No Joke, “The Riddler” is in the SWAC Hall of Fame

For his hard work, toil, contribution to the game of football and charitable causes, and for his representation of Southern University and the SWAC, Frank “The Riddler” Pitts has been bestowed the honor of being named a 2001 Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame inductee.
The coveted enshrinement was presented to Pitts last December as a part of the activities surrounding the 2001 SWAC Football Championships.
Playing during a time when the only time white fans wanted to see a black person was when they were on the field, Frank Pitts broke color barriers and defied all odds and became one of the top tight ends/wide receivers in the SWAC and National Football League.
The Atlanta native and Southern University alumnae representing the “Class of ‘65″, was a dominating 6’2”, 197-pound athlete who not only excelled in football, but was an excellent sprinter also. Before he was known as “The Riddler” to those in the rest of the nation, Pitts was known as “Mr. Wonderful” during his college days to the Jaguar Nation.
“Mr. Wonderful was what they called him because he was such a wonderful, well-rounded, great athlete and person”, notes Carroll M. Bannister, a fellow alum.
After being named All-American in the SWAC in 1965, Pitts was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs to play for the famous Hank Stram. With the Chiefs, he played in the first American Football League-National Football League contest-better known as the Super Bowl I.
Pitts later went on to win a championship ring and Most Valuable Player honors in Super Bowl IV.
After his tenure in Kansas City, he later went on to play for the Cleveland Browns for three years. In 1974, he was traded to the Raiders where he played for under the sometimes erratic behavior of Coach John Madden and legendary owner Al Davis.
Pitts finished his NFL career in his hometown of Atlanta, playing for the Falcons during the 1975-76 season. Also during his tenure in the NFL, he was a player representative for the NFL Players Association and contributor to the National Special Olympics.
Aside from being in the Southern University Hall of Fame, Pitts has become a prolific presence in the Southern University System. He was an assistant coach of the football team under Coach Charlie Bates from 1977-1979, and under Otis Washington in 1981.
He then became Director of the F.G. Clark Activity Center in 1986 for a brief tenure.
Pitts is now a special project administrator in the Registrars’ Office located in Harris Hall. He is the rave of all his co-workers, who collectively argue that he is one of the most grounded and down-to-earth people ever approached. Dr. Henry Wiggins, former head of the Department of Mass Communications mentions about Pitts, “…He was a big man, figuratively and literally…He was a good player and a good person…I am very proud of him…”.
Pitts said that when he got the call at work, he didn’t get excited until he hung up. He then proceeded to tell others and as they got excited, the more ecstatic he became. He says his wife Diane immediately got excited as she got on the phone and started calling everyone. “I realized what a big deal it was when Diane started calling and my three kids Frank, Jr., Maurice, Marva, and Monika got excited…I am really happy…”, he exclaimed.
Pitts says that he is blessed to represent himself and Southern University with such an honor. “…Although I am from Georgia, I have always wanted to be back here…. I just thought it was such an excellent deal to come back and give something back to my alma mater…”.