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Sam Pittman

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Sam Pittman

Sam Pittman (born November 28, 1961) is an American college football coach who most recently served as the head football coach at the University of Arkansas from 2020 to 2025. Pittman spent almost his entire career, going back to the mid-1990s, as an offensive line coach at various college football programs. He also became known as one of the country's top recruiters of offensive linemen.

Pittman was born in El Reno, Oklahoma. His father, Don, moved the family to Grove, Oklahoma because Grove High School had better recruiting prospects. Pittman, a multi-sport athlete in high school, attended Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas. He played defensive end at Pittsburg State from 1980 to 1983 and in his senior year was named a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American. Pittsburg State inducted him into their Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.

In 1981, Pittman's sophomore year, Pittsburg State went 10–2 and lost the NAIA Division I Championship. Head coach Ron Randleman parlayed this success into the head coaching job at Sam Houston State University. His successor at Pittsburg State was defensive coordinator Bruce Polen, who had recruited Pittman in high school. Pittman accompanied Polen on several recruiting trips while still a student; in 2020 Polen would reflect on Pittman's natural affinity for recruiting:

Sam had just great people skills. The first time you meet him, you think you've been his friend for a long time. That's one of the reasons I believe he's probably the No. 1 college recruiter in the country.

— Bruce Polen, "How a young Sam Pittman refined his skills with Bruce Polen and Ron Randleman" (2020), Kelli Stacy

Following his graduation from Pittsburg State, Pittman spent two years there as a student assistant coach before becoming offensive coordinator at Beggs High School in Beggs, Oklahoma, for the 1986 season. Following that stint Pittman served as head coach for Princeton Junior-Senior High School in Princeton, Missouri, from 1987 to 1988, and Trenton High School in Trenton, Missouri, from 1989 to 1990.

In 1991, Pittman was hired as the offensive line coach at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas. The following year he was named head coach, replacing Glenn Percy. Pittman compiled an 11–9–1 record over two seasons. Pittman was credited with reviving a "struggling" program. Northern Illinois hired Pittman as its offensive line coach in February 1994. Then-head coach Charlie Sadler described Pittman as "one of the top up-and-coming offensive line coaches in the country." Sadler was fired after the 1995 season, and Pittman moved over to the University of Cincinnati, joining Rick Minter's staff as tight ends coach. Other coaches on that staff included future NFL head coaches Rex Ryan (defensive coordinator) and John Harbaugh (assistant head coach).

Pittman left Cincinnati after the 1996 season to become the offensive line coach at the University of Oklahoma under second-year coach John Blake. Rex Ryan followed Pittman to Oklahoma after Blake reshuffled his coaching staff at the end of the 1997 season. Oklahoma fired Blake after the 1998 season and Pittman moved over to Western Michigan University to join Gary Darnell's staff, again as offensive line coach. At the end of 1999 Pittman and offensive coordinator Bill Cubit departed Western Michigan to take up the same positions at the University of Missouri under Larry Smith. Missouri fired Smith at the end of the 2000 season; Pittman moved over to the University of Kansas under Terry Allen. Allen had reshuffled his coaching staff following a disappointing 4–7 season in 2000; in 2001 team went 3–8 and Allen was fired.

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