Michael Pittman Sr.

Michael Pittman Sr. (born August 14, 1975) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Fresno State.

Michael Pittman

No. 32, 28
Position:	Running back
Personal information
Born:	August 14, 1975 New Orleans, Louisiana
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:	Mira Mesa (San Diego, California)
College:	Fresno State
NFL Draft:	1998 / Round: 4 / Pick: 95
Career history
Arizona Cardinals (1998–2001) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002–2007) Denver Broncos (2008) Florida Tuskers (2009)
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (XXXVII) First-team All-WAC Pacific Division (1997) Second-team All-WAC Pacific Division (1996)
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts: 1,392 Rushing yards: 5,627 Rushing touchdowns: 25 Receptions: 425 Receiving yards: 3,512 Receiving touchdowns: 8 Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Pittman also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos in the National Football League, and the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII.

Early years

Pittman attended Mira Mesa Senior High School San Diego, California, and graduated in 1993. He was a first team All-Eastern League honoree. He played with older brother Wayne.

College career

Pittman is an alumnus of Fresno State University. He rushed for 3,017 yards during his career at Fresno State. He was named second-team All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Pacific Division in 1996,[1] and first-team All-WAC Pacific Division in 1997.[2] Pittman is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He was teammates with QB Billy Volek and QB David Carr.

• 1995: 127 carries for 561 yards with 7 TD. 15 catches for 111 yards.
• 1996: 214 carries for 1,132 yards with 13 TD. 15 catches for 109 yards.
• 1997: 238 carries for 1,057 yards with 8 TD. 32 catches for 255 yards with 2 TD.

Professional career

Arizona Cardinals

Pittman received two years of probation for pleading no contest to misdemeanor battery in January 1998,[3] and the Tucson Citizen reported that his draft stock fell due to the domestic violence incident. He was selected in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL Draft (95th overall) by the Arizona Cardinals.[4]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Pittman's career high for rushing yards in a season was 926 in 2004 and his career high for receiving yards was 597, with 75 catches, in 2003. The highest combination in one year was 2003 when he had a total of 1,348 yards (751 rushing and 597 receiving).

On January 26, 2003, Pittman played in Super Bowl XXXVII and rushed for 124 yards on 29 carries in Tampa Bay's 48–21 victory over the Oakland Raiders.[5]

Pittman was suspended for the first three games of the 2004 NFL season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. He was sentenced to 14 days in prison for intentionally driving his car into a car containing his wife and child. On November 7, 2004, Pittman scored on a 78-yard touchdown run against the Kansas City Chiefs, formerly the longest run in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history.[6]

On March 22, 2005, Pittman launched his official website, Pittman32.com, which has since gone offline. On September 11, 2005, the website was praised by Greg Auman of the St. Petersburg Times as "the team's best player site".[7]

On January 7, 2006, during a Wild Card playoff game between the Buccaneers and Washington Redskins, Pittman was involved in an altercation with Redskins' safety Sean Taylor, who allegedly spat on him following a play. Pittman responded with a blow to Taylor's helmet. Taylor was ejected from the game that the Redskins won 17–10.[8]

Pittman became a free agent following the 2007 season.[9]

Denver Broncos

On May 27, 2008, Pittman was signed by the Denver Broncos and was wanted to change positions to fullback but stayed running back. Cornerback Dré Bly was already wearing No. 32, so Pittman was assigned No. 28 as his jersey number. His official website was renamed Pittman28.com to reflect the change. The website has since gone offline, with Pittman no longer playing in the NFL.

Pittman was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a neck injury. In eight games (three starts) during the 2008 season, Pittman rushed 76 times for 320 yards and four touchdowns.

Florida Tuskers

On August 12, 2009, Pittman signed with the Florida Tuskers.

Personal life

Pittman is married to Karli Pittman and has five children. He has two daughters (Jordanne and Mykava) and three sons. His oldest son, Michael Jr., plays wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. His younger son, Mycah, plays wide receiver for Oregon.

References

1. "Edwards, Tiller Share WAC Honor". Deseret.com. November 27, 1996. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
2. "6 Utes, 2 Cougs on All-WAC Mountain team". Deseret.com. November 27, 1997. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
3. "Football playoff not on the NCAA agenda". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. January 11, 1998. Retrieved May 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Walsh, Chris (April 20, 1998). "Cardinals have high hopes for Wadsworth". Tucson Citizen. Retrieved May 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Jones, Brent and Jamison Hensley (January 27, 2003). "Making presence known, Pittman gives timely gift". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Henderson, Joe (November 8, 2004). "Leaving It On The Field". The Tampa Tribune. Retrieved May 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
7. St. Petersburg Times; September 11, 2005 edition; Page 17X
8. "Skins' Taylor ejected for spitting in Pittman's face". The Palm Beach Post. January 8, 2006. Retrieved May 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Cummings, Roy and Anwar S. Richardson (February 29, 2008). "Bucs Might Need Patience To Sign Top Free Agents". The Tampa Tribune. Retrieved May 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• Just Sports Stats
• Denver Broncos bio
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio
• United Football League bio
• UFL stats