Pittsburgh Panthers football
2023 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
First season	1890[1]
Athletic director	Heather Lyke
Head coach	Pat Narduzzi 8th season, 63–41 (.606)
Stadium	Acrisure Stadium (capacity: 68,400)
Year built	2001
Field surface	Grass
Location	Pittsburgh
NCAA division	Division I FBS
Conference	ACC (since 2013)
Division	Coastal (2013–2022)
Past conferences	Big East (1991–2012) Independent (1890–1990)
All-time record	761–560–42 (.574)
Bowl record	15–22–0 (.405)
Claimed national titles	9 (1915, 1916, 1918, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1976)
Unclaimed national titles	8 (1910, 1917, 1925, 1927, 1933, 1938, 1980, 1981)
Conference titles	3 (2004, 2010, 2021)
Division titles	2 (2018, 2021)
Rivalries	West Virginia (rivalry) Penn State (rivalry) Notre Dame (rivalry) Syracuse (rivalry)
Heisman winners	Tony Dorsett – 1976
Consensus All-Americans	55[2]
Current uniform
Colors	Blue and gold[3]
Fight song	Hail to Pitt and Pitt Victory Song
Mascot	Panther
Marching band	University of Pittsburgh Varsity Marching Band
Outfitter	Nike
Website	pittsburghpanthers.com

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).

Pitt claims nine national championships,^[4] including two (1937, 1976) from major wire-service: AP Poll and Coaches' Poll, and is among the top 20 FBS college football programs in terms of all-time wins.^[5] Its teams have featured many coaches and players notable throughout the history of college football, including, among all schools, the 12th most College Football Hall of Fame inductees,^[6] the 8th most consensus All-Americans,^[2][7] and the fourth most Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees.^[8] The Panthers are coached by Pat Narduzzi. Pitt plays home games at Acrisure Stadium, formerly known as Heinz Field, which they share with the National Football League's (NFL) Pittsburgh Steelers and utilize the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Performance Complex as their practice facility.

History

Early history (1889–1913)

Football at the University of Pittsburgh began in the fall of 1889 when the school was still known as the Western University of Pennsylvania or "WUP". College football at Pitt began a rise to prominence when Arthur St. Leger "Texas" Mosse was hired and led the school to one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history in 1904: an undefeated 10–0 season which surrendered only one touchdown on the way to collectively outscoring opponents 406–5.^[9] The undefeated 1904 season was followed by a 10–2 record under Mosse in 1905, as well as six additional winning seasons.^[10]

The Mosse coached squads featured team captain Joe Thompson, who played for WUP from 1904 to 1906,^[11] and obtained the head coaching position in 1909, after successful coach John A. Moorhead, who helped facilitate the first known use of numbers on the uniforms of football players in 1908.^{[12][13][14][n 1]} That same year, the university changed its name from Western University of Pennsylvania to the University of Pittsburgh, and it soon became known as "Pitt" among fans and students. The following year, in 1909, the school officially adopted the Panther as a mascot. Also in 1909, the school moved to the Oakland section of Pittsburgh where it remains to this day.

Thompson coached at Pitt until 1912 and led the football team to a 22–11–2 record. The highlight of his coaching tenure was the 1910 season in which Pitt, led by star fullback Tex Richards, went undefeated for the second time in school history. Of even greater significance, the 1910 team was unscored upon, collectively outscoring its 9 opponents 282–0, and is considered by many to be that season's national champion.^[16] Winning continued under coach Joseph Duff, including an 8–1 record in 1914 in which opponents were collectively outscored 207–38, and the university was well on the way to establishing itself as a regional, if not yet national, power.

Pop Warner era (1914–1923)

In 1914, Pitt hired Pop Warner as Pitt's head coach. His arrival at Pitt gave the program instant national credibility, lifting the perception of the program from a regional power to that of a national one.^[17] Warner's impact was immediate. Led by center Robert Peck, Pitt's first First Team All-American, and All-American end James Pat Herron, Warner's first Pitt team in 1915 went 8–0, shutting out five opponents, and was trumpeted by football historian Parke H. Davis as that season's national champion.^[18] His second season duplicated that success, repeating an 8–0 record while collectively outscoring opponents 255–25, and garnering what is widely regarded as a consensus national championship.^[19] The 1916 team was led again by Herron and Peck, now in his last season, as well as All-Americans fullback Andy Hastings and guard "Tiny" Thornhill. Also on that team were Jock Sutherland and H.C. "Doc" Carlson, who both would garner First Team All-American selections while members of the undefeated 1917 team, and go on to become perhaps Pitt's most legendary coaches in football and basketball, respectively. The 1917 team, nicknamed "The Fighting Dentists" because over half the roster became doctors or dentists, finished 10–0 with five shutouts despite losing several players to military service at the outbreak of World War I. The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, saw the implementation of quarantines that eliminated much of that year's college football season. All of Pitt's games that year were played in November, including a high-profile game played as a War Charities benefit against undefeated, unscored upon, and defending national champion Georgia Tech, coached by the legendary John Heisman. Pitt swept through its first two games and then dismantled Georgia Tech 32–0 in front of many of the nation's top sports writers including Walter Camp. The 1918 Panthers were named by multiple selectors as a national champion for that season.^[20]

