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Quick Facts: University of Pittsburgh

HE'S ON FIRE

NCAA Football: Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Vitals

  • Established February 28, 1787
  • Located in Pittsburgh, PA
  • 28,664 students
  • $3.95 billion endowment (GOOD LORD)
  • #70 Nationally Among Universities According to US News and World Report
  • Motto: Veritas et Virtus (Truth and Virtue)

Other Noteworthy Facts

  • The University is the third-largest recipient of federally sponsored health research funding among U.S. universities. Hats off to them!
  • It's the longest continually chartered institution of higher learning in the United States west of the Allegheny Mountains. That's a lot of history.
  • Pitt had a long running weekly improv show called Friday Night Improvs, which ran from 1989 to 2014, during which time it was the longest running theatrical/comedic production in the city of Pittsburgh. Since its folding, another group, Ruckus, had carried the Pitt improv torch. As a lover of improv, I approve.
  • Pitt also has a student-run late night talk show called Pitt Tonight.

Notable Alumni

  • Entertainment legend Gene Kelly
  • National treasure Fred "Mr." Rogers
  • Mark Cuban (did not graduate)
  • Reality star, actress, model, and one half of a legendarily bad pro wrestling match, Jenna Morasca (MINUS! FIVE! STARS!)
  • Drag performer Justin "Alaska Thunderfuck" Honard (I'd normally have censored that, but it's not censored on Wikipedia so it's good enough for me. Apologies to any offended eyeballs, but when you get a chance to type that name in a journalistic context, by God you take it)

Sports!

  • Longest Tenured Coach: Jock Sutherland, 14 years
  • Wins Leader: Sutherland, 111–20-12 (.818)
  • All-Time Record: 717–527–42 (.574)
  • Postseason Record: 13–20 (.394)
  • Surprising Fact: Pittsburgh has had no less than NINE head coaches with literal hall of fame careers. Madness.

Other Things I Learned Writing This Article

  • Alaska Thunderfuck (had to get it in one more time) is apparently worthy of top billing in the notable alumni section.
  • Pitt has nearly as many claimed national titles (9) as they do bowl wins (13).

That's all for the penultimate Quick Facts! As always, thanks for reading. On to bowl eligibility, I hope! Go Deacs.

--SF