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Pittsburgh Panthers School History

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PIttsburgh Panthers




  • 1915
  • 1976
  • 1982
  • 2004
  • 2009
  • 2013
  • Pittsburgh Panthers football 1915

    Panther’s football team wins its first national championship

    In 1915: The football team wins its first national championship under coach Glenn “Pop” Warner and features halfback Andy Hastings.
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  • Tony Dorsett Pitt Panthers 1976

    Pitt Panthers National Football Champs 1976

    On November 6, the second-ranked Panthers hosted Army at Pitt Stadium and won handily, but the significant action was taking place several hundred miles west, in West Lafayette, Indiana, where the Purdue Boilermakers held off the top-ranked Michigan Wolverines 16–14 in the closing seconds. The Pitt Stadium crowd erupted in celebration when the stadium public address announcer dramatically gave the ...
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  • Pitt Panthers Dan Marino 1982

    Dan Marino – Pittsburgh Panthers

    Marino attended the University of Pittsburgh and played for the university’s Pittsburgh Panthers football team from 1979 to 1982. As a freshman in 1979, Marino led the Panthers in a 24–17 triumph over West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl and a 29−14 win over longtime rival Penn State. Pitt’s 1980 Marino-led team finished No. 2 in the season-ending rankings (The ...
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  • Pittsburgh Panthers football 2004

    football team wins its first Big East conference title

    In 2004: The football team wins its first Big East Conference title under coach Walt Harris and features quarterback Tyler Palko.
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  • coach Jamie Dixon

    men’s basketball team reaches the Elite Eight under coach Jamie Dixon

    In 2009: The men’s basketball team reaches the Elite Eight for the first time under coach Jamie Dixon and features forward Sam Young.
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  • Pittsburgh Panthers football 2013 acc

    The football team joins the ACC conference

    In 2013: The football team joins the ACC conference and reaches the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, where it defeats Bowling Green 30-27.
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History of the Panthers

The Pittsburgh Panthers are among the country's most storied college sports teams. Since its inception in 1869, they have been a powerhouse on collegiate and professional levels. The Panthers have won nine NCAA Championships across all divisions, including two Football Bowl Subdivision titles and seven National Invitational Tournament championships. They also boast an impressive record of success at other levels, such as Division I men's basketball and Division II women's volleyball.

Pittsburgh has had some legendary players over its long history, from football Hall-of-Famer Dan Marino to NBA All-Star DeJuan Blair to Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett. These greats helped lead Pitt to many successes throughout their careers with the team, making them some of college sports' greatest icons ever produced by any school or conference. From these stars came numerous records that still stand today for individual and team accomplishments, such as total wins or consecutive bowl game appearances made by Pitt teams over time.

Today’s Pittsburgh Panthers continue this tradition of excellence through solid performances year after year in both football and basketball under head coach Pat Narduzzi who is entering his seventh season leading this program into the 2020/2021 season. With each passing year, more fans flock to Heinz Field, hoping another championship banner will be added soon, cementing yet another chapter into what is already a rich legacy here at the University Of Pittsburgh Panther athletics!

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2004 NCAA(r) Division I Men's Basketball 1st Round - Central Florida vs. Pittsburgh
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College Sports Established
1889

Location
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

College Name
University of Pittsburgh

Collegiate History
1973 - Present / NCAA Division 1
1921 - 1973 / University Division of the NCAA
1907 - 1921 / Athletic Association of the United States

Conference History
2013 – Present / ACC
1982 - 2013 / Big East Conference
1978 - 1990 / Independent

Nickname
Panthers - The Pittsburgh Panthers have been integral to the NCAA landscape for many years, and their nickname has remained consistent throughout. The name's origins can be traced back to a student-athlete at the University of Pittsburgh in 1909.

At this time, Joseph C. Massey was a member of both the football and track teams at Pitt. He had recently returned from competing in France with his track team when he noticed something about Parisian public transportation: they were all black panthers! This inspired him to suggest that Pitt adopt “Panthers” as its mascot – which it did shortly after that – making it one of only two universities (Princeton) whose mascots are based on animals native to North America rather than Europe or Asia.

From then on, Panthers became synonymous with excellence in athletics at Pitt; they won 10 national championships between 1915 and 1936 alone! They also adopted blue & gold as their official school colors around this same period - another tradition that still stands today - so you can easily spot Panther fans wearing these hues proudly whenever you attend any sporting event involving them!

In conclusion, we owe our beloved mascot's existence to Joseph C Massery, who brought back inspiration from abroad during his travels with his teammates over 100 years ago! His legacy lives on through every win by our athletes at the University Of Pittsburgh today—Go Panthers!!

NCAA Championships
Baseball 0

Men's Basketball 2
1930, 1928

Women's Basketball 0

Football 9
1976, 1937, 1936, 1934, 1931, 1929, 1918, 1916, 1915

Soccer 0

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