Pitt athletics announced Wednesday morning that four of the department’s leaders — athletic director Heather Lyke, head football coach Pat Narduzzi, head women’s basketball coach Lance White and head men’s basketball coach Jeff Capel — would donate a combined $500,000 to support Pitt’s Center for Vaccine Research in their pursuit of a vaccine that protects against the coronavirus.

Pitt’s second annual Day of Giving proved it’s the gift that keeps on giving — raising $9,029,828 in the span of 24 hours, nearly twice as much as last year. The 3,358 donations poured in from six...