Sam Pittman was born on November 28,1961 and is an American college football coach who is the head football coach at the University of Arkansas.
24 Facts About Sam Pittman
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Sam Pittman became known as one of the country's top recruiters.
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Sam Pittman played defensive end at Pittsburg State from 1980 to 1983 and in his senior year was named a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American.
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Sam Pittman accompanied Polen on several recruiting trips while still a student; in 2020 Polen would reflect on Sam Pittman's natural affinity for recruiting:.
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In 1991, Sam Pittman was hired as the offensive line coach at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas.
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Sam Pittman left Cincinnati after the 1996 season to become the offensive line coach at the University of Oklahoma under second-year coach John Blake.
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Oklahoma fired Blake after the 1998 season and Sam Pittman moved over to Western Michigan University to join Gary Darnell's staff, again as offensive line coach.
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Missouri fired Smith at the end of the 2000 season; Sam Pittman moved over to the University of Kansas under Terry Allen.
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Sam Pittman departed Northern Illinois after the 2006 season to join new University of North Carolina head coach Butch Davis' staff as offensive line coach.
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Sam Pittman was considered a potential head coach at Northern Illinois after Jerry Kill, Novak's successor, departed for the University of Minnesota after the 2010 season.
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Davis was dismissed before the 2011 because of an academic scandal; Sam Pittman was considered for the interim head coach job which eventually went to Everett Withers.
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Sam Pittman's lines paved the way for two different running backs, Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins, to rush for over 1,000 yards during his three years as the O-Line position coach.
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Sam Pittman departed Arkansas after the 2015 season to become offensive line coach at the University of Georgia under new head coach Kirby Smart and offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, with whom Sam Pittman had previously worked at Tennessee and Arkansas.
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When Sam Pittman informed Bielema that he planned to take the Georgia job, Bielema brought several Arkansas offensive linemen to Sam Pittman's house to attempt to convince him to remain at Arkansas.
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Bielema claimed that Sam Pittman had refused to meet personally with his players to inform them he would be leaving, a claim that Sam Pittman denied.
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Sam Pittman was promoted to associate head coach in 2019, with a salary of $900,000 per year making him the highest-paid offensive line coach in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision.
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On December 8,2019, Sam Pittman was announced as the new head coach at Arkansas, replacing Chad Morris.
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Sam Pittman was named the AFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year.
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Sam Pittman welcomed new coaches Dan Enos as OC, Travis Williams as DC and LB coach, Marcus Woodson as co-DC and safeties coach, Morgan Turner as TE coach, Deron Wilson as DB coach, and Ben Sowders as the new strength and conditioning coach.
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Five days after the 2023 season ended, on November 29,2023, Sam Pittman hired former Razorback head coach Bobby Petrino as Offensive Coordinator.
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OL coach Cody Kennedy left for the same job at Mississippi State, and on December 4,2023, Pittman hired Baylor OL coach Eric Mateos to fill that position.
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On December 26,2023 Guiton left Arkansas to be the WR coach at Wisconsin, and Sam Pittman hired Missouri State co-OC Ronnie Fouch as his new WR coach on January 7,2024.
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Sam Pittman hired Miami Dolphins assistant coach Kolby Smith as his new RB coach on March 12,2024, mostly on the recommendation of Petrino, who Smith played for at Louisville as a RB from 2003 to 2006.
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Sam Pittman is close friends with his former colleague Rex Ryan.