For the 1921 season, Pitt made college football history on October 8, 1921. Harold W. Arlin announced the first live radio broadcast of a college football game in the United States from Forbes Field on KDKA radio as the Pitt Panthers defeated West Virginia 21–13 in the annual Backyard Brawl.^[21]

In all, Warner coached his Pitt teams to 33 straight wins and three national championships (1915, 1916 and 1918).^[22] He coached Pittsburgh from 1915 to 1923 to a combined 60–12–4 record.^[23] Warner helped raise the interest in Pitt football to the point where the university sought to build an on-campus stadium with increased seating capacity that would be dedicated to the football team, and the school began taking steps to secure the necessary land and funds to build Pitt Stadium.

Jock Sutherland era (1924–1938)

A natural replacement for Pop Warner was Jock Sutherland, Warner's former All-American guard. Sutherland's second season kicked off the Panthers' first in the newly constructed Pitt Stadium and saw the team achieve an 8–1 record and win the 1925 Eastern Championship. The following year, the Panthers featured Gibby Welch, who led the nation in rushing in 1926 and helped Pitt to the Eastern Championship and its first bowl game, the Rose Bowl, in 1927. In 1929, Pitt went undefeated in the regular season, the first of four undefeated regular seasons under Sutherland, won the Eastern Championship, made its second appearance in the Rose Bowl and were named that season's national champion.^[18]

Pitt's 1931 team finished 8–1 with six shutouts, including a 40–0 dismantling of Nebraska. That season also saw Pitt defeat Penn State in State College, using only one first-string player, by a score of 41–6 en route to winning the Eastern Championship.^[24] These accomplishments would prompt Parke Davis to again name the Panthers national champions.^[18] Pitt follow up the season with the 1932 Eastern Championship and their third Rose Bowl appearance. In 1934 Pitt won at Nebraska 25–6, shut out Notre Dame 19–0, its third victory in a row over the Irish, and defeated USC 20–6, which resulted in an Eastern Champion as well as being awarded a share of the national championship by Parke Davis.^[4][25][26]

One of the greatest back-to-back stretches in Pitt football history occurred during the 1936 and 1937 seasons which featured Heisman Trophy candidate and Hall of Fame running back Marshall Goldberg. In 1936, Pitt shut out five of its opponents and finished the regular season winning the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as Eastern Champions and ranked third in the Associated Press Poll, the inaugural year of the poll, whose rankings were finalized before the bowl season. Pitt accepted a bid to the Rose Bowl where it defeated Washington 21–0 which led many selectors to name Pitt as the 1936 national champions.^[27] However, it was during this time that the seeds of a rift between Sutherland and the university's administration were being sown, partly initiated by the refusal of the university to supply pocket money for players during the Rose Bowl trip.^[28] Pitt followed up the Rose Bowl winning 1936 season with a 9–0–1 record in 1937 that included five shutouts, a repeat Eastern Champions, and a number one ranking in the AP's final poll. Due to the developing rift with the university administration, and the time and expense of the travel, Pitt became the first team to publicly decline a Rose Bowl invitation following a vote of the players.^[29] Despite its decision to sit out the postseason, the 1937 Pitt team was widely regarded as consensus national champions.^[30]

During this period, Pitt regularly dominated opposing teams, even inducing Notre Dame to drop Pitt from its schedule.^[31] However, in 1937 the university began introducing policies to de-emphasize its athletic programs,^[32] including the restriction of practices, discouragement of alumni involvement, and the elimination of recruiting and all subsidization of athletics.^[33][34] The implementation of these policies was the beginning of the end for that era of Pitt football prominence, but the Panthers still impressed during the 1938 season behind an assembly of talent at running back labeled the "Dream Backfield". Following the season, the split between the administration and Sutherland became complete, and Sutherland resigned resulting in booster and student outrage.^[35][36]

Sutherland, who was described as "a national hero" in a Saturday Evening Post article,^[37] was perhaps the most highly admired and influential coach in the history of the university. During his 15-year tenure at the university, the longest of any football coach at Pitt, he compiled a record of 111–20–12 which included 79 shutouts. Sutherland never lost to rival Penn State and lost only once to West Virginia, and his teams were named Eastern football champions seven times: 1925, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, and 1937.^[38] During this time, Pitt appeared in four Rose Bowl games (1928, 1930, 1933, and 1937) and turned down a bid for the 1938 Rose Bowl.^[39] Sutherland's teams were named "National Champions" by various selectors for nine different seasons including 1925, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, and 1938.^[18][40] Of these, the University of Pittsburgh officially recognizes five of those years as national championship seasons: 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, and 1937.^[40]

1940s through 1960s

The policy of deemphasis resulted in a dramatic downturn for Pitt's football fortunes, including a succession of coaches with short stints.

