Ron Pitts facts for kids

Ronald Dwayne Pitts (born October 14, 1962) is an American who used to play professional football. He is also a well-known sportscaster. Ron Pitts played as a cornerback for the Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers in the National Football League (NFL). Before that, he played college football at UCLA.

After his football career, Pitts became a sportscaster and entertainment reporter. He works for CBS Sports Network, covering college football. He also helps host the news show OK!TV.

Ron Pitts' Early Life and School

Ron Pitts was born in Sterling Heights and grew up in Detroit. His dad, Elijah Pitts, was a running back for the Green Bay Packers when Vince Lombardi was their coach. His dad later became an assistant coach in the NFL for many years.

Ron's family lived in southern California in the mid-1970s. In 1978, they moved to the Buffalo area. Ron played football at Orchard Park High School and finished school there in 1981.

He went back to southern California for college and played football at UCLA. His coach there was Terry Donahue. After his last year in 1984, Ron played in a special game called the Japan Bowl. In that game, he caught a pass from Mike Tomczak and ran it 99 yards for a touchdown. This helped his team win the game.

Ron Pitts' Football Career

Ron Pitts was chosen in the 1985 NFL draft in the seventh round. He played professional football for a few years. He played for the Buffalo Bills and the Green Bay Packers.

He got hurt during his first mini-camp and missed the entire 1985 season. From 1986 to 1990, Pitts played in 66 games as a defensive back. He started six of those games. During his career, he caught seven interceptions. One of his interceptions was against Jerry Rice, a famous player from the San Francisco 49ers. In December 1988, he also ran a punt back for a touchdown against the Phoenix Cardinals.

Ron Pitts' Broadcasting Career

After he stopped playing football, Ron Pitts started a career in broadcasting. In 1994, he joined Fox Sports, which was a new sports network at the time.

He worked as an analyst, explaining plays during games. He worked with different announcers over the years. In 2001, he became the main sideline reporter for the last season that Pat Summerall and John Madden worked together. After that, Pitts went back to announcing games, sometimes calling the play-by-play. He worked with many former players and coaches like Dwight Clark, Marv Levy, and John Lynch.

After 19 years at Fox Sports, Ron Pitts left the network after the 2012 NFL season. He also hosted other shows like Under the Helmet, which was about the NFL for younger viewers. He also worked on Total Access and Hardcore Football for Fox Sports Net.

Earlier in his broadcasting career, Pitts also worked as a college football analyst for ABC Sports. He was also a reporter for Black Entertainment Television. In 2014, Pitts joined CBS Sports Network. He now announces a few games there.

Ron Pitts' Acting Roles

Ron Pitts has also appeared in a few movies and TV shows. He had a small role as a sports commentator in the movie Hot Shots! Part Deux. He also appeared as a different version of himself in an episode of the TV show Sliders called "Eggheads".

His voice was used as an announcer in the football video game NFL Fever for the Xbox. In 2008, Pitts started hosting a show on the Discovery Channel called Destroyed In Seconds. This show features videos of disasters and accidents.

Ron Pitts' Family Life

Ron Pitts' father, Elijah Pitts (1938–1998), was a running back for the Green Bay Packers. He was part of all five NFL championship teams under coach Lombardi. This included the first two Super Bowls. Ron Pitts is even mentioned in Jerry Kramer's book Instant Replay, which was a diary about the 1967 season. The book mentions Ron and other players' children visiting the Packers' locker room.

Ron has two sons, Lee and Shea. Both of them play college football. His older son, Lee Pitts, is a defensive back at Azusa Pacific University. His younger son, Shea Pitts, is a defensive back at UCLA, which is his father's old college. Shea wears the number 47, just like his dad did at UCLA.

Ron's sister, Kimberly R. Pitts, is a doctor in Southeast Texas. She used to be a power lifter.