Not long after Steve Pederson was announced as Pitt's new athletic director yesterday, he had to answer the question that was no doubt on the minds of most long-time Panthers fans: "What is the official name of the teams going to be?"

Mr. Pederson, who was Pitt's athletic director from 1996 until 2002 and had made a number of changes -- most notably scrapping the nickname "Pitt," the script "Pitt" logo and demanding that the official name of the teams become "Pittsburgh" -- laughed about the question and then drew laughter from the assembled group of media, Pitt employees and some high-ranking officials by saying "I did anticipate that question."

"It is Pitt," Mr. Pederson said, "In 1996, this was a different place and, to some extent, we were fighting then for everybody's attention, so we made decisions then that we thought were in the best interest of our program and we were very proud of the association with the city of Pittsburgh, which we feel is unique because the city and the university are so intertwined. That's why we made the decision back then.

"But we've been through enough logo changes around here for now, and I like our uniforms, I like our look so we are going to worry more about supporting our teams now."

Mr. Pederson, introduced at a news conference by Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg, returns to Pitt after a five-year run as the athletic director at the University of Nebraska. He left Pitt for that job because he is a Nebraska native and alumnus and that was his "dream job." That job turned sour, especially after his most high-profile hire -- football coach Bill Callahan -- failed to produce the prolific winning teams Nebraska fans have been used to. Nebraska fired Mr. Pederson in October and Mr. Callahan last week after the Cornhuskers completed a 5-7 season.

According to The Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal Star, Mr. Pederson likely could have survived the failure of Mr. Callahan, but Nebraska president Harvey Perlman had become uneasy with complaints about Mr. Pederson's management style from athletic department employees.

The newspaper said employees told Mr. Perlman that Mr. Pederson ruled by creating a "culture of fear" and that it was "oppressive" to work for him.

Mr. Pederson was asked yesterday about his tenure at Nebraska. He answered by saying that contrary to reports, his stay at Nebraska was mostly positive.

"Obviously [Nebraska] is my alma mater and will always have a special place in my heart," Mr. Pederson said. "I miss them and I wish them success in the future. I am also proud of what we accomplished there. Just in the last year, we had a 94 percent graduation rate, we built a $51 million stadium expansion, the volleyball team won a national championship and we had 15 of our teams go to NCAA championships.

"And a year ago our football team won the Big 12 North and played in the Big 12 championship game and the Cotton Bowl. I understand they would have liked to have more success in football and that is all part of the game and I understand that this is the business I chose. So I am excited to move forward and I will use those experiences to make me better."

Mr. Pederson's firing at Nebraska came when Pitt was searching for an athletic director to replace Jeff Long, who left in September for a similar job at Arkansas. Many Pitt administrators believed Mr. Pederson would be the best fit for the job.

Mr. Nordenberg said that he and Mr. Pederson talked initially in an informal capacity before they began more formal discussions that led to Mr. Pederson returning to Pitt. Both men admitted they had some initial reservations.

"I had the tremendous advantage with working with Steve on an almost daily basis in the course of six years," Mr. Nordenberg said, describing Mr. Pederson's first stint at the school. "They were both exciting and difficult six years. And I think [through all the change and upheaval] I got to know this guy really well. ...

"And I always felt that Steve had the same hold of talent and drive and ambition that distinguish him from even very good people who were intercollegiate athletic directors. The key thing for both of us is trying to make certain the same energy would be here and the same enthusiasm would be there and that there would be a recognition that the institution is a different place and challenges are going to be different than they were back then."

Mr. Pederson's first stint as athletic director was hailed by many Pitt fans as extremely successful as he took over at a time when the athletic department was in shambles. The football program was one of the worst in the country and played in an old facility; the men's basketball program was mired in losing and had become an embarrassment because of a number of off-court incidents involving its players.

Mr. Pederson, with the support of Mr. Nordenberg and the university's board of trustees, revived both programs.

Mr. Pederson first hired Walt Harris as his football coach, then Ben Howland to take over the men's basketball program. He orchestrated the demolition of Pitt Stadium, engineered a move for the football program to share facilities with the Steelers on the South Side and Heinz Field on the North Side, and helped get the funding for the Petersen Events Center, one of the premier on-campus basketball venues in the country.

Mr. Harris revived the football program, as the Panthers went to six bowl games in eight years under his watch, and Mr. Howland -- and by extension current coach Jamie Dixon, who was brought to Pitt as an assistant for Mr. Howland -- turned the Panthers into one of top basketball programs in the country.

Mr. Nordenberg said Pitt is in a much better place now than it was in 1996, though the football program has not gone to a bowl game since Mr. Long hired Dave Wannstedt to replace Mr. Harris.

"There is the obvious desire to have better success in football and better attendance at games," Mr. Pederson said when discussing the most important challenges he faces. "But that is the most obvious to everybody, so, as you look at the rest of it, I want to sit down and see what the priorities can be. A lot of good things have happened here, but we're always interested in moving forward."