Athletic tradition
Women’s Basketball: Two-time NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances
Tony Dorsett: NCAA Division I Rushing Record
1984 Big East Champions Women’s Swimming and Diving
Women’s Basketball
Women’s Volleyball
Two NCAA Sweet Sixteens (2008, 2009)
11 Big East Tournament Championships
Three NCAA Tournament appearances
11 NCAA Tournament appearances
One WNBA first-round draft pick
Eight Big East Tournament MOPs
One All-American
Six Big East Players of the Year
Men’s Basketball
Three Big East Rookies of the Year
Two-time national champions (1927-28, 1929-30) One NCAA Final Four - (1941) Two NCAA Elite Eight - (1974, 2009) Six NCAA Sweet Sixteens (1974, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009) Five Big East regular season titles (1986-87, 1987-88, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04) Four league tournament titles (1981, 1982, 2003, 2008) 21 NCAA Tournament appearances
14 All-Big East First Team selections Two All-Americans
Softball First Professional Player -(2007) Jessica Dignon (Washington Glory)
Track & Field Two Olympic U.S.A. Gold Medal winners John Woodruff (1936, 800 meters), Roger Kingdom (1984 & 1988, 110-Meter High Hurdles) 10 Olympians
12 All-Americans
Six NCAA Men’s Champions
Four retired jerseys: (Don Hennon, Billy Knight, Brandin Knight, Charles Smith)
10 NCAA Women’s Champions
Gymnastics
19 NCAA Men’s All-Americans
One National Champion Lisa Shirk (1982, Uneven Bars) Six National Qualifiers 15 All-EAGL first team Members Seven EAGL Champions
Men’s Swimming and Diving 19 Big East Championships Nine All-Americans (13 others earned honorable mention)
Baseball Eight All-Americans 29 MLB Draft selections 36 All-Big East selections
Men’s Soccer
18 NCAA Women’s All-Americans
Wrestling 29 wrestlers that have gone undefeated in dual season 16 NCAA Champions 26 NCAA Finalists 40 NCAA Semifinalists 44 NCAA All-Americans Four Eastern Wrestling League Tournament Outstanding Wrestlers Three EWL Wrestlers of the Year Rande Stottlemyer: three-time EWL Coach of the Year 40 EWL Champions 87 EWL Finalists 27 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Champions
On the University of Pittsburgh campus, between the Cathedral of Learning and Heinz Chapel, is a sidewalk known as the Varsity Walk. There, embedded in the stones, are the names of former Pitt athletes who have promoted the University through their athletic or academic achievements. The Varsity Walk was conceived in 1950 as a way to honor athletes, and new members are added each year. The distinctive hand-carved stones were first presented as the Athletic Committee Award and the Charles C. Hartwig Award. The Athletic Committee recognized the best athlete from any sport. The Charles Hartwig Award was given to the senior athlete who promoted and sponsored the best interests of Pitt athletics, in honor of the 1934 All-America tight end. In 1971 the awards were changed to the Panther and Blue-Gold awards, respectively. The Panther Award is presented to the graduating senior-athlete who has promoted Pittsburgh athletics through his/her outstanding athletic achievement. The Blue-Gold Award is given to the seniors who represent the student-athlete ideal based on academic scholarship, athletic achievement, leadership qualities and citizenship. The awards were expanded to include women in 1975.
Four EIWA team titles
Six All-Americans 16 professional players
Varsity Walk
Roger Kingdom: Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist
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