Career Summary
Dennis Pitta came to BYU after helping Moorpark High School to the CIF state seminfinals. He played in 50 career games while tallying 221 receptions for 2,901 yards. Pitta recorded 21 touchdowns and had five or more receptions in 23 games as a Cougar. As the NCAA leader in most yards gained by a tight end, Pitta also holds the BYU record for receptions in a season, career receptions and career receiving yards. He caught a career-long 46 yard pass against Northern Iowa in 2008 and helped BYU to a No. 6 national ranking in passing offense the same season. Pitta finished his career with 42 consecutive games with at least one catch and was named an NCAA Consensus All-American tight end, among several other awards. See the season summary tabs below and the recognition and stats tabs for more details.
Professional
Selected in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens
Personal
Born in Fresno, Calif. ... parents are Dennis and Linda ... served an LDS Church mission in the Dominican Republic ... an Eagle Scout ... father played middle linebacker for California from 1968-1969 ... recruited by Yale, Dartmouth, Navy, Oregon, Oklahoma State and Utah ... married to Mataya Gissel.
Before BYU
A two-year letterwinner in football at Moorpark HS ... also lettered in basketball (1) and track (3) ... a first-team all-county, all-league and all-area selection as a senior ... played both receiver and cornerback for the Musketeers ... helped lead the Musketeers to the CIF state semifinals ... recorded 64 receptions for 1,150 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior ... a four-year scholar-athlete ... a National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete.
Stats
YEAR | GP | REC | YDS | TD | LONG | AVG/R | AVG/G |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | 11 | 17 | 176 | 2 | 21 | 10.4 | 16.0 |
2007 | 13 | 59 | 813 | 5 | 45 | 13.8 | 62.5 |
2008 | 13 | 83 | 1,083 | 6 | 46 | 13.0 | 83.3 |
2009 | 13 | 62 | 829 | 8 | 35 | 13.4 | 63.8 |
TOTAL | 50 | 221 | 2,901 | 21 | 46 | 13.1 | 58.0 |
CAREER BESTS
Rec: 12 (at CSU; Nov. 1, 2008)
Yds: 213 (vs. No. Iowa; Aug. 30, 2008)
TD: 2 (five times)
LNG: 46 (vs. No. Iowa; Aug. 30, 2008)
NCAA CAREER RECORDS
Career tight end receiving yards: 2,901 (2004, 07-09)
BYU SEASON & CAREER RECORDS
Receptions by a tight end in a season: 83 (2008)
Career tight end receiving yards: 2,901 (2004, 07-09)
Career tight end receptions: 221 (2004, 07-09)
Career receptions: 221 (2004, 07-09)
Participated in spring drills ... had one reception for a five-yard touchdown in the annual Blue-White scrimmage ... gray-shirted the 2003 season ... led all BYU tight ends in receptions (17), yards (176) and touchdown receptions (two) ... caught two passes, both for touchdowns, against Air Force ... caught his first career pass for four yards against Notre Dame ... had a career-high four receptions for 44 yards in the New Mexico game ... long reception was 21 yards against San Diego State.
Earned 2007 Academic All-Mountain West Conference honors ... a first-team All-Mountain West Conference selection ... finished the season as the fifth-ranked tight end (second-ranked sophomore), averaging 63 yards per game ... led all tight ends in the MWC (sixth overall) with 59 receptions on the season, averaging 4.5 per game ... recorded five touchdowns on the season, leading all MWC tight ends ... had two 100-yard receiving games on the season, including a season-high 114 yards against Air Force ... had four or more receptions in 11 of the Cougars' 13 games this season ... credited with 50 or more receiving yards in seven of the Cougars' 13 games ... had a career-long 45-yard reception against Colorado State ... had a career-high seven receptions (vs. TCU).
Named to the All-MWC First Team ... Third Team All-American by Rivals.com ... honorable mention All-American by College Football News and SportsIllustrated.com ... Rotary Lombardi Award and Biletnikoff Award candidate ... John Mackey Award semifinalist ... Academic All-MWC ... had a career-high 11 receptions for 213 yards against Northern Iowa ... his 213 yards against Northern Iowa led all Division I-A receivers of the day and broke the MWC receiving record for a tight end ... named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week following his performance against Northern Iowa ... recorded a game-high 148 yards on 10 receptions against Washington ... caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Max Hall with under two minutes remaining against UNLV to regain the lead and seal the victory for BYU ... caught a career-high 12 passes and two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter against CSU, including the game winning 17-yard pass from Max Hall ... named the MWC Co-Offensive Player of the Week and the John Mackey Tight End of the Week following following the CSU game ... ended the season second on the team with 1083 reception yards on 83 catches ... scored six touchdowns.
NCAA Consensus All-American tight end ... named first-team All-America by Walter Camp, AFCA and Pro Football Weekly ... named second-team All-America by the Associated Press A, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com and Sporting News ... earned Phil Steele All-America Third Team honors ... College Football News All-American honorable mention ... unanimous All-MWC First Team selection ... team captain ... finalist for the prestigious John Mackey Award (nation's premier tight end) ... named 2009 first-team midseason All-America by SI.com, CBSSports.com, Sporting News and Rivals.com ... Academic All-MWC ... John Mackey National Tight End of the Week (Oct. 7), for his two-touchdown performance versus Utah State ... College Football Performance Award Tight End of the Week (Sept. 6) ... named to the preseason, midseason, semifinalist and finalist watch list for the 2009 John Mackey Award ... BYUs all-time tight end leader in career receiving yards (2,856), career receptions (216) and receptions in a season (83), passing College Football Hall of Fame tight end Gordon Hudson ... BYU's all-time leader in career receptions (216)and consecutive games with at least one catch (42) ... named to the preseason watch lists for the Biletnikoff Award ... started all 13 games for BYU ... caught 62 passes for a team-leading 829 yards on the season, including eight touchdown passes ... averaged 63.8 yards per game ... recorded a season-high 111 yards against Air Force ... scored two touchdowns in games against Utah State and Air Force ... caught a pass in 43 consecutive games dating back to Oct. 23, 2004, prior to his mission ... finished the season leading all tight ends nationally in receiving yards per game ... helped lead BYU to 11-2 record, including 3-1 mark against nationally ranked teams ... helped BYU to 44-20 MAACO Bowl Las Vegas victory over No. 18 Oregon State and No. 12 final ranking ... team captain.
-
ImageTouchdown Club | Aug, 16
Touchdown Club enters third year