In 1945, with new university chancellor Rufus Fitzgerald at the helm, athletic scholarships and recruiting were reinstated. However, substantial damage had already been done to the football program. During this era Pitt's first African-American player, Jimmy Joe Robinson, led the team in receiving and rushing, and also excelled at returning punts and kickoffs. Walter "Mike" Milligan brought Pitt back to winning records in 1948 and 1949, achieving consecutive 6–3 seasons that included appearances in the national rankings and back-to-back shutouts of Penn State.

In 1955 Pitt sought a return to the roots of its previous success by turning to John Michelosen, a quarterback on Jock Sutherland's 1936 and 1937 championship teams who later served as a Sutherland assistant and as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Michelosen immediately brought Pitt football back to respectability in his first season with the 1955 Eastern Championship that was capped by an appearance in the 1956 Sugar Bowl. Pitt's invitation to the Sugar Bowl was surrounded by controversy because Pitt, an integrated team, was the first to bring an African-American, Bobby Grier, to play in a southeastern bowl game in the segregated Deep South. Grier's play in the Sugar Bowl cemented the university's place in civil rights history as the first team to break the color barrier for southeastern bowls.^[41]

Four additional winning seasons followed against formidable national schedules. The best team of the Micheloson era in 1963. The 1963 team, led by All-American Paul Martha, swept through a schedule with the only loss of the season was in late October at Navy, which would finish the season ranked second in the nation. The Panthers, at 7–1 and ranked fourth in the nation, headed into their rivalry against Penn State with a chance to play for a national championship. However, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the game was postponed. The bowls, which feared inviting Pitt before their season finale against Penn State, signed other teams, leaving Pitt without a bowl invitation despite defeating the Nittany Lions, and ending the season with a 9–1 record. Perceived as perhaps the best team of the modern football era not to appear in a bowl, the 1963 team finished with its number three ranking intact, but infamously received the label of the "No Bowl Team".^[42]

In eleven seasons at Pitt, the second longest coaching tenure at the school after Sutherland's, Michelosen achieved a 56–49–7 record with only 4 losing campaigns. Pitt finished ranked among the top twenty programs in four seasons with Michelosen at the helm. Michelosen was a major coaching influence on such modern day NFL coaching greats as Mike Ditka and Marty Schottenheimer, both of whom played at Pitt under Michelosen. However, a downturn in Pitt's football fortunes followed until the hiring of Johnny Majors.

Johnny Majors and Jackie Sherrill (1973–1981)

University Chancellor Wesley Posvar took action to revive the football program and hired Johnny Majors in 1973. Majors immediately upgraded the recruiting, most notably bringing in future Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett. Majors' impact was immediate and the Panthers their first bowl bid since 1956 when they were invited to play Arizona State in the 1973 Fiesta Bowl. Improvements continued with each season setting the stage was thus set for the 1976 edition of the Panthers to make a run for the national championship. The Panthers finished the regular season 11-0, and in December, Dorsett became the first Pitt Panther to win the Heisman Trophy as the nation's best college football player. Dorsett also won the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, and was named UPI Player of the Year. Pitt accepted an invitation to the 1977 Sugar Bowl to face fourth ranked Georgia and defeated the Bulldogs 27–3 and was voted number one in both the final Associated Press and Coaches polls, claiming their ninth national championship.^[43] This was Pitt's first undefeated national championship since 1937. The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) named Majors the 1976 Coach of the Year. Following this historic season, Majors returned to his alma mater, the University of Tennessee, to take the head coaching job.^[44]

Jackie Sherrill, who had been an assistant under Majors, succeeded Majors as head coach at Pitt. Under Sherrill, the winning continued with a 9–2–1 record and Gator Bowl win in 1977 and an 8–4 record in 1978. Sherrill stockpiled future NFL talent including Pittsburgh's own quarterback Dan Marino, Hall of Fame inductee Russ Grimm, and Outland Trophy winner Mark May. Sherrill also molded a devastating defense that was anchored at the defensive end position manned by Hall of Fame inductee Rickey Jackson and Heisman Trophy runner-up Hugh Green, who had the highest finish in the Heisman voting by a defensive player until 1997. 1979 began a string of three straight seasons with 11–1 records. However, an early loss at North Carolina in 1979, a midseason loss during a driving rainstorm at Florida State in 1980, and a devastating season-ending defeat at the hands of rival Penn State in 1981 prevented those teams from clinching an AP or Coaches poll national championship. In each of these three seasons, Pitt rebounded to win a bowl game: the Fiesta, Gator, and Sugar Bowls respectively. Sherrill's teams at Pitt are considered by some to be among the most talented in Pitt and college football history. The 1980 Pitt team alone featured seven first round draft picks, 23 players who went on to start in the NFL, seven others who played in the NFL, and one player each who played in the CFL and the USFL.^[45] In five seasons, Sherrill's Panthers won 50 games, lost nine, and tied one (50–9–1), which places his 0.842 winning percentage at the top of the list for all Pitt coaches, just ahead of Jock Sutherland.

