The Pitt athletics department introduced yesterday a new secondary logo for Pitt’s athletics… The Pitt athletics department introduced yesterday a new secondary logo for Pitt’s athletics teams.

The new logo, pictured below, replaces the old “Dinocat” Panther head logo introduced in 1997 by then-athletics director Steve Petersen.

While the Panther head logo was revised, athletics director Jeff Long asserted in a press release that the arching block Pitt logo, which was introduced as the school’s primary logo in 2005, will still remain at the forefront of the university’s athletic teams.

“We have been known as Pitt for more than a century and that name and logo will continue to be our primary identity,” Long said in the release. “After receiving consistent public feedback, we felt the time was right to give our Panther head a more refined, contemporary look and one that is easily reproduced and recognized.”

The new logo is the result of a collaborative design effort between the Pitt athletics department and Collegiate Licensing Company.

Merchandise featuring the new logo will be in stores and online at www.pittsburghpanthers.com starting July 2, according to the release.