Former football player Frank Pitts, who played in the first Super Bowl (then known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game) in 1967, has died at age 82.
Pitts, who played his collegiate football career at Southern University and was inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Fame, died Jan. 16. No cause of death has been released. The school acknowledged his death in a Facebook post several days after he died.
His funeral service was held Jan. 23 at Greater King David Baptist Church in Louisiana.
According to HBCU Connect, the wide receiver was born in South Carol
ina but grew up in Atlanta. He attended Southern University, where he excelled, leading to his being drafted into both the AFL (American Football League) and the NFL (National Football League). Before the two leagues merged to form the NFL, they were separate leagues, with their respective champions competing in the AFL-NFL World Championship Game.Pitts was selected in the 16th round in the NFL Draft, while he was selected in the fourth round in the AFL Draft.
The Kansas City Chiefs (AFL) selected Pitts in 1965. When the leagues competed against each other, he was among the first players to participate in the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game (later known as the Super Bowl). Although the Chiefs lost to the Green Bay Packers, 35-10, he went on to win a Super Bowl trophy when the Chiefs defeated the Minnesota Vikings 23–7 in Super Bowl IV in 1969. He helped the Chiefs win the AFL Championship in 1966.
During his football career, he also played for the Cleveland Browns and the Oakland Raiders before retiring in 1974.
His grandson, Brandon Bolden, is also a former NFL player who won two Super Bowls while playing with the New England Patriots (2014 and 2017).
Pitts leaves behind his wife, three children, Marva Bolden, Maurice Pitts, and Monika Pitts; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
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