 Pitts pictured inThe 1925 Glomerata, Auburn yearbook | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1893-11-25)November 25, 1893 Pittsview, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | February 10, 1971(1971-02-10) (aged 77) Auburn, Alabama, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1913–1914 | Auburn |
| Position | Center |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1919–1922 | Auburn (assistant) |
| 1923–1924 | Auburn |
| 1925–1927 | Auburn (assistant) |
| 1927 | Auburn |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 7–11–6 |
John Emmett "Boozer"Pitts Sr. (November 25, 1893 – February 10, 1971)[1] was an Americanfootball player and coach. He served as the head football coach atAuburn University from 1923 to 1924 and again for the final seven games of the 1927 season, compiling a career record of 7–11–6. He was also a professor ofmathematics at Auburn in the 1930s.
A native ofPittsview, Alabama, Pitts was a prominentcenter for coachMike Donahue'sAuburn Tigers football team in1913 and1914. He entered Auburn at the age of 15, having only read about football.[2] Pitts was selectedAll-Southern and was a member of an All-time Auburn Tigers football team selected in 1935,[3] as well as coach Donahue's all-time Auburn team.[4] One writer claims "Auburn had a lot of great football teams, but there may not have been one greater than the 1913–1914 team."[5] Pitts weighed some 190 pounds.
Pitts later served as a colonel in theUnited States Army during World War II. In late 1958, he had hislarynx removed during surgery for cancer.[6] One of his sons,John E. Pitts, Jr. was a brigadier general in theUnited States Air Force.[6][7]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn Tigers(Southern Conference)(1923–1924) | |||||||||
| 1923 | Auburn | 3–3–3 | 0–1–3 | 14th | |||||
| 1924 | Auburn | 4–4–1 | 2–4–1 | 17th | |||||
| Auburn Tigers(Southern Conference)(1927) | |||||||||
| 1927 | Auburn | 0–4–2[n 1] | 0–4–1[n 1] | 22nd[n 1] | |||||
| Auburn: | 7–11–6 | 2–9–5 | |||||||
| Total: | 7–11–6 | ||||||||
