He played college football as a halfback for the Penn State Nittany Lions, earning All-American honors in 1969.
A crafty, oversized running back on defensive-minded teams, he rushed for 2,236 yards and 30 touchdowns in his career with the Nittany Lions.
In his junior and senior seasons, Penn State went 22–0, with wins over Kansas and Missouri in the 1969 and 1970 Orange Bowls.
Both father Chalie and son Tony Pittman were also academic all-Americans while attending and playing football for Penn State.
Pittman is currently the senior vice president of publishing at Schurz Communications, a South Bend, Indiana-based media company.