University of Pittsburgh
Team Name: PanthersNickname Established: 1909 per Alumni & Student Meeting Mascot: Panther Costumed Mascot: Roc the Panther Costumed Mascot Debut: 1920 Live Mascot: No Reference Found Live Mascot Debut: n/a Team Colors: Old Gold & Blue University Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania  Why is the panther the Pittsburgh mascot? I'm going to quote straight from the Pitt website for this one because it's so succint. "The Panther (Felis concolor) was adopted as the University of Pittsburgh's mascot at a meeting of students and alumni in the autumn of 1909. According to George M. P. Baird, '09, who made the suggestion, it was chosen for the following reasons:
Why is the Pitt Panther costumed mascot named Roc? Roc was chosen to honor Steve Petro, a Pitt player, coach and administrator for over fifty years. Petro is known as "the Rock" to Pitt fans, sometimes referred to as "the rock upon which Pitt football grew." The nickname is a play on his last name Petro, which has its roots in the Greek name Petros and the Latin name Petrus. Both names mean rock. How many panther statues/sculptures are on and around the Pitt campus? There are ten permanent panther depictions around the Pitt campus, including four bronze panthers created in 1897 and a "Pitt the Panther" carousel animal created in 2006 for the carousel at neighboring park, Schenley Plaza. Wikipedia has a nice entry about the statues, with photos. As of Jan 2008, there are also ten fiberglass panthers around campus. The Student Government Board purchased them with surplus funds with the objective of creating a new homecoming tradition. Each year University of Pittsburgh student organizations will decorate the panthers for homecoming. You can check out the current photos here. My Random Associations and Observations *Roc the Panther has an entertaining bio at Roc's World, his section of the Jr. Panthers Club site. My favorite tidbit: "Paw size: Large enough to squash the Big East Conference." *The school colors are listed as "Old Gold and Blue" on the traditions part of the site. Roc's color is listed as "Vegas Gold." Sources "Timeline, 11.6.1920." Official Pitt Athletics Site. "Traditions-Mascot." Official Pitt Athletics Site. "Petro Family Name." Ancestry.com. "Panthers of Pittsburgh." Wikipedia. "Panther Photos." Official Pitt Student Government Board Site. "Traditions." Official Pitt Student Government Board Site. Helpful Links Official Pitt Site Official Pitt Men's Basketball Site Official Pitt Spirit Groups Page, with PDF of tryout info Roc the Panther's Page on Jr. Panthers Site Official Jr. Panthers Fan Club for Kids Site Navigation Top of Page Return to 64mascots Home About 64mascots - The Why and Who Behind the Site 2009 List of NCAA March Madness Mascots & Teams ©2009 64mascots.com
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