Band, performs at all home basketball games and at post-season away games. The Pitt Band's drumline, known as The Crew, also performs at football games and occasionally at select basketball games. The Band also oversees the Golden Girls majorette group. The Pitt Band is directed by Jack R. Anderson.
Pitt Cheerleaders and Dance Team[]
The Pitt Cheerleaders have won multiple cheerleading national championships, including three straight from 1992–1994.[30][31] At the 2007 NCA/NDA Collegiate Cheerleading and Dance National Championships, Pitt's Cheer squad won the 2007 Challenge Cup and finished in eighth place overall in the All-Girl Division I category.[32] The Pitt Dance Team has also been competitive in national competitions, earning a top-20 finish at the NCA/NDA competition in the Division IA category in 2007, and advancing to finals in 2010 to finish 13th.[33] The Cheerleading team also oversees the costumed Panther mascot named Roc. The Cheerleading and Dance Team is coached by Theresa Nuzzo.
NCA and UCA All-Girl Division I Cheerleading National Championships (3): 1992, 1993, 1994
Fitzgerald Field House - Wrestling, volleyball, indoor track & field, and gymnastics home venue and olympic sports training, locker room and office facilities
Petersen Events Center - Men's and women's basketball
Petersen Sports Complex - An on-campus multi-sport complex housing the home competition and practice venues for baseball, soccer, and softball.
Washington's Landing tennis courts - outdoor practice tennis courts
Panther Club[]
The university Athletic Department has an official booster club, the Panther Club, which is directly active in raising money for the athletic department from alumni, boosters, and fans. It also oversees the Varsity Letter Club, a booster club specifically for former Pitt student athletes. The Panther Club was previously known as Team Pittsburgh, and prior to 1997, was known as the Golden Panthers. Although independent of the Athletic Department, the Pitt Alumni Association often coordinates with the Athletic Department and Panther Club in hosting events corresponding with both home and away athletic events.
Club sports[]
Numerous Pitt athletic teams compete intercollegiately at the student club level without official sanction or sponsorship from the university's Department of Athletics. Although some are registered as official student organizations with the University of Pittsburgh Student Government Board and thus receive some small funding from that body, they are all largely self-supported.[35]
The following teams compete in intercollegiate non-varsity club sports:
Baseball [6]
Men's Handball [7]
Men's Ice Hockey (ACHA Div. I and II teams)[8]
Men's Lacrosse [9]
Men's Roller Hockey [10]
Men's Rugby [11]
Men's Soccer [12]
Men's Ultimate Frisbee [13]
Men's Volleyball [14]
Men's Water Polo [15]
Men's Wrestling [16]
Founded in 1964, the University of Pittsburgh Rugby Football Club plays in Division 1 in the Keystone Conference against local rivals such as West Virginia. Pitt has contributed to the growing popularity of rugby in Western Pennsylvania.[36] The Panthers play their home games at Turner Valley Fields in Norwin PA,[37] and are led by head coach Dan Talbert and all-star wing Evan Weinstein.
Ultimate Frisbee[]
Founded in 1998, the University of Pittsburgh Ultimate Frisbee Club plays in USA Ultimate's D-I College Championship Series. The 2005 season marked the first time the team qualified for the National Championship tournament. Since 2005, Pitt has qualified for the National Championship tournament (top 20 teams) for 8 consecutive seasons, culminating in a National Championship in 2012. In addition to winning the 2012 National Title, the team has won 8 consecutive Western Pennsylvania Conference titles (2005-2012), 2 consecutive Ohio Valley Regional TItles (2011-2012), and 2 College Easterns Championships (2006, 2012).
For most of Pitt's athletic history until 2000, the university's most-played and fiercest football rival was Penn State University. The series began in 1905 and ended on September 16, 2000 with a 12-0 Pitt Heinz Field victory, but with Penn State leading the series 50–42–4. Although the two teams ended play for years due to long-standing coaching and administrative feuding, the rivalry remained heated among some fans. A revival of the rivalry is scheduled to resume for a two game series in 2016 and 2017.[38] Pitt athletic officials have publicly supported an annual renewal of the rivalry, however Penn State has publicly countered that it is financially restricted from agreeing to a long term series on a home-and-home basis. In addition, the two schools have stopped playing each other in men's and women's basketball, although they still compete in other sports as well as in recruiting.