1982 to present

Pitt continued success in the second half of the 1980s under head coach Mike Gottfried, and in 1991, joined the new Big East Football Conference, thus ending its history as a football independent, however coaching changes led to its football fortunes turning for the worse. In 1993, the university again looked to its past and brought back Johnny Majors. However, recruiting had fallen off significantly, and the quality of Pitt's football facilities had fallen behind those of its competition. Walt Harris replaced Majors in 1997 and took Pitt to the 1997 Liberty Bowl in his first season. At the same time, the university administration began addressing the facility situation starting with the opening of a football practice facility, the UPMC Sports Performance Complex. In lieu of much-needed but cost-prohibitive renovations to modernize Pitt Stadium, the administration made a controversial decision to move home games to the newly proposed North Shore stadium, later named Acrisure Stadium, and to demolish Pitt Stadium.^[46] 1999 was the final season for the Panthers in Pitt Stadium, which had served Pitt for 75 seasons.

Behind an increasing number of talented players, led by Biletnikoff Award winner Antonio Bryant, Pitt including a 12-0 defeat of rival Penn State.^[47] Additional bowl games and national rankings followed over the next four seasons. Overall Harris led the Panthers to a bowl game in six of his eight seasons, including five consecutive bowl games from 2000 through 2004, with bowl victories in 2001 and, led by Biletnikoff and Walter Camp Award winner Larry Fitzgerald, in 2002. Harris also led Pittsburgh to a share of the Big East Conference championship and a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Fiesta Bowl bid in 2004. Harris was named the Big East Conference Coach of the Year in 1997 and 2004, and he was the AFCA Region I Coach of the Year in 2002. Over his eight years at Pitt, from 1997 to 2004, Harris compiled an overall record of 52–44.

Dave Wannstedt, a Pittsburgh area native and former Pitt player, succeeded Harris as Pitt's head coach on December 23, 2004. Known for his recruiting prowess, Wannstedt reeled in classes that were nationally ranked throughout his tenure at Pitt.^[48][49] The last game of the 2007 season marked a major turning point for Wannstedt's program when Pitt traveled to four touchdown favorite and number two ranked West Virginia, who only needed a win over archrival Pitt to earn a spot in the BCS National Championship Game. One of the most memorable games in both schools' histories, Pitt upset the Mountaineers 13–9 and thus prevented them from playing for the national championship.^[50]

The following season, Pitt finished with a 9–3 record, and in 2009, Pitt shot off to a 9–1 start, its best start since 1982, and had climbed to ninth in the AP and BCS polls before close losses in its final two games. The Panthers rebounded by winning the Meineke Car Care Bowl and finished ranked 15th and achieve its first ten-win season since 1981. In addition, Pitt players garnered many post-season accolades, including Big East Offensive Player and Rookie of the Year in Dion Lewis, and Big East Co-Defensive Players of the Year in Mick Williams and Greg Romeus. Following Wannstedt's coaching tenure, a succession of coaches led to Pitt hiring Pat Narduzzi in December 2014, and led Pitt back to the AP top 25 by the 2015 season for the first time since 2010. Narduzzi coached several high profile players at Pitt, including Lombardi and Outland trophy winner Aaron Donald and ACC Player of the Year James Conner. In 2021, Narduzzi led Pitt to a 10–2 regular season, an ACC championship, and a Peach Bowl appearance. The following year was followed up with another top 25 finish and a victory over UCLA in the Sun Bowl.

National championships

Pitt-claimed

The University of Pittsburgh claims nine national championships in football. Eight of these claims (1915, 1916, 1918, 1929, 1931, 1936, 1937, and 1976)^[4] are taken from the total of 11 seasons in which the Panthers have been selected as a national champion by a "major selector" as determined by the Official NCAA Records Book.^[51] In addition, Pitt also claims a national championship for the 1934 season.^{[n 2]} The university bases its claim for the five national championships from 1929 to 1937 on a 1967 article by Dan Jenkins of Sports Illustrated.^[4][25]

The nine national championships claimed by Pitt are presented in its annual football media guide:^[4] All selections for seasons before 1934 were made retrospectively (selected years or decades later).

