Oakland Zoo to give out free T-shirts, food and soda

Move over Cameron Crazies, the Oakland Zoo has arrived.

This group of wild, rambunctious and… Move over Cameron Crazies, the Oakland Zoo has arrived.

This group of wild, rambunctious and vocal Pitt students who grace the front rows of Panther basketball games are back this season and are bigger and better than ever.

The Oakland Zoo is the brainchild of juniors Matt Cohen, Zack Hale and Jon St. George, who have been working nonstop to create what Cohen calls, “a legitimate student section.” And they’re well on their way, having signed up over 1,200 members, securing a number of sponsors and becoming an official club on campus.

Now, the Zoo will be hosting a tailgate before Saturday’s exhibition game against Sports All-Stars from 3 to 7 p.m. in the PS Lot. Members will have a chance to pick up their free Oakland Zoo T-shirts, and food and soda will also be provided. Another tailgate will be held Nov. 16, before the team’s final exhibition game against One World All Stars.

“The goal is to have everyone wear their T-shirts to the regular season games,” Cohen said.

Hale added that the tailgate also provides an opportunity for members to ask questions but also welcomed ideas to be e-mailed to the Zoo at sorc+oaklandzoo@pitt.edu.

But the tailgates are only just the beginning. The Zoo will be camping out the morning of Nov. 18 when the individual student tickets for the opening game against Duquesne go on sale, signing up even more people and handing out shirts. They plan to do the same for every major home game.

There are other ideas in the works, such as the creation of a sign reading “Countdown to New Orleans,” the site of this season’s Final Four. They’re also thinking about handing out tissues that everyone can wave when the opposing team’s coach starts crying.

“The Oakland Zoo is about tradition, not just a T-shirt,” Cohen said. “We don’t want to be a select group.”

They’ve come a long way since last season, when Cohen recalls the game against Morgan State and a student attendance of about 100 people. They’re working diligently on a membership drive and hope to get to the point where they’re able to have meetings for club members.

The Zoo is also collaborating with Pitt Program Council in sponsoring trips to a number of away games, such as West Virginia, Penn State and Notre Dame. They are relying on monetary donations from sponsors and alumni because Student Government Board is strapped for cash but said an allocation may be possible next semester.

And while St. George acknowledges that the biggest hurdle has been not having any money, it’s not about to stop the Zoo.

The fact is – there isn’t anything that can stop them.