Green Bay Packers: Remembering Elijah Pitts

With the 2021 NFL draft just two weeks away, I want to write about one of the players that the Green Bay Packers selected in the 1961 NFL draft. That player was drafted in the 13th round out of a small college in Arkansas called Philander Smith. That player’s name was running back Elijah Pitts.

Pitts was part of a draft class which included Hall of Fame cornerback Herb Adderley who was selected in Round 1, as well defensive tackle Ron Kostelnik, who was drafted in Round 2. And in the next round after Pitts was selected, the Packers drafted LB Nelson Toburen in Round 14.

Going into the ’61 draft, the Packers already had Paul Hornung and Tom Moore at the top of their halfback depth chart. Adderley had played halfback at Michigan State and Pitts also played that position at Philander Smith, so something had to give.

The Packers ended up first moving Adderley to flanker and then towards the end of the year to cornerback. It obviously was a wise decision that both Vince Lombardi and Phil Bengtson made, as Adderley became one of the very best corners to ever play the game.

In his rookie year, Pitts played in all 14 games and actually started a game, as he rushed for 75 yards on 23 carries and scored a touchdown. Hornung led the NFL in scoring for the third year in a row, plus rushed for 671 yards and had eight rushing touchdowns. No. 5 also caught 15 passes for 145 yards and two more scores. Hornung was later named the NFL MVP in ’61. Moore rushed for 302 yards and a score, plus had caught eight passes for 41 yards and another score.

The Packers would go on and win the 1961 NFL title at new City Stadium in Green Bay, as Hornung scored 19 points for the Pack, as Green Bay defeated the New York Giants 37-0. Hornung almost didn’t play in that championship game due to Army duty, but thanks to the friendship between Lombardi and President John F. Kennedy, he was given a pass to play.

In 1962, Pitts got some more playing time, as Hornung injured a knee and only played in nine games. Fullback Jim Taylor led the Packers in rushing with 1,474 yards and 19 touchdowns. No. 31 was later named NFL MVP in 1962. Moore led the halfbacks with 377 yards and seven scores, while Hornung rushed for 219 yards and five touchdowns. Pitts chipped in with 110 rushing yards and two scores.

In ’62, Pitts also returned punts at times and had seven returns for 17 yards, as Willie Wood was the main return man for the Pack. But in the 1962 title game against the New York Giants again, this time at Yankee Stadium, Pitts had a key 36-yard punt return in the 4th quarter to help set up Jerry Kramer for another field goal attempt to pad the 13-7 lead the Packers had at the time. Kramer missed that 40-yard attempt in a swirling wind, but later connected on 30-yard attempt in that same direction to make the score 16-7 and the Packers were NFL champions again for the second straight year.

In 1963, there was a major change for the Packers as they attempted to win their third straight NFL title. They would have to do it without Hornung, who was suspended along with Alex Karras of the Detroit Lions for the season for gambling. That also meant more time at halfback for Pitts.

Moore became the lead halfback in Hornung’s absence, as No. 25 gained 658 yards and scored six touchdowns. Pitts added 254 yards rushing and had five rushing touchdowns himself. Moore and Pitts also combined for 32 receptions for 291 yards and three more scores. Pitts also continued to return punts along with Wood, as No. 22 returned seven for 60 yards. But between the absence of Hornung, a broken hand which caused quarterback Bart Starr to miss four games and the exceptional play by the Chicago Bears, the Packers fell just short in winning the NFL title again in 1963. Green Bay finished 11-2-1, but Chicago was even better at 11-1-2, as da Bears ended up winning the NFL crown by beating the G-Men from New York.

Hornung was back for the Packers in 1964, but there were major changes along the offensive line, as center Jim Ringo had been traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for linebacker Lee Roy Caffey and a 1965 1st round draft which would be used to select Donny Anderson. In addition to that change, right guard Jerry Kramer missed almost the entire season with intestinal issues. Left tackle Bob Skoronski moved over to play center for some games, while Norm Masters filled his spot at left tackle, plus Dan Grimm filled in for Kramer at right guard.