For seasons shown above other than the two in which Pitt was selected by a major poll as national champion, these persons created math rating systems that selected Pitt:

Richard Billingsley 1916

William Boand 1936

Deke Houlgate, Sr. 1916, 1918, 1936

Other selectors shown above for seasons before major polls began:

own selections:

Bill Schroeder^[25][55] 1916, 1918

Parke Davis 1915, 1916, 1929, 1931, 1934 (posthumous)

member polling:

National Championship Foundation 1916, 1918

NCAA records book

        see also: Year-by-year list of "Major" National Championship Selections

According to the Official NCAA Division 1 Football Records Book, Pitt has been named a national champion by a "Major Selector" in 11 separate seasons.^[56] The seasons listed in the NCAA Records Book include:

1910 • 1915 • 1916 • 1918 • 1929 • 1931 • 1936 • 1937 • 1976 • 1980 • 1981

All major selectors that chose Pitt in 1910, 1915, 1931, and 1981 also selected co-champions.

CFBDW

College Football Data Warehouse lists nine recognized national championship seasons in which the University of Pittsburgh was named a national champion. CFBDW lists the Joe Thompson coached 1910 undefeated and unscored upon team as a recognized national champion, whereas the university does not claim this championship. However, CFBDW does not list the 1934 season, claimed by Pitt, as a recognized championship season. The following nine seasons are the years Pitt is listed as a recognized national champion in College Football Data Warehouse:^[57]

1910 • 1915 • 1916 • 1918 • 1929 • 1931 • 1936 • 1937 • 1976

According to research conducted by College Football Data Warehouse, in seven additional seasons to the ones listed above, at least one selector (some not "major") of national championships has declared Pitt as its national champion, for a total of 16 selections. In four of these seasons, there was a single selector of Pitt (1925, 1929, 1933, 1938). In 1937 and 1976 there were 27 and 31 such selectors, respectively. The 16 seasons that Pitt was selected as a national champion by at least one selector according to CFBDW research include:^[18] 1910 • 1915 • 1916 • 1917 • 1918 • 1925 • 1927 • 1929 • 1931 • 1933 • 1936 • 1937 • 1938 • 1976 • 1980 • 1981

National Poll-era (1936–present)

Since the advent of the AP Poll in 1936, Pitt has been selected as its National Champion twice, in 1937 and 1976. Until the 1968 college football season, the final AP poll of the season was released following the end of the regular season, with the exception of the 1965 season, and did not consider the results of bowl games. The other major national poll, the Coaches' Poll, began in 1950 and has selected Pitt as its National Champion once, in 1976.

Summary

The following table summarizes the source and totals for Pitt's national championship seasons.

Conference affiliations

• Independent (1890–1990)
• Big East Conference (1991–2012)
• Atlantic Coast Conference (2013–present)

Conference championships

Pittsburgh has won three conference championships, one outright and two shared.

† Co-champions

Division championships

Pittsburgh has won two division championships.

Bowl games

Pitt has been to 37 bowl games throughout its history, winning 15 and losing 22.

Facilities

The team first played at Recreation Park. Beginning in 1900, the Panthers played their games at Exposition Park on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, sharing the stadium with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In 1909 the Panthers, along with the Pirates, moved to Forbes Field, located on campus, where they played until 1924. In 1925, Pitt Stadium was completed on the opposite end of the campus, giving the Panthers their only private stadium. Pitt Stadium was home for the Panthers although the Steelers also used it for home games in the mid-1960s. Following the demolition of Pitt Stadium in 1999, the Panthers moved to Three Rivers Stadium, again on the North Shore, where the Pirates and Steelers had played since 1970. A handful of nationally televised Pitt Panther football games from the late 1970s to 1999 were played as home games not at Pitt Stadium but at Three Rivers with its more modern facilities.

Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field) opened in 2001, where the Panthers play as a co-tenant with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Panthers' practice facility is the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Performance Complex which is also shared with the Steelers.

Firsts

Pitt football has been involved in several notable first-time occurrences in the history of college football, including:

• First known use of numbers on the uniforms of football players was instituted by Pitt in 1908 during the coaching tenure of John A. Moorhead.^[12][13][14]((#tag:ref|The Official NCAA Records Book credits Washington & Jefferson as being the first documented college football team to use uniform numbers in 1908,^[15]
• First live radio broadcast of a college football game in the United States when Harold W. Arlin announced the 21–13 Pitt victory in the Backyard Brawl over West Virginia at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh on KDKA on October 8, 1921.^[21]
• First nationwide television broadcast of a live sporting event, a football game against Duke at Pitt Stadium, was televised coast-to-coast by NBC on September 29, 1951.^[58]
• First college football player, Tony Dorsett, at any level to rush for over 6,000 yards in a career.^[59]
• First defensive player, Hugh Green, to win the Walter Camp Award (1980).^[60]
• First live regular-season broadcast by ESPN of a college football game when eventual national champion BYU defeated Pitt, 20–14, at Pitt Stadium on September 1, 1984.^[61]
• First sophomore, Larry Fitzgerald, to win the Walter Camp Award (2003).^[62]

Traditions

The Panther (Puma concolor) was adopted by the university as its official athletic mascot by a group of students and alumni in 1909. The suggestion to adopt the Panther as mascot was made by George M. P. Baird, Class of 1909. Over 20 representations of panthers can be found in and around the university's campus and athletic facilities, including outside Acrisure Stadium. 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 football team prior to games.^[63] This tradition was featured in a national television advertisement for the 2012 Hyundai Tucson automobile.^[64] In addition, a costumed mascot, named "Roc", performs with the Pitt Cheerleaders at various athletic and non-athletic university events.

