Pitt Victory Song

[8] Although commonly performed at university events, few people today know the rarely heard first portion of the song that occurs before the chorus.

[18] As of 2010[update] the "Victory Song" is available for purchase in a variety of formats including compact discs, MP3s, and ringtones.

Some printings of the lyrics record the version "It may be tough, The going rough, But always fighting fair" - which reverses the order of the words "rough" and "tough" For most of the history of Pittsburgh Panthers athletic programs, a major rivalry has been with the Penn State Nittany Lions, especially in football.

During the 1970s and 1980s, the rivalry was especially intense, with the two schools' football teams often competing for the national championship along with state supremacy.

The popularity of the use of these alternative lyrics carried over to when the fight song was used even during contests when Penn State was not the opponent, including other sporting events such as basketball.

Beginning with the 2001–2002 school year, the university administration, without announcement, mandated the Pitt Band to stop playing the portion of the song with the objectionable student-substituted lyrics.