A New Tradition

[ratking17]

The thread about Hail to Pitt or Let's go Pitt got me thinking...

I think we need to do a better job of educating Pitt fans on our Alma Matter. We have such an easy one to remember, and on top of it, "Dear old Pittsburgh, Alma Matter..." is such an awesome part. Some of you may not know this but our Olympics sports teams (at least when I was in school) would often sign it at the end of the games. I know we play it, and my group of ticket buddies will sing it, but we go mostly ignored and alone. I think we could make this a really cool thing, similar to how the Pens and Jeff Jimerson have allowed the crowd to sign the National Anthem at Pens games..

 

[mdpitt]

The thread about Hail to Pitt or Let's go Pitt got me thinking...

I think we need to do a better job of educating Pitt fans on our Alma Matter. We have such an easy one to remember, and on top of it, "Dear old Pittsburgh, Alma Matter..." is such an awesome part. Some of you may not know this but our Olympics sports teams (at least when I was in school) would often sign it at the end of the games. I know we play it, and my group of ticket buddies will sing it, but we go mostly ignored and alone. I think we could make this a really cool thing, similar to how the Pens and Jeff Jimerson have allowed the crowd to sign the National Anthem at Pens games..

The part of the Alma Matter you mentioned is sometimes the only thing fans sing. There is something about our song that is incredibly NOT easy to remember to the average fan. I know I will get destroyed for saying this but maybe it's time to keep the music but tweak the lyrics to reflect our modern Pitt. There is precedent for changing lyrics like our fight song made reference to Pittsburgh being smokey but that was changed. Three Rivers, Oakland, and the Cathedral could all take a place in the new modern version that would make sense to the average fan. The German National Anthem is the music and I don't mind watching a German hear his National Anthem when winning gold at the Olympics because I think of Pitt fondly.

 

[jaygeekray]

At that dramatic part of the song some folks even sing:
"Deutschland Deutschland über alles"
instead of
"Dear old Pittsburgh, Alma Mater"

 

[CrazyPaco]

The music was adopted as the German National Anthem 13 years after Pitt adopted it as its alma mater.

The music is actually Joseph Haydn's 1797 "Got erhalte Franz den Kaiser", which translates to "God save Francis the Emperor", who was the emperor of Austria (and it remained the anthem of the Austrian monarchy until its demise in 1918). It also serves as the music to the Christian hymn "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken".

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Crazy Paco is right, there has to be a renewal of all Pitt Traditions and Information on them, as well as knowing all the great records, awards, and information of Pitt Football History. Pederson never understood this important aspect of rebuilding Pitt Sports and the New AD Barnes has to develop a solid plan for branding of the Pitt Traditions.

At the same time, PITT has to find and develop the Money Resources to insure Pitt Football & Basketball wins at a high level because nothing builds Fan Base and Support than winning games, and Baylor and TCU has proven one can rebuild Sports Programs with great Vision and Branding even when they have little to no Traditions in Winning or Famous Alumni in the numbers Pitt has had and been blessed with over the years.

UCLA is back to winning as well after being second fiddle to USC and took advantage of USC Sanctions Period but now has to be remain steadfast and continue to grow as USC comeback. MSU took on Michigan and succeeded so far but it is a grind every day to rebuild a program and keep it in the Top 25 and Top 10!

Wisconsin started in 1990's and has done great in both sports. Baylor has been on a great run too, as Schools like Nebraska, VT, UTexas, Oklahoma, Miami, UTenn, Michigan, Penn State, WVU and some others stumble while others cam up in Ole Miss, Missy State, UCLA, Baylor, TCU, Oregon, Stanford, and Duke all regular newcomers to the top 25 & Higher this past Decade.

It took Bama, Ohio State, LSU, and FSU a few years to find the right coaches that rebuilt their Programs into Top National Championship Teams again. It is an ever cycle of competition that requires much attention to detail and heavy support to maintain it, but just look at how Ohio State has become the biggest attendance earner in the Big Ten in a Stadium smaller than Penn State and Michigan?

Now that Pitt is in the ACC, this is why Pitt needed a New Chancellor that has taken steps to revive Pitt Football even before hiring an Athletic Director, and I hope he listens to Crazy Paco, Hall to Pitt, Dr. Von Yinzer and Other Posters Proposals and finding and building up the Contributors and Supporters that renew and rebuild PITT Football and Basketball into Top 25 Programs again.