Among the oldest traditions is the Official University Yell, dating to 1890, that has survived as lyrics within the fight song "Hail to Pitt". This song, along with the Pitt Victory Song, and The Panther Song, are the most common of Pitt fight songs performed on game days by the Pitt Band. The Pitt Band also participates in the "Panthers Prowl" which begins two hours before kickoff and allows fans to meet the team as they make their way into Acrisure Stadium outside Gate A. Originally, this tradition began as players made their way into Pitt Stadium.^[65][66] One hour prior to kick off, the Pitt Band also engages in the "March to Victory" from Tony Dorsett Drive down General Robinson Street and ending at the stage on Art Rooney Avenue. This tradition dates back to before the move to Acrisure Stadium when the Pitt Band would march throughout the streets of Oakland campus before arriving at Pitt Stadium.^[65][66] In addition, at halftime, the band typically will play in at least one formation spelling out "PITT". Other football traditions include:

• A giant inflatable football helmet is set up on the lawn of the William Pitt Union during the week prior to football home games. Typically, information or other freebees are distributed around the helmet prior to the day of the game.^[67]
• Following touchdowns, the horns of the Gateway Clipper riverboat fleet, which cruises just outside Acrisure Stadium, sound.
• When the Pitt offense moves into the 20-yard line, two large, motorized Heinz ketchup bottles flanking either side of the scoreboard tilt over and beginning to pour out their electronic contents onto the JumboTron's screen signifying the team's move into the "red zone".^[67][68]

• The upper section of the Cathedral of Learning has been illuminated gold with "victory lights" after a football team victory since 1983.^[69][70] In February 2018, a blue beam was added atop the Cathedral to accompany the gold lights.^[71]
• During home games, the jumbotron leads the crowd in a "Let's Go Pitt!" version of "Sweet Caroline", originally played between the 3rd and 4th quarter, but more recently at random times during games. During away games the Pitt Band will lead the visitor Pitt fans in a rendition of the song.^[72]
• Following home wins, the team gathers in front of the Pitt student section to celebrate with fans and the Pitt Band. After road wins, the team also congregates near the Pitt visiting section to celebrate.

Student section

During the late 1990s, athletic director Steve Pederson instituted a rebranding of the Pitt Stadium student section in an attempt to bolster enthusiasm and unity by emphasizing the 12th man concept. The stadium was repainted with the student section changed to section "12" and a large inflatable jersey bearing number 12 was placed near the section. Upon the move to Acrisure Stadium, the athletic department, in collaboration with their sideline apparel outfitter at the time Aéropostale, created the Aero-Zone. The Aero-Zone served as an exclusive on-field seating section for Pitt students where the first 200 students who lined up for the section before the game with student were admitted if they possessed tickets and proper identification.^[73] The Aero-Zone failed to catch sustained interest and was eventually discontinued. Other groups also attempted to create a more unified student section for football.^[74]

The current official Pitt football student fan club and cheering section, the Panther Pitt, was founded in 2003 by Pitt students Robin Frank and Julie Brennan to attempt to organize an Oakland Zoo-like atmosphere at Acrisure Stadium for football games. The Panther Pitt helped in coordinating student ticking policies with the athletic department and the Oakland Zoo.^[75][76] In 2006, the Panther Pitt and the Pitt Student Government Board originated the concept of "Code Blue" in which students wear blue T-shirts to the game to match the home blue uniforms of the Pitt football team.^[77][78] During some seasons, these shirts were commonly worn by students attending football games with the back of "Code-Blue" T-shirts typically include the line "Alle-genee-genac-genac" from the Official University Yell. In 2013, ESPN recognized the Panther Pitt as one of the nation's best college football student sections.^[79]

Rivalries

For most of Pitt's football history its chief rival had been in-state foe Penn State.^[80] The first Pitt-Penn State game was played in 1893. The game has been played 99 times, with Penn State holding a 52–43–4 edge in the series. After a 16-year hiatus the rivalry was renewed following Joe Paterno's death in 2012 and resumed with a 42–39 Pitt victory on September 10, 2016.^[47] The 100th game of the series will take place in 2019 and is the last match up for the foreseeable future as Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour claims that an extension will not be considered until at least 2030.^[81]

