Best of Pittsburgh: Panther athletes who call Pittsburgh home

Pittsburgh is known for a lot of stand-out things — pierogies and the Primanti’s sandwich are deemed the best foods in Pittsburgh, and the Duquesne Incline and Mount Washington offer the best sightseeing views. And, currently, the city is known for having some incredibly talented home-grown athletes playing on Pitt teams. 

With a lot of great things found in and around the Steel City, let’s take a look at some Pitt athletes who call the Pittsburgh area their home. 

Brandin “Beebah” Cummings 

Brandin “Beebah” Cummings is a first-year guard for the Pitt men’s basketball team from Midland, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh. He’s also the younger brother of former Pitt Panther Nelly Cummings, who helped the Panthers to an NCAA March Madness appearance during his time at Pitt in 2023. 

In high school at Lincoln Park, Beebah finished his career ranked 21st in WPIAL history with 2,222 career points and made 271 career three-pointers. As a true first-year, he’s averaging 6.2 points per game and showing offensive skill and agility during his playing time. With a great start to his career and plenty of time ahead of him, Cummings is surely one of the best Panther athletes to come out of the area. 

Donovan McMillon 

Senior defensive back Donovan McMillon went to high school in Peters Township, about 30 minutes outside of Pittsburgh. At the beginning of his career, McMillon played for Florida before transferring to Pitt after two years. 

McMillon is a defensive threat on the field and a key component of the Panther football defensive effort. In his last two seasons, McMillon has led the Panthers in tackles. 

McMillon had 115 tackles in 2024 and became the first Pitt player to record consecutive 100-tackle seasons since 2008. In December of last year, McMillon declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, which will take place in two months.

Emily Coughlin

Fifth-year lacrosse midfielder Emily Coughlin knows this city like the back of her hand. Coughlin is a Pittsburgh native at heart who went to high school right down the street at Oakland Catholic. Part of the inaugural class of the Pitt women’s lacrosse team, Coughlin has made significant headway in making women’s lacrosse more known at Pitt. 

In just four games so far this season, she’s scored five goals, including a goal that helped Pitt win against state rival Penn State. The 12-10 victory was a statement Big Ten win for the Panthers, only in their fourth year of the program. A foundational piece of this team, Coughlin is certifiably one of the best Pitt athletes right out of Pittsburgh. 

These athletes follow a long legacy of former Panthers who also had successful careers during their time at Pitt, and share the same link of growing up near the University of Pittsburgh. 

Hall of Famers like Dan Marino, Mike Ditka and Tony Dorsett are all from the Steel City and are some of the most successful Pitt athletes of all time. With a city built on its love for sports, it’s no surprise some of Pitt’s best athletes call this city home.