His enshrinement at the Black College Football Hall of Fame (BCFHOF) legitimized Elijah Pitts' stellar, but often overlooked, legendary football career. Former NFL executive Scott Pioli and current member of the eleven BCFHOF selection team told Shaq Griffin on Good Morning Football that he was "obsessed" with learning more about Elijah Pitts during the voting process. As a self-professed "football nerd," Pioli spoke glowingly of Pitts' contributions to the National Football League.
"He's a guy who went to tiny little Philander Smith College in Little Rock," Pioli said. "He was a 13th-round pick in 1961. He's one of the only players who were on Vince Lombardi's five championship teams. Again, he played for 11 years, but then he went on to coach in the NFL for another 24 years. He was also on the Buffalo Bills, four teams that went to the Super Bowl. An incredible player. He scored two rushing touchdowns in Super Bowl I."
The running back became a member of the BCFHOF Class of 2023 with Leslie Frazier (Alcorn State University), Henry "Killer" Lawrence (Florida A&M University), Albert Lewis (Grambling State University), Jim Marsalis (Tennessee State University), Tyrone McGriff (Florida A&M), Johnnie Walton (Elizabeth City State University), and Coach Pete Richardson (Southern University, Winston Salem State University).
Pitts, an eleven-year veteran, played in the NFL football for Green Bay Packers (1961–1969), Los Angeles Rams (1970, New Orleans Saints (1970), and again with Green Bay Packers (1971). Pioli remarked, "He was a special teams captain for Vince Lombardi. Think about how tough that's got to be."
Despite winning Super Bowl and NFL Championship rings and coaching in the league for over 20 years, Pitts has yet to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. "Elijah Pitts was an incredible contributor to the NFL, and he's actually a guy that I believe should be considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame," Pioli told Griffin.
Hopefully, the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters were watching and listening to consider Elijah Pitts as a senior candidate.
We shall see.
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