The Packers finished second in the Western Conference again in 1964, as the kicking game of the Packers was a big reason why, as Hornung was just 12-of-38 in connecting on field goal attempts. The Packers lost two close games to the Western Conference champion Baltimore Colts due in part to the kicking woes. Bottom line, if the Packers had beaten the Colts in those two games, Green Bay wins the Western Conference.

With the return of Hornung, Pitts again was relegated to being the third option at halfback behind Hornung and Moore. Hornung rushed for 415 yards and five scores, while Moore ran for 371 yards and two touchdowns. Pitts chipped in with 127 rushing yards and one score. Pitts continued to return punts in tandem with Wood and returned seven for 191 yards, which included a 65-yard touchdown scamper.

In 1965, the Packers were determined to get back to the status of being champion. The rushing game struggled for most of the year, but when it counted in the postseason, the ground game clicked like it did in the early ’60s in Green Bay. Taylor only rushed for 734 yards, which was the first time he hadn’t eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark since 1959. Pitts remained as the No. 3 halfback behind Hornung and Moore, but when he got an opportunity, he found a way to find pay dirt. Hornung rushed for just 219 yards, but had five scores, while Moore only had 124 yards rushing and no scores. Pitts rushed for 122 yards, but he did also have four rushing touchdowns.

In the 1965 NFL title game at Lambeau Field against the Cleveland Browns, Taylor and Hornung ran like it was 1961 again, as combined they rushed for 201 yards. The “Golden Boy” rushed for 105 yards and a score, as the Packers were NFL champs again, as they beat the Browns 23-12.

The situation for Pitts at halfback would be quite different in 1966, as Lombardi had traded Moore to the Los Angeles Rams and now had Anderson, who Lombardi had drafted in 1965 with a future pick in the 1st round. Hornung started the year as the lead halfback again, but as the season wore on, the neck/shoulder issues he had only allowed No. 5 to play in nine games and start six of them.

With Hornung relegated to the sideline due to his injury, Pitts became the main halfback for the Packers in 1966. No. 22 gained 393 yards and scored seven touchdowns. Hornung rushed for 200 yards and had two scores, while Anderson had 104 yards on the ground and had two scores.

Plus, Anderson took away the job Pitts had in returning punts with Wood, especially after No. 44 returned a punt for 77 yards and a TD in a game against the Atlanta Falcons in a game I attended at County Stadium in Milwaukee.

Bottom line, Starr was the difference for the Packers on offense in ’66, as he was named NFL MVP in ’66.

The Packers once again returned to the 1966 NFL title game, this time against the Dallas Cowboys at the Cotton Bowl. Pitts came up big in that game, as he rushed for 66 yards on just 12 carries, plus caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Starr, who threw for 304 yards and four TD passes in the game. For the second straight year, the Packers were NFL champs and had won their fourth NFL title in six years. But another test was still awaiting the Pack. That would be Super Bowl I, when the NFL champion Packers would be facing the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs for the bragging rights in Pro Football.

Starr was just phenomenal in the game, as he was named MVP in the 35-10 win by the Pack. Split end Max McGee also had a big game, as No. 85 caught seven passes for 138 yards and two scores. Guess who else scored two TDs for the Packers that day? That would be Mr. Pitts, who had two rushing touchdowns, as he rushed for 45 yards on 11 carries.

In 1967, things would really be different for the Packers in terms of their offensive backfield. Taylor played out his option and signed with the New Orleans Saints which netted the Packers a 1st round pick in the 1968 NFL draft, while Hornung was nabbed by the Saints in the expansion draft. Hornung would end up retiring due to his neck/shoulder woes.

That meant the starting backfield for the Packers in 1967 would be Jim Grabowski at fullback and Pitts at halfback. The two would be backed up by Ben Wilson and Anderson, as the Packers tried for their third straight NFL title, a feat that had never been done in NFL history since the playoff era started in 1933.

Both Grabowski (466 rushing yards and two TDs) and Pitts (247 rushing yards and six TDs) were having strong years, when both were basically lost for the season in Week 8 against the Baltimore Colts at Memorial Stadium. Pitts was definitely lost for the year with a ruptured Achilles tendon, while Grabowski suffered a knee injury that kept him out for the entire year except four carries against the Bears in Week 11.

