Yet another Panther nearing the end of his run at Pitt

Chevon Troutman has played his final game in a Pitt uniform, Carl Krauser and Chris Taft are… Chevon Troutman has played his final game in a Pitt uniform, Carl Krauser and Chris Taft are heading to the NBA draft, and Larry Fitzgerald is preparing for his sophomore season in the NFL.

Pitt athletics may soon have to say another good-bye. As surprising as it is to many of his friends, Brian Amentt is preparing to graduate.

The Pitt football team has won 24 games with Amentt on the field — all with Walt Harris coaching, no less — and the basketball team has 53 with him on the court. So, why doesn’t Amentt’s name show up on either roster? Maybe because he wears a panther uniform.

Not blue and gold, but brown fur, whiskers and a tail. That’s right; Amentt is Roc the Pitt Panther

Amentt has provided entertainment at almost every sporting event Pitt athletics has to offer, including wrestling, gymnastics, swimming and volleyball, to name a few. Sometimes he has done as many as three of these events in one day.

“I’m allowed to run around like an idiot. It’s encouraged, almost.” Amentt said. “And without anyone knowing who I am, it works out pretty well.”

Amentt’s responsibilities include more than just sporting events. People request the Panther’s presence at birthdays and weddings, as well. Prior to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, he joined the cheerleaders handing out bags of Tostitos chips at local Giant Eagles. As the Panther, he has also ice skated in Schenley Park and helped little kids with their Easter egg hunts.

If a little old lady wanted help crossing the street, Amentt would do that too, with or without the panther suit.

His charisma, both as the Panther and as a person, gives him a chance of continuing his mascot career into the future. Recently, he was one of five finalists for the job of Dinger, the purple dinosaur. No, not a Barney rip-off, but the mascot of the Colorado Rockies. The job might have been his were it not for the season starting prior to graduation. If only baseball would have a lockout too.

“I have fun wherever I go.” Amentt said. “I like representing the University. As for the future, I wouldn’t mind getting a desk job, but being able keep doing this, that would be pretty sweet.”

Being a mascot isn’t as easy as some may think, though.

“It takes a lot of time management,” Amentt said. “You have to have some stamina and be able to dance. I can cut a rug.”

All that rug-cutting has a side effect though; to put it bluntly, the Panther reeks.

“It’s a mix of wet dog and feet,” Amentt says “but after about two minutes, I don’t even notice it at all.”

Amentt has been preparing for this job since his junior year in high school. At one of his high school basketball games, a friend dared him to go on the court at halftime, do a cartwheel and start the school cheer. Never one to turn down a dare, Amentt obliged and became an instant star.

Once at Pitt, Amentt joined the cheer squad with his eye on the Panther suit. Unable to lift any of the cheerleaders, because of what he claims was “poor technique,” the job of Panther was soon his.

Now, for Amentt, everything is coming full-circle.

His next task as the Panther is to complement the nationals routine of the Pitt cheerleaders. During the routine, he dances, carries flags and adds overall excitement. This will be the first time the mascot has participated in a competition routine for Pitt.

So today, Amentt is traveling to Daytona, Fla., with both the cheerleaders and dance team. It’s a tough job, but somebody has got to do it.