One of four Panther statues by Giuseppe Moretti guarding Panther Hollow Bridge. This statue is on the southwest corner of the bridge. The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning can be seen in the background.
A panther (cougar/Puma concolor) is the animal that serves as the official mascot of the University of Pittsburgh and used as a nickname for both athletic teams as well as other organizations and affiliates of the university. The mascot is generally referred to as the Pittsburgh Panther or Pitt Panther, while the costumed panther mascot is also named "Roc". Up to 20 physical representations of panthers can be found in and around the university's campus and athletic facilities.
Cheerleader with "the Pitt Panther" at the 1956 Sugar Bowl."Roc" the Panther costumed mascot, 2007
The University of Pittsburgh adopted the Panther as its official animal and mascot on November 16, 1909 at a meeting of students and alumni.[1] This adoption occurred shortly after the university, previously known as the Western University of Pennsylvania, obtained an alteration to its charter in the summer of 1908 in order to change its name to the University of Pittsburgh.[2] When named the Western University of Pennsylvania, the university had been referred to by the nickname of "Wup" (pronounced Whup)[3] and athletic teams referred to as the "Wups", a play on the school's abbreviation W.U.P.[4] At this time, the university also began the process of moving from what is now Pittsburgh's North Side to its current location in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh.[5] According to George M. P. Baird (class of 1909), who made the suggestion for the Panther as the university's mascot, the reasons it was chosen were:[6]
1. The Panther was the most formidable creature once indigenous to the Pittsburgh region. 2. It had ancient, heraldic standing as a noble animal. 3. The happy accident of alliteration. 4. The close approximation of its hue to the old gold of the University's colors (old gold and blue), hence its easy adaptability in decoration.
A costumed Panther character has made appearances at University of Pittsburgh athletic events for decades. Although the Panther costume has changed over time, the mascot was nicknamed "Roc" in 1990s to honor Steve Petro, former football player, assistant coach, athletic department assistant, and long-time fan, whose nickname from his playing days under Jock Sutherland was "the Rock".[7] The Panther mascot appears at various university events, both athletic and other.
Statues and other representations
Detail of one of Moretti's Panther statues
There are 20 representations of Panthers (cougars) in and about Pitt's campus, including ten painted fiberglass panthers decorated by various student groups that are placed around the campus by the Pitt Student Government. The oldest representations of panthers are four Panther statues that guard each corner of the Panther Hollow Bridge. Other Oakland locations include both inside and in front of the William Pitt Union, outside the Petersen Events Center, "Pitt the Panther" on the carousel in Schenley Plaza, the Panther head fountain on the front of the Cathedral of Learning, and the Pitt Panther statue outside Heinz Field on Pittsburgh's North Shore. This does not include the large image of a Panther embedded into Litchfield Towers Fifth Avenue entrance plaza pavers (best seen from high above) or the panther depicted in a neon artwork "Tree of Knowledge" by Jane Haskell inside the William Pitt Union.[8]
Panther Hollow Bridge Panthers
Giuseppe Moretti's (1859–1935) four castbronzePantherstatues created in 1897 guard each corner of Panther Hollow Bridge in Schenley Park adjacent to the Pitt campus. Panthers were once found abundantly throughout the region and became to symbolize it.[9] These statues, and Panther Hollow, existed prior to the university's move by 1909 to Oakland which includes the neighborhood of Panther Hollow adjacent to the school's campus. Moretti's Panther statues soon became adopted representations of the university and of the Pittsburgh Panthers and became a popular photographic site for visitors and students of the university and were widely used in university and student publications.[10][11] Representations of Moretti statues were also used in university logos.[12] At one time, painting or defacing the Moretti sculptures was a popular form of vandalism committed by the fans of rival universities prior to the schools' football games.[13]
An 1897 panther sculpture by Giuseppe Moretti, the same artist who sculpted the Panther Hollow Panthers, sits inside a paneled wood case in the Tansky Family Lounge on the first floor of the William Pitt Union.[14]
Panther Fountain
A panther head spews water in this fountain located at the base of the Cathedral of Learning, which was constructed from 1926-1937. Joseph Gattoni did the Cathedral's stone work, although no information is available on whether he specifically worked on the fountain.
Millennium Panther
This Panther outside the William Pitt Union is ten-and-a-half-feet long and was cast with a sleek and muscular tone in pure bronze by sculptor Miriani Guido in Parma, Italy. With one paw poised in the air, the panther is designed to appear ready to pounce on an unsuspecting enemy. The statue arrived on campus in May 2001 and was stored over the summer in a University warehouse until placed outside the William Pitt Union at the end of August 2001. A time capsule to be opened in the year 2051 was buried beneath the statue. The project, a gift to the university from the Student Government Board to commemorate the beginning of the 3rd millennium, began with deliberations in April 1999, cost $72,000 ($62,000 plus a $10,000 base), the most student government has ever spent on one project up until that time.[15][16]
Dedicated August 31, 2001 with the belief that scholarship, integrity and the unyielding spirit of our past will carry us into the new millennium and beyond.