It was at that point that Lombardi added Chuck Mercein to add to the depth chart at fullback, while Anderson became the starter at halfback with rookie Travis Williams backing him up. Even with all the changes at running back for the Packers in 1967, the team finished second in the NFL in rushing. Better than that, the team indeed won their third straight NFL title by beating the Cowboys again in the 1967 NFL championship game at Lambeau Field, better known as the “Ice Bowl”, plus won their second straight Super Bowl, by beating the Oakland Raiders 33-14.

In 1968, Lombardi resigned as head coach and was general manager only for the team, as Bengtson became the head coach. Pitts, along with Williams, became backups to Anderson at halfback. The same routine occurred in 1969, when Pitts backed up both Anderson and Williams. In ’68 and ’69, Pitts combined to rush for 398 yards and two scores.

In 1970, Pitts, along with Caffey and center Bob Hyland, were traded to the Bears for a 1st round draft pick. Pitts was later released by the Bears and picked up by two teams (the Saints and the Rams) in 1970. All told, Pitts rushed for 104 yards in eight games combined for both teams.

In 1971, the new head coach and general manager of the Packers, Dan Devine, picked up Pitts to play for the Pack in ’71. But No. 22 did not carry the ball once for the Packers that year and only returned kicks for Green Bay that year. After the season was over, Pitts retired and started scouting for the Packers, which he did for two seasons.

In 1974, Pitts was hired to coach running backs with the Rams in 1974. That led to a long assistant coaching career in the NFL, similar to what both Boyd Dowler and Zeke Bratkowski did after their playing careers ended, as Pitts coached for 23 years as an assistant, which concluded with Elijah being the assistant head coach of the Buffalo Bills when they went to four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s.

In 1997, while Pitts was still coaching in Buffalo, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. That dreaded disease took the life of Pitts just nine months later at the young age of 60.

Now you know the history of Pitts as a NFL player and coach. But I want to you to know more about Elijah. Which is why I wanted to talk with both Kramer and Anderson about their time with Pitts.

Let’s start with No. 64.

“Elijah was probably one of the sweetest, gentlest, most thoughtful players on the team,” Kramer said. “He really had a nice comfortable way about him. He had a great voice and a great smile. I remember that smile as much as anything.”

No. 44 concurred.

“Elijah was a perfect gentleman,” Anderson said. “I could understand why he was there in Green Bay for so long. Elijah was pretty quiet guy. He didn’t have a lot to say, but he was pretty funny when he would say things. He was just a sweet guy. And he was my friend. I was his friend too, even though we fought for the same position.”

Kramer talked about the running style of Pitts.

“I tried to get on his ass a little bit about the way he would go by Fuzzy and me on the sweep,” Kramer said. “And Elijah would go, ‘Okay Jerry, okay.’ But later he would do the same thing and run by us. I think it was more of an instinctive way to run by Elijah. He had great talent and speed. But he wasn’t used to waiting for his blockers while he ran. He was the type of back who wanted to go for as much as he could get, as quick as he could get it.”

Anderson mentioned that he and Pitts had similar styles.

“Elijah was different than Hornung in terms of power and speed,” Anderson said. “I was like him, in terms of being light-legged and fast. Elijah could block a lot better than I could though.”

Anderson also mentioned another story about the way he and Pitts ran.

“Elijah and I were similar in the way we ran, as we didn’t raise our feet very high,” Anderson said. “So anytime we played a stadium that had high grass, that could be a deterrent for us, as we would sometimes stumble. In fact, Vince asked me why Elijah and I stumbled at times running. I told him that the grass was too high, like at County Stadium in Milwaukee. Both Elijah and I had problems there, as did Bob Jeter. After that, Vince made sure the grass was mowed in either Green Bay or Milwaukee for Elijah and I.”

Kramer summarized the way Pitts was when they played together.

“There were quite a few things that were impressive about Elijah,” Kramer said. “There was his smile and his singing, but there was more than that. Elijah just had a happy way in the manner he conducted himself. Always smiling and happy and just a very pleasant guy to be around.”