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
- 1915
- 1976
- 1982
- 2004
- 2009
- 2013
-
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. -
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 ... -
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 ... -
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. -
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. -
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.
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
History of the Panthers
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.
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