Pitt's biggest rivalry in recent years has been with West Virginia University, which began with football games that date back to 1895, and spills across multiple sports. The annual contests are called the Backyard Brawl due to the proximity of the two schools' main campuses that are 57 miles apart (as the crow flies),[39] as well as the shared boundary between western Pennsylvania and North-Central West Virginia and the fact that both school reside in the same Designated Market Area. The football rivalry represents the most played opponent for each school, and in recent seasons has been traditionally played on Thanksgiving weekend, with the result often having implications both on the conference and national level. A men's basketball rivalry with WVU shared an intensity similar to that of the football one, and was also shared between the women's basketball teams as well. The rivalry had been relatively unique in college athletics in recent years as the two most high profile sports, football and men's basketball, have resulted in games between teams have been all been nationally ranked in the same season. However, the football and basketball rivalries between the two schools are now on hiatus due to Pitt and West Virginia moving into the ACC and Big 12 conferences, respectively. No renewal of the series has yet been scheduled. Most other sponsored varsity and club sports fielded by both schools also shared a similar rivalry, and some continue despite the conference realignment for both schools.
Pitt and Duquesne University have had a long-standing rivalry in men's basketball that dates to 1932. Dubbed the City Game, the inter-city rivalry pits the only two Division 1 basketball schools located within Pittsburgh's city limits. With their campuses located on three miles apart, it was the most intense basketball rivalry for both schools through the 1970s. The series currently scheduled to be held every year at the Consol Energy Center and attracts significant local interest. Both schools' women's teams also play their annual version of the City Game. Prior to World War II, the schools were also rivals on the football field.
Notre Dame rivalry[]
Pitt has a longstanding rivalry with the University of Notre Dame. Pitt has played Notre Dame on a semi-regular basis since 1899, with never more than three years passing between contests since 1943. The two universities recently are in the midst of a contract to play eight games between 2008 and 2015. Notre Dame is tied for Pitt's third most played opponent in football while Pitt is Notre Dame's fifth most played opponent. In other sports, Pitt and Notre Dame both compete against each other regularly as members of the Big East Conference and those competitions will continue as both schools move into the ACC.
Syracuse rivalry[]
Pitt has a long-standing rivalry with eastern football foe Syracuse University, which also spills over onto the basketball court. Pitt and Syracuse have played in football without interruption since 1955, a streak that will continue when both schools move into the ACC and become designated cross-division rivals in that conference. Syracuse is tied as being Pitt's 3rd most played football opponent, while Pitt is Syracuse's second most played opponent. The basketball version of the rivalry dates to 1914 and has been played nearly 100 times.
In 2005, Pitt began a football trophy rivalry with the University of Cincinnati Bearcats, dubbed the "River City Rivalry." This annual Big East Conference game stems from both cities being situated along the Ohio River and features a trophy of a riverboat telegraph (a device for signaling the boat's engine room).[40] However, with Pitt scheduled to move into ACC in 2013, the series is on hiatus for the foreseeable future with Pitt leading the all-time series 8–4.
Other rivalries[]
Pitt also has a significant basketball rivalry with the University of Connecticut. The Pitt and UConn rivalry first sparked with a last second win by then number one ranked Connecticut at Pitt's Fitzgerald Field House in 1998 that was followed by a crowd-displeasing emotional outburst by Connecticut's Khalid El-Amin. The rivalry took on new significance in the 2002 Big East Conference Tournament championship game that saw Pitt lose in double overtime. Pitt went on to avenge its loss the following season by defeating UConn in the 2003 Big East Championship game. Pitt and UConn also met for the championship in 2004 and have since played in many conference games of significance since. In the 2008-2009 season, Pitt earned its first win over the country's top-rated team by beating UConn on the road, and later at home while Connecticut was again ranked #1. However, the future of the rivalry is uncertain with Pitt's pending move to the ACC.