Students, alumni, and fans rub the nose of the Millennium Panther in order to bring good luck to the university's teams prior to athletic contests.[17] This tradition was featured in a national television advertisement for the 2012 Hyundai Tucson automobile.[18]
This Panther sits outside Gate A of Acrisure Stadium across the Allegheny River from downtown Pittsburgh. It is based on the design by Thomas N. Mitrakos, who played football for The University of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Steelers, for the award for the Pitt Varsity Letter Club Awardees of Distinction.[19] Dedicated on September 6, 2002. The statue, 12 feet (3.7m) long is set on a granite base. Paved in the stone around the base is an image of the Cathedral of Learning. The statue was made possible by a donation from Charles “Corky” (ENGR ’58) and Frances M. (CAS ‘58) Cost.[20]
Panther outside the Pete
This Panther sits at the main entrance of the Petersen Events Center. Similar to the Panther outside Heinz Field, it is based on the design by Thomas N. Mitrakos for the award for the Pitt Varsity Letter Club Awardees of Distinction.[19]Paving stones surrounding the nine-foot-long panther are etched with images of the former Pitt Stadium. The retired jerseys of Panther football greats, including Mike Ditka, Tony Dorsett, Dan Marino, Hugh Green, and Bill Fralic, are carved into the panther's base. The statue was made possible by a donation from Charles “Corky” (ENGR ’58) and Frances M. (CAS ‘58) Cost, who also donated the panther statue at Heinz Field.[21]
Pitt the Panther
"Pitt the Panther" on the carousel at Schenley Plaza adjacent to Pitt.
“Pitt the Panther”, adopted by Henry and Linda Haller, is one of the animals on a Victorian-stylecarousel, opened in 2006 and built by Chance Rides Manufacturing of Wichita, Kansas, and funded by the PNC Financial Services Group. It holds 20 people, on 15 1950s-style animals or in a handicapped-accessible chariot and a spinning tub suitable for small children and their parents. The carousel is Schenley Plaza’s feature family attraction and the menagerie of animals, including "Pitt the Panther",[22] symbolizes the fellowship and diversity of Pittsburgh. However, it is not the first carousel in Schenley Park. In 1913 the original Schenley Park Carousel was opened to the public at the corner of Panther Hollow and Greenfield roads. The original carousel also had a menagerie of animals. The PNC Carousel in Schenley Plaza operates April through October and is open seven days a week.[23][24]
Homecoming Panthers
The Pitt Pathfinders' Homecoming Panther located on the Pitt's campus
In order to create a new homecoming tradition, the Pitt Student Government board purchased ten fiberglass panther statues in 2007 for $60,000 from Heavy Industries of Calgary, Canada.[25] Proposed to be an annual homecoming event, the approximately 6 feet (1.8m) tall by 6 feet (1.8m) wide panthers are to repainted and redecorated by student organizations that will be selected from applications on an annual basis. Originally planned for a 2007 homecoming introduction, manufacturing delays prevented initial decoration and first unveiling until a ceremony on January 10, 2008. Following the ceremony, the panthers were placed in and around Pitt's campus.[26] In a Fall 2008 article of The Pitt News, it was announced that the statues decorated by the Black Action Society, The Pitt News, the Pitt Pathfinders, and the Pitt Band would be spared another year due to their designs. Both The Pitt News and the Pitt Pathfinders have paid to have their panther statues kept permanently in their respective locations, while the Pitt Band is attempting to raise money to purchase its panther in time for its centennial in 2011.
Competition
At the 2021 National Cheer Association Mascot Competition in Daytona Beach, Roc the Panther took home 3rd place to the Steel City with a performance celebrating his energy, moves, and character. The skit was themed after his name and displayed various other things that might be in his DNA, such as Rocky Balboa, the Rockettes, rock music, and Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson. This award tops his previous earning more than 10 years ago when he placed 6th for his "Roc of Ages" performance, dancing through different eras of music.
Related Research Articles
The University of Pittsburgh is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the university's central administration and around 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The 132-acre Pittsburgh campus includes various historic buildings that are part of the Schenley Farms Historic District, most notably its 42-story Gothic revival centerpiece, the Cathedral of Learning. Pitt is a member of the Association of American Universities and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". It is the second-largest non-government employer in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
Oakland is the academic and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and one of the city's major cultural centers. Home to three universities, museums, hospitals, shopping venues, restaurants, and recreational activities, this section of the city also includes two city-designated historic districts: the mostly residential Schenley Farms Historic District and the predominantly institutional Oakland Civic Center Historic District, as well as the locally-designated Oakland Square Historic District.
Schenley Park is a large municipal park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is located between the neighborhoods of Oakland, Greenfield, and Squirrel Hill. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district. In 2011, the park was named one of "America's Coolest City Parks" by Travel + Leisure.
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 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for American football.
The William Pitt Union, which was built in 1898 as the Hotel Schenley, is the student union building of the University of Pittsburgh main campus, and is a Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark.