One of Pitt's fiercest rivals has been with the West Virginia Mountaineers. Dubbed the Backyard Brawl, the rivalry was first played in 1895 and is one of the oldest and most played in college football. Of historic note, the 1921 Backyard Brawl was the first live radio broadcast of a college football game in the United States. On November 10, 1979, the Backyard Brawl was the last college football game played at old Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia, with the Panthers prevailing 24–17. Through the 2011 season, Pitt and West Virginia have met on the gridiron a total of 104 times with Pitt holding a 61–40–3 edge in the series. In September 2015 it was announced the series will renew for the 2022–2025 seasons.^[82]

Other longstanding rivals include Notre Dame and Syracuse; both schools are tied as the third most played rivalry for Pitt. The series with Notre Dame began in 1909, and since that time no more than two consecutive seasons have passed without the teams meeting each other with the exception of the periods 1913–1929, 1938–1942, and 1979–1981. Notre Dame leads the series 50–21–1. Games between Pitt and the Irish had typically been scheduled annually, however, Notre Dame's agreement to play five ACC opponents each year starting in 2014 precluded annual games, so Pitt and Notre Dame will meet no more than twice during a three-year period.^[83] The rivalry with fellow ACC conference member Syracuse began in 1916, and has been played annually since 1955, with the Panthers leading the series 37–31–3. Pitt and Syracuse also shared membership in the Big East Conference from 1991 to 2012 before both schools simultaneously moved to the ACC where they are designated as cross-divisional rivals and are scheduled to meet annually.

Pitt and Navy recently renewed their rivalry, which began in 1912, and was played 26 times in 29 years between 1961 and 1989. Played consecutively between 2007 and 2009, and again in 2013, the series now stands with Pitt leading 22–14–3.^[84] Of historic interest, it was during the Pitt-Navy game at Annapolis on October 23, 1976, that Pitt running back Tony Dorsett broke the NCAA career rushing record.

When the University of Cincinnati joined the Big East Conference in 2005, the game between Pitt and the Bearcats was designated as the River City Rivalry with the annual winner of the game being awarded the Paddlewheel Trophy. Each team won four games during the eight-year span that both schools shared membership in the Big East. Pitt leads the series 8–4. The series will be renewed in 2023 and 2024.^[85]

Older rivalries against cross-town schools Duquesne and Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University), as well as Washington & Jefferson, ended following the de-emphasizing of the football programs at those institutions.

Team awards and accomplishments

Undefeated seasons

Pitt has had eight undefeated seasons. Six of the eight seasons are perfect seasons with no ties. Of the eight undefeated seasons, four are not claimed as national championship seasons by Pitt. Pitt football finished the season undefeated in:

1904 (10–0) • 1910 (9–0) • 1915 (8–0) • 1916 (8–0) • 1917 (10–0) • 1920 (6–0–2) • 1937 (9–0–1) • 1976 (12–0)

One-loss seasons

Pitt also has had 17 one-loss seasons:

1894 • 1899 • 1914 • 1918 • 1925 • 1927 • 1929 • 1931 • 1932 • 1933 • 1934 • 1935 • 1936 • 1963 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981

Eastern and Conference titles

For much of its history, Pitt played as an independent, as did the majority of what are now labeled as Division I FBS football-playing schools located in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. During this time, Eastern Championships were named by independent third party selectors and awarded of various trophies, such as the early Jolly Trophy awarded by the Philadelphia-based Veteran Athletic Organization which presented it to the team with the best record in the East.^[86] The process of picking an Eastern Champion eventually came to be symbolized by the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy awarded by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority beginning in 1936. The Lambert-Meadowlands trophy, which is still awarded, is presented to the team deemed to be the best that located in the East or plays half its schedule against eligible Lambert teams. In total, Pitt has won 12 Eastern Championships.^[38]

In addition, in 1991, the majority of football independents in the East aligned themselves together in the Big East Football Conference. Round-robin play began in the Big East beginning in 1993, although a championship was awarded during its first two years.^[87]

Number 1 ranking

Pitt has achieved the number one ranking in the major national polls (AP since 1936 and Coaches' since 1950) on the following occasions:^[88]

• 1982 (September 7, October 26, November 2)
• 1981 (November 3, 10, 17, 24)
• 1976 (November 9, 16, 23, 30, January 5, 1977^#)
• 1939 (October 17)
• 1938 (October 18, 25, November 1)
• 1937 (November 9, 16, 23, 30^#)

^#National Champion

Individual awards

Retired numbers

Pitt has retired 10 numbers of former football players.^[89]

Major award winners

Heisman finalists

Pitt players were among the finalists for the Heisman Trophy Award in 15 different seasons.^[90]

College Football Hall of Fame inductees

25 total former players or coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Players

The College Football Hall of Fame has inducted 19 former Panthers inducted as players.

In addition, Herb McCracken, who played at Pitt from 1918 to 1920, was inducted as a coach of Allegheny and Lafayette.

