Charlie Pittman
Encyclopedia
Charles Vernon Pittman is a former professional American football
player. He was an All-America
n halfback
at Penn State
and played in the NFL
for the St. Louis Cardinals
and the Baltimore Colts
.
in Baltimore, Maryland, Pittman was a member of Joe Paterno
's first recruiting class as head coach. A crafty, oversized running back on defensive-minded teams, he rushed for 2,236 yards and 30 touchdowns in his career with the Nittany Lions
. In his junior and senior seasons, Penn State went 22-0, with wins over Kansas
and Missouri
in the 1968 and 1969 Orange Bowls.
Pittman led the Nittany Lions in rushing in 1969
with 706 yards and 10 touchdowns on 149 carries, caught 10 passes for 127 yards and topped the team in scoring with 66 points. He was named All-American following the 1969 season and was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 1970 NFL Draft
(#58 overall).
starred as an undersized defensive back on the high-powered offensive 1994 Penn State team
.
Father and son were both starters for the Nittany Lions. Despite playing on three of Joe Paterno’s five undefeated teams, both were denied national championships that could have been awarded their teams, but were given to other squads.
Charlie Pittman never lost a game he started in high school and neither he nor Tony ever lost a game they started at Penn State. Their combined college records are 45-0-1. In the sports world, that is almost a miraculous number. In elite college football, there is no father-son tandem better at their game, record-wise, than the Pittmans.
New York Giants
general manager Ernie Accorsi
, who spent decades guiding NFL
teams notes, “it’s unprecedented; it’s hard to believe,” Accorsi said. “That record for a father and son at the same university—and the son played in the Big Ten
—that is something mind boggling.”
, a South Bend, Indiana
-based media company. In 2007, he teamed up with his son Tony to write Playing for Paterno, ISBN 1-60078-000-8, about their shared experiences as the first father/son to play for the legendary coach.http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2007/08/24/news/news732.txt
. His son Tony would wear the same number during his days at Penn State (1992–1994) to honor his father.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. He was an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n halfback
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
at Penn State
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
and played in the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Baltimore Colts
History of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
.
Collegiate career
Recruited out of Edmondson High SchoolEdmondson/Westside High School (Baltimore, Maryland)
Edmondson-Westside High School is a public high school and trade school in Baltimore, Maryland. It is located in the southwest section of the city in the area known as Edmondson Village...
in Baltimore, Maryland, Pittman was a member of Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno
Joseph Vincent "Joe" Paterno is a former college football coach who was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for 46 years from 1966 through 2011. Paterno, nicknamed "JoePa," holds the record for the most victories by an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football coach with...
's first recruiting class as head coach. A crafty, oversized running back on defensive-minded teams, he rushed for 2,236 yards and 30 touchdowns in his career with the Nittany Lions
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
. In his junior and senior seasons, Penn State went 22-0, with wins over Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks football
The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference....
and Missouri
Missouri Tigers football
The Missouri Tigers football team represents the University of Missouri in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team has competed in the North Division of the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996...
in the 1968 and 1969 Orange Bowls.
Pittman led the Nittany Lions in rushing in 1969
1969 in sports
1969 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup:** Men's overall champion: Karl Schranz, Austria** Women's overall champion: Gertrud Gabl, Austria-American football:...
with 706 yards and 10 touchdowns on 149 carries, caught 10 passes for 127 yards and topped the team in scoring with 66 points. He was named All-American following the 1969 season and was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 1970 NFL Draft
1970 NFL Draft
The 1970 National Football League Draft was held on January 27–28, 1970.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
(#58 overall).
Father/son connections
Conversely, Pittman's son Tony PittmanTony Pittman
Tony Pittman is a former college American football player. He was a 2nd Team All-Big Ten cornerback at Penn State after graduating from Phillips Academy in 1990...
starred as an undersized defensive back on the high-powered offensive 1994 Penn State team
Penn State Nittany Lions football under Joe Paterno (in the Big Ten)
Joe Paterno is a former head coach of Penn State Nittany Lions football. Paterno served as head coach from the retirement of Rip Engle after the 1965 season until he was fired on November 9, 2011, in the wake of the Penn State sex abuse scandal...
.
Father and son were both starters for the Nittany Lions. Despite playing on three of Joe Paterno’s five undefeated teams, both were denied national championships that could have been awarded their teams, but were given to other squads.
Charlie Pittman never lost a game he started in high school and neither he nor Tony ever lost a game they started at Penn State. Their combined college records are 45-0-1. In the sports world, that is almost a miraculous number. In elite college football, there is no father-son tandem better at their game, record-wise, than the Pittmans.
New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
general manager Ernie Accorsi
Ernie Accorsi
Ernie Accorsi is the former General Manager of the NFL's New York Giants football team. Accorsi had held the position from January 8, 1998, when he took over for the legendary George Young until his retirement on January 16, 2007...
, who spent decades guiding NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
teams notes, “it’s unprecedented; it’s hard to believe,” Accorsi said. “That record for a father and son at the same university—and the son played in the Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
—that is something mind boggling.”
Personal
Pittman is currently the senior vice president of publishing at Schurz CommunicationsSchurz Communications
Schurz Communications is a South Bend, Indiana-based radio, television, cable tv and newspaper media group.-Cable Television Systems:*Antietam Cable, Hagerstown, Maryland *Advanced Cable Communications, Coral Springs, Florida...
, a South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
-based media company. In 2007, he teamed up with his son Tony to write Playing for Paterno, ISBN 1-60078-000-8, about their shared experiences as the first father/son to play for the legendary coach.http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2007/08/24/news/news732.txt
Trivia
Pittman wore jersey number 24 at Penn State—the same number worn by his boyhood idol, and fellow Nittany Lion, Lenny MooreLenny Moore
Leonard Edward Moore is a former American football halfback who played for Penn State in college and the Baltimore Colts. He came to the Colts in 1956, and had a productive first pro season and was named the NFL Rookie of The Year...
. His son Tony would wear the same number during his days at Penn State (1992–1994) to honor his father.
External links
- "Pittman, son release book", Daily AmericanDaily AmericanThe Daily American is a local paper for Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It features local news and sports articles for the county, as well as a daily prayer on the front page. This daily prayer, at one point, was read off at the beginning of each episode of the popular podcast, Keith and the Girl....
, August 25, 2007 - "Lions' Pittman hopes to duplicate father's success", The Daily CollegianThe Daily CollegianThe Daily Collegian may refer to:* The Daily Collegian , a student-operated newspaper at the University of Massachusetts Amherst* The Daily Collegian , a student-operated newspaper at the Pennsylvania State University...
, September 19, 1994 - "Pittman persevered through pressures", South Bend TribuneSouth Bend TribuneThe South Bend Tribune is a newspaper distributed in the Michiana region. There are five editions for distribution in southwestern lower Michigan, Mishawaka , Marshall County, and the South Bend Metro area. The South Bend Tribune has a daily circulation of 70,703 and Sunday circulation of...
, September 6. 2007 - A player's tribute to Joe Paterno's legacy, South Bend TribuneSouth Bend TribuneThe South Bend Tribune is a newspaper distributed in the Michiana region. There are five editions for distribution in southwestern lower Michigan, Mishawaka , Marshall County, and the South Bend Metro area. The South Bend Tribune has a daily circulation of 70,703 and Sunday circulation of...
, July 18. 2008