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 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (NCAA Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for american football).
Varsity men's sports sponsored by the university are baseball, basketball, cross country, football, soccer, swimming and diving, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, and wrestling; while sponsored women's varsity sports include basketball, cross country, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, and volleyball. All varsity sports teams compete as members of the Big East Conference, with the exception of the gymnastics team competing in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League and the wrestling team competing in the Eastern Wrestling League. The university also maintains membership in the Eastern College Athletic Conference.
On September 18, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) announced that it had extended a formal invitation to Pittsburgh to join the ACC after approving their application. Pitt will officially leave the Big East, EWL, and EAGL to join the ACC for all sports on July 1, 2013.
The university's athletic program is one of only five current NCAA Division 1A schools to have won multiple national championships in both football (9) and basketball (2), and the Panthers have been ranked as having among the best combinations of football and basketball programs by multiple publications. Other sports have won a variety of conference titles, regularly compete in NCAA championship events, and have produced a plethora of professional and olympic athletes.
Read more about Pittsburgh Panthers: Department of Athletics, Club Sports, Notable Panthers
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“The largest business in American handled by a woman is the Money Order Department of the Pittsburgh Post-office; Mary Steel has it in charge.”
—Lydia Hoyt Farmer (18421903)