Coaches

The College Football Hall of Fame has inducted four former Panther coaches.

• Jock Sutherland (Pitt player from 1914 to 1917, and Pitt coach from 1924 to 1938)
• Pop Warner (Pitt coach from 1915 to 1923)
• Clark Shaughnessy (Pitt coach from 1943 to 1945)
• Len Casanova (Pitt coach in 1950)

The following two Pitt coaches have been inducted into the Hall of Fame as players at their respective schools.

• Wes Fesler (Ohio State; Pitt coach in 1946)
• Johnny Majors (Tennessee; Pitt coach from 1973 to 1976 and from 1993 to 1996)

First–team All-Americans

Pitt has had 82 different players selected as First Team All-American throughout its history for a total of 98 all-time First Team All-American Selections. That total includes 55 selections which have attained Consensus status. Pitt's Consensus First Team selections ranks as the eighth most consensus All-Americans among Division I FBS schools.^[2][7][91] The following list of Pitt's First Team All-Americans is compiled for the Pitt football media guide from various sources including the NCAA Football Guide, and consists of players who were first-team selections on one or more of the All American teams which were made over the years by Walter Camp, Grantland Rice, Caspar Whitney, International News Service, Associated Press, United Press International, NANA, NEA, the Football Writers Association of America, the Football Coaches Association, the All-America Board, Newsweek, The Sporting News, and Sports Illustrated.^[92]

Academic All-Americans

Pitt has had 15 different football players named as College Sports Information Directors of America Academic-All Americans for a total of 23 selections.^[93] In addition, five Pitt players have been named as a National Scholar-Athletes by the National Football Foundation^[94] and three players have awarded NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships.^[91]

Conference awards

The University of Pittsburgh football program was an independent for the majority of its history. It joined the Big East Conference for football in 1991, the inaugural year that the Big East sponsored the sport. Pitt won a share of the Big East football championship in 2004 and 2010. In 2013, Pitt joined the ACC. Several Panthers have won various Big East Conference football awards and Atlantic Coast Conference football awards, including Offensive Player, Defensive Player, Special Teams Player, Rookie, and Coach of the Year.

*co-recipient, ^#unanimous selection

Panthers in the NFL

Pitt has produced 289 NFL players including ten that went on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame^[95] and 31 that have been selected to play in the Pro Bowl.^[96] Furthermore, in a survey of NFL drafts from 1979 to 2009, ESPN rated Pitt third, behind only USC and Miami, for having "the most fertile NFL draft pipelines."^[97] In addition, Pitt has been ranked second among all schools for the historical value of its drafted players.^[98] Some former Pitt players that have left their mark on the NFL include Ruben Brown, Jimbo Covert, Mike Ditka, Chris Doleman, Aaron Donald, Tony Dorsett, Larry Fitzgerald, Russ Grimm, Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, Rickey Jackson, Dan Marino, Curtis Martin, Mark May, LeSean McCoy, Darrelle Revis, and Tony Siragusa.

Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees

Ten Panthers have been elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Pitt is tied for fourth among all colleges and universities for the number of former players inducted.^[95] Pitt's ten Hall of Famers and their year of induction and years played are:

• Joe Schmidt (Enshrined in 1973; Played 1949–1952)
• Mike Ditka (Enshrined in 1988; Played 1957–1960)
• Tony Dorsett (Enshrined in 1994; Played 1972–1976)
• Dan Marino (Enshrined in 2005; Played 1979–1982)
• Russ Grimm (Enshrined in 2010; Played 1977–1980)
• Rickey Jackson (Enshrined in 2010; Played 1977–1980)
• Curtis Martin (Enshrined in 2012; Played 1991–1994)
• Chris Doleman (Enshrined in 2012; Played 1981–1984)
• Jimbo Covert (Enshrined in 2020; Played 1978–1982)
• Darrelle Revis (Enshrined in 2023; Played 2004–2006)

NFL All-Decade Teams

The following former Panthers were named to NFL All-Decade Teams (and 75th and 100th Anniversary All-Time Teams, selected in 1994 and 2019, respectively). Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Pro Bowl selections

Through the 2023 NFL season, 34 former Pitt players have been selected to appear in the NFL Pro Bowl for a total of 129 all-time Pro Bowl selections. Pitt has been represented by at least one Pro Bowl selection every year since 1981.^[96][99]

NFL first round draftees

Throughout its history, the University of Pittsburgh has had 278 players selected 299 times in professional football drafts when totaling both NFL and AFL picks. This includes 27 First Round NFL draft picks since 1960.

Current NFL players

As of October 16, 2023, there are 20 NFL players that played college football at the University of Pittsburgh:

^#Selected to the Pro Bowl. ^*Played two seasons at Pitt before transferring to USC for his final season.

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of February 11, 2023.^[100]