1909 The Pitt Panther The University of Pittsburgh adopted the panther as its mascot. Pitt adopted the panther as its mascot at a meeting of students and alumni in the fall of 1909. The panther was adopted for five reasons: » The panther was a fearsome animal & indigenous to the area » It was historically considered noble » The happy accident of alliteration » Panthers can be naturally gold in color, thus matching one of Pitt’s colors » No other college or university had a panther mascot at the time 1787 1893 1896 1898 1906 1909

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