It was sophomore year and as winter break approached, I had yet to have an excuse to… It was sophomore year and as winter break approached, I had yet to have an excuse to celebrate … to cheer … to feel like I was a fan.

The night of Dec. 1, 2007, changed all that. Pitt football was sputtering, despite a star freshman tailback, LeSean McCoy, who would rush the Panthers to a winning record the following season. And although Pitt would not play in a bowl game that year, it had the chance to upend its most vaunted rival — a West Virginia team on the precipice of clinching a spot in the BCS National Championship, ranked No. 2 in the nation, sporting an impressive 10-1 record — while playing at home, in the latest edition of the Backyard Brawl.

That night, after coming into the game as a four-touchdown underdog, the Panthers miraculously defeated the Mountaineers 13-9 with hard-nosed defense and a staunch running attack. I watched the game with my three roommates in Pennsylvania Hall. When the final whistle blew, we were out the door and on the street before you could say, “Pat Bostick.”

And then, as we ran out the front door of our dorm, on University Drive C, there she was. That beautiful sight, set ablaze in all her glory — a flaming, burning couch.

Soon enough we were down the hill, on Forbes Avenue, witnessing the masses of Pitt students who had flooded the streets in celebration. Some were climbing light posts, others were jumping on cars, some were breaking windows. It was a riot.

So this is what college sports are like, I thought. Finally, I had a reason.

Now, as I prepare to depart Pitt and The Pitt News, I find myself recalling all of the best, most exciting times in Pitt athletics throughout my tenure as a fan, er, journalist on campus.

After that December night, excitement was never short around Oakland. Just a few weeks after the Backyard upset, Levance Fields provided my next greatest thrill when he hit a dramatic, game-winning, step-back, in-your-face trey ball over Duke to win a gripping overtime game in Madison Square Garden. The team would later win the Big East tournament at season’s end. It was then that I fell in love with Pitt basketball.

A year later, we’d have DeJuan Blair strutting around campus. Sam Young had emerged as a big-time college baller, and Fields, well — Fields has to be considered one of the great college point guards of the past four years, despite a game that didn’t carry to the pros.

That trio brought Pitt its first-ever No. 1 national ranking and NCAA Tournament one seed. Blair body-slammed Hasheem Thabeet. Fields continued to hit game winners whereas Young dazzled with the best pump fake in college hoops. And although Scottie Reynolds spoiled a trip to the Final Four in 2009, the Panthers gave me memories I won’t soon forget.

Of course, I can’t neglect to mention those talented running backs. First it was McCoy, who broke all the freshman records that Pitt great Tony Dorsett established years ago. When McCoy bolted for the NFL, it was Dion Lewis who emerged, again breaking the records McCoy had set.

And did I mention that triple-overtime classic over the Mountaineers this basketball season?

In all — though devoid of a national title — Panther sports gave me countless thrills and much to be proud of over the years. As graduation looms and I venture off into the real world, (yes, I’ve been cast in the next season of MTV’s reality series … psyche, naw!) I have no doubt — only confidence — in saying: I am a Panthers fan for life.

In closing, I’d like to thank a few people. First, I’d like to thank Pat Mitsch and Jeff Greer for hiring me three years ago at The Pitt News. I’d like to thank everyone who ever wrote, edited or contributed to our sports section over the years. I’d like to thank my editors this year, who gave me a great amount of freedom. And, above all, I’d like to thank you, the readers. Whether you think I’m an idiot without a clue or enjoyed my opinions over the past three semesters, it is to you I owe the greatest gratitude. Thank you for reading, for commenting and for e-mailing. Thank you for being part of the discussion.