The Pope and the sharks: The Panther Pitt’s gameday traditions

The atmosphere at Acrisure Stadium on Pitt game days is unmatched. One of the most crucial factors that build up the strong sense of pride and spirit felt by everyone in attendance? The work of the Panther Pitt student section.

Junior finance and accounting major Ian Labatch is the face of the Panther Pitt student section. On game days, he leads the student body dressed head to toe in religious garb. Although he’s been nicknamed the Pitt Pope, he’s not the first sacred symbol to appear in Panther Pitt. 

“There was this former student Carson who did it in 2021. He dressed up as the pope for Halloween and then started wearing the costume to games, and that was the year we won the ACC Championship,” Labatch said. 

The following year, Labatch took on the highly coveted role, and the rest is history. 

“Last year, I was part of the student section, and we didn’t have the best season, but I was also the Pope for Halloween and decided to wear the costume to the Boston College game,” Labatch said. “We ended up winning, and Carson had asked me to continue the tradition. It’s really evolved since then.” 

Another recurring character at Acrisure Stadium is a fish out of water. Senior pre-law political science major Ryan Watkins helps to hype up the student section by dressing up as a shark. 

The costume comes from the fact that the 2024 Pitt defense made a name for themselves, making crucial plays and having stellar performances that have led to big wins. From this, the Pitt football linebackers have nicknamed themselves “The Sharks.” 

“I watched our defense just go off the first three games of the year, and after the plays where they did something impressive, they made a shark fin,” Watkins said. “If I could do something as small as wearing a shark costume to the games to support them, I could do that.” 

The early success of this year’s Pitt football team helped to bring some liveliness and energy into the student section.  

“The more enjoyable a game is, the more people want to go, and the more people cheering, the better the team does,” Watkins said. “It all kind of feeds into itself.”

Labatch always felt that pride for Pitt football runs deep, and he wanted to help grow that with his involvement in the student section. 

“Since I got here, I’ve wanted to help make the student section better, and even last year when we were three and nine, we still had people show out,” Labatch said. “I think Pittsburgh is a sports town and that really carries over to the students, even if not a lot of them are from here. That kind of sports atmosphere has really made its way to Pitt athletics.” 

Watkins graduates this year and encourages students involved with the Panther Pitt student section to show support at home games. The Panther Pitt application process begins right after the bowl season ends around December or January, and the application will be posted on the Panther Pitt Instagram. 

Labatch returns for another year as the Pope, but wants to pass down the tradition to someone who is just as animated about Pitt football as he is.

“I’ll plan on having an application process, so I can interview the students who apply,” Labatch said. “I think the Pitt Pope has to always be someone who is passionate about Pitt sports and wants to carry on the tradition for the right reasons.” 

The Panthers have played their last regular season game of the year, finishing with a 7-5 record overall. Players and fans now await the announcement of a bowl game location and opponent. The most recent projection places the Panthers in the Gasparilla Bowl against Vanderbilt — with the Commodores set as a 1.5-point favorite.