The University of Pittsburgh at Titusville is a state-related college in Titusville, Pennsylvania. It is a two-year campus of the University of Pittsburgh that provides associate degrees and pre-professional tracks with the potential to transfer students to other programs for baccalaureate degrees. In the fall of 2020, Pitt-Titusville converted its academic programs into the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville Education and Training Hub. This program incorporates three entities into UPT: Northern Pennsylvania Regional College (NPRC), the university's Swanson School of Engineering, and Manchester Bidwell Corporation.
Litchfield Towers, commonly referred to on campus as "Towers", is a complex of residence halls at the University of Pittsburgh's main campus in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Litchfield Towers is both the largest and tallest residence hall at the University of Pittsburgh, housing approximately 1,850 students.
The Pittsburgh Panthers football program is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football competition, now termed the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, since the beginning of the school's official sponsorship of the sport in 1890. Pitt competes as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Giuseppe Moretti was an Italian émigré sculptor who became known in the United States for his public monuments in bronze and marble. Notable among his works is Vulcan in Birmingham, Alabama, which is the largest cast iron statue in the world. On a personal level, Moretti was "known for his eclectic personality and for always wearing a green tie," but professionally, is claimed to be "the first man to use aluminum in art." Moretti enjoyed some celebrity in his lifetime, and was a friend of famed Italian tenor Enrico Caruso. It is even reported that the singer repeatedly praised Moretti's voice.
The University of Pittsburgh Varsity Marching Band, or Pitt Band, is the college marching band at the University of Pittsburgh. The band numbers over 300 students consisting of instrumentalists, a majorette squad known as the Golden Girls, a color guard, and the drumline. The band was founded in 1911 and has won numerous awards over the years. All members of the band must pass an audition in order to join. The band is currently housed in Trees Hall; however, in 2020, the Pitt Athletic Department announced its "Victory Heights" initiative, part of the campus master plan which includes a new marching band facility slated to open in spring 2027.
The Panther Hollow Bridge is an American steel, three-hinged, deck arch bridge that carries Panther Hollow Road over Panther Hollow in Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Gardner Steel Conference Center (GSCC) is an academic building of the University of Pittsburgh and a contributing property to the Schenley Farms National Historic District and a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark.
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is an independent, state-related, doctoral/research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. For most of its history, Pitt was a private institution until it became part of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education in 1966.
The Schenley Farms Historic District, also referred to as the Schenley Farms–Oakland Civic District, is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places that is located in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.
"Hail to Pitt" is the most traditional fight song of the University of Pittsburgh, which is commonly referred to as Pitt. The saying "Hail to Pitt!" is also the most traditional and commonly used slogan of the University of Pittsburgh and its athletics teams. The slogan is frequently used in promotional material, printed on merchandise and souvenirs. It was also the title of a 1982 history of Pitt athletics by author Jim O'Brien. The slogan is often used among alumni as a statement of affiliation, including as a closing signature in conversation or correspondence between alumni, and is sometime abbreviated as "HTP" or "H2P", the latter of which is a registered trademark of the university and is frequently used on official university signage and merchandise.
The alma mater of the University of Pittsburgh was adopted soon after the University changed its name in 1908 from the Western University of Pennsylvania to its current moniker. Lyrics were written by George M. P. Baird, class of 1909 and were set to the tune of what was then the Austrian National Anthem. A new tune for the "Alma Mater" hymn was composed by Charles W. Scovel, class of 1883, but it was not widely adopted and was either lost or became obscure.
The City Game is an annual college basketball game between the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and the Duquesne University Dukes. The term "City Game" is also used refer to women's basketball games played annually between the two universities and may also be used to refer to other athletic competitions between the two schools.
Pittsburgh Panthers men's soccer is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's soccer team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pitt men's soccer competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and plays their home games at Ambrose Urbanic Field in the university's Petersen Sports Complex. Pitt soccer players have had eight selections as All-Americans and multiple former Panthers have gone on to play professionally. The Panthers have appeared in six NCAA tournaments and have reached the College Cup twice. The Panthers have been coached by Jay Vidovich since 2015.
Panther Hollow is a wooded valley in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that runs approximately 1.5 mi (2.4 km) west to east through Schenley Park. It begins at Boundary Street in Junction Hollow and ends near Hobart Street in Squirrel Hill. Curiously, the neighborhood of Panther Hollow in Central Oakland is not actually in the valley of Panther Hollow itself, but rather in Junction Hollow.
The 1901 Western University of Pennsylvania football team was an American football team that represented Western University of Pennsylvania as an independent during the 1901 college football season.
↑ See the depiction of Moretti panthers on the Athletic section pages in the Owl yearbooks: e.g. The Owl. Pittsburgh, PA: The Junior Class of the University of Pittsburgh. 1916. p.264. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
↑ Gornick, Mira, ed. (Winter 2003). "Panther Statue at Heinz Field"(PDF). World of Giving. University of Pittsburgh: 11. Archived from the original(PDF) on August 31, 2006. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
↑ "Panther Spring". Pitt Chronicle. University of Pittsburgh. April 12, 2004. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
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