Beginning in the 1980s, Pitt had an intense basketball rivalry with cross-state school and fellow Big East Conference member Villanova that was touched off by recruiting battles over several high profile players. The future of this series is also in doubt when Pitt moves into the ACC.
In the first half of the 20th century, a rivalry against Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University), as well as a regional rivalry with Washington & Jefferson College ended following the deemphasis of the football and other athletic programs at those institutions post-World War II.
From 1935 to 1941 Pitt football had a notable series with Fordham University which was then coached by Jim Crowley and featured guard Vince Lombardi. The series received attention because, at the time, both schools were national football powers whose first three meetings resulted in scoreless ties (1935, 1936 & 1937).[41]
The University of Pittsburgh officially adopted the Panthers of Pittsburgh as its nickname and mascot in 1909, shortly after changing its name from the Western University of Pennsylvania.
The University of Pittsburgh claims that it was the first college or university to choose the panther as a mascot, which it did on November 16, 1909. According to alumnus George Baird, the reasons given for choosing the Panther were:
1. The panther was the most powerful animal that once roamed western Pennsylvania.
2. Its standing as a noble animal.
3. At the time, no other school used the panther as a symbol.
4. Its colors are similar to Pittsburgh's colors of gold and blue.
5. The "happy accident of alliteration."[42]
Over 20 representations of panthers can be found in and around the university's campus and athletic facilities. Students, alumni, and fans rub the nose of one Panther statue in particular, the Millennium Panther located outside the William Pitt Union, in order to bring good luck to the university's teams prior to athletic contests.[43] This tradition was featured in a national television advertisement for the 2012 Hyundai Tucson automobile.[44] In addition, a costumed mascot, named "Roc", performs with the Pitt Cheerleaders at various athletic and non-athletic university events.
The student section for basketball, the "Oakland Zoo, has received national acclaim for the atmosphere it helps to create in the Petersen Events Center.[45][46][47] The student section for football is termed the Panther Pitt.[48]
The Pitt Band and its constituent Pitt Pep Band are often heard to play Pitt's fight songs, "Hail to Pitt", The Panther, and the "Pitt Victory Song" are typically played during athletic contests, along with other music. The University of Pittsburgh Alma Mater is typically played prior to or following athletic contests. In addition, a recent popular tradition involves the crowd singing a "Let's Go Pitt!" version of "Sweet Caroline" between the 3rd and 4th quarter of football games.
Varsity Walk is a walkway between the Cathedral of Learning and Heinz Memorial Chapel on which is carved the names of former Pitt athletes (each year since 1950) who have promoted the University through their athletic (Panther Award) or academic (Blue-Gold Award) achievements.[49]
Victory Lights[]
The upper section of the Cathedral of Learning is illuminated "gold" after every home football team victory, as well as important victories in other sports.[50]
Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino played at Pitt from 1979 to 1982
Main article: List of University of Pittsburgh people
Alumni, students, faculty, athletes and non-athletes alike, often refer to themselves as "Panthers". There have been many notable individuals who have been associated with the University of Pittsburgh throughout its history ranging from athletes like Mike Ditka and Larry Fitzgerald, to celebrities like Gene Kelly and Fred Rogers, writers like Michael Chabon, businessmen like Andrew Mellon, and scientists like Jonas Salk. For more examples, see the List of University of Pittsburgh people.
Media[]
Pitt Panthers Television[]
Starting with the 2010-11 school year Comcast and Xfinity in Western Pennsylvania will receive an all-Pitt-Panthers network featuring all sports and commentary hosted by Pitt in second-tier cable packages. The channel, located on The Comcast Network Channel 188 or 210, will also feature rebroadcasts of games carried by CBS, ABC or ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU shot by its own production crew and with the Pitt Radio announcers on play-by-play. The University promises at least 500 hours a year of sports games and matches.[51]
āO'Brien, Jim (editor) (1982). Hail to Pitt: A Sports History of the University of Pittsburgh. Wolfson Publishing Co. p. 62. ISBN0-916114-08-2.
āSciullo Jr, Sam, ed. (1991). 1991 Pitt Football: University of Pittsburgh Football Media Guide. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Sports Information Office. p. 116.
