Antonio Pittman (born December 19, 1985) is a

firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

and a former American football running back. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Ohio State. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft and later played for the St. Louis Rams.

Early years

Pittman attended Buchtel High School in Akron, Ohio, where he earned All-Ohio honors as a senior. Pittman majored in African American and African Studies at Ohio State. On Pittman's left arm is a tattoo honoring his brother, Anthony, who died at the age of 23. While in high school Pittman lived with his sister. He has one daughter, Keilyn.

College career

2005

Despite a slow start to the 2005 season, he finished the year with 1,331 yards rushing and seven touchdowns on 243 carries. His rushing yardage was the 10th-best single-season mark in school history and only Archie Griffin gained more yards (1,577) as a sophomore. His rushing total was the 11th highest in the NCAA that season and 5th best in the Big Ten Conference. In addition to running, Pittman made 17 receptions for 161 yards in 2005. In his first appearance, Pittman rushed for 100 yards on 14 carries against Miami University. His career-high is 186 yards in a game against the University of Minnesota, where he also scored his first touchdown of the season.empty He scored the winning touchdown in the 2005 game against the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...

. His run around the Michigan defensive line for a three-yard touchdown run came with just 24 seconds left in the game. In the next game, he clinched the 2006

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From its beginning in 1971 until 2006, the game was hosted at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has been playe ...

against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish by erupting for a 60-yard touchdown run with 1:46 left in the game, despite having an injured hamstring. In 2005, he became just the fourth sophomore in Ohio State annals to rush for 1,000 or more yards in a season, joining

Archie Griffin Archie Mason Griffin (born August 21, 1954) is a former American football running back. He played seven seasons in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals. As college football's only two-time Heisman Trophy winner, he is considered one of the grea ...

Vince Workman Vincent Workman (born May 9, 1967) is a former professional American football running back who was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 1989 NFL Draft. Workman played eight seasons in the NFL, from 1989 to 1996, for the ...

and Keith Byars.

2006

In 2006, quarterback Troy Smith said of Pittman, "Everybody knows who he is in the state of Ohio, but I think nationally, he's one of the top three backs." Pittman averaged more than five yards per carry in his three seasons, playing in 35 games, rushing for an average of 84 yards per game. He currently ranks 8th on Ohio State's all-time rushing list. At the beginning of the 2006 season some called for split playing time between Pittman and freshman Chris Wells, another Akron native. However, Pittman's strong resume in 2005 and early successes guaranteed his role as starter. As the starting running back, Pittman displayed the ability to compile impressive statistics. In games against Northern Illinois, Cincinnati,

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

, and Iowa he rushed for over 100 yards and scored touchdowns. Also, during the game at then #2 Texas he scored a touchdown. Against the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

in the

BCS National Championship The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college foot ...

, Pittman rushed for 62 yards and one of Ohio State's two scores. On January 15, 2007, Pittman made the decision to forgo his senior year and declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft.

Career statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

New Orleans Saints

Antonio Pittman was selected in the 4th round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. Pittman was cut on September 1, 2007, to make room on the roster for Pierre Thomas.

St. Louis Rams

Antonio Pittman rushes at Rams at 49ers 11-16-08 1

Pittman was claimed off of waivers by the St. Louis Rams the day after he was released by the Saints. Pittman played in 11 games for the Rams. He saw action as a reserve running back and on special teams. For the season he rushed 38 times for 139 yards and added three receptions for 15 yards. In 2008 Pittman played in 12 games and started five in place of

Steven Jackson Steven Rashad Jackson (born July 22, 1983) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams. He played college football at Oregon State and was sele ...

. He carried the ball 79 times for 296 yards and no touchdowns. He caught 18 passes for 132 yards. Pittman was waived on September 5, 2009.

Personal

On September 4, 2015, Pittman graduated from the Ohio Fire Academy with the intent of becoming a

. On December 14, 2017, he joined the Middletown Division of Fire. Pittman would later join the Columbus Division of Fire in 2020.

References

External links

St. Louis Rams bioCareer Statistics
from ESPN.com
2005 NCAA Rushing StatisticsPittman Ohio State's No. 1 RB
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pittman, Antonio 1985 births Living people African-American players of American football Players of American football from Akron, Ohio American football running backs Ohio State Buckeyes football players St. Louis Rams players 21st-century American firefighters 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people