Former Hartselle and Morgan County football coach, David “Bucky” Pitts passes away
Former Morgan County and Hartselle High School football coach David “Bucky” Pitts, 87, passed away Oct. 27 after a lengthy illness.
Pitts was head coach at Morgan County from 1969-1974 and then at Hartselle from 1975-1979. He led the Tigers to a record of 72-38-4 and three trips to the playoffs. He won region championships in 1974, 1978, and 1979.
His last team at Hartselle finished with the first 10-0 regular season in school history.
In his Hartselle tenure, Pitts had 15 players make All-State, including Conley Duncan and Les Fowler, who went on to play at Alabama; Randy Sittison who went to Vanderbilt; and George Stevenson and Randy Campbell, who played at Auburn.
He left Hartselle following the 1979 season to take over at Guntersville, from which he retired in 1992.
Before coming to Hartselle, he was head coach at Central High School in Fayetteville, Tenn., and Putnam County High School in Cookeville, Tenn.
He won a Tennessee state championship in 1961 while coaching Central High School. His record in Tennessee was 69-18-12.
He finished with a career record of 194-118-16 in 31 years of coaching.
He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Shirley Moffett Pitts. His daughters, Deborah Pitts Churchill (Stephen), Patricia Pitts Sweetland (Sammy), Karen Pitts Moore (Bill), Elizabeth Pitts Tortorich (Beth), and one son, David C. Pitts (Janet), also survive him. Surviving grandchildren are Rick Bowling (Adrienne), David Sweetland (Emily), Amy Sweetland Marlow (Melvin), Pollard and Hill Elliott, Matt and Brad Pitts, Sarah Pitts Anguish (Jack), and Mason Tortorich. Bucky also leaves behind 13 great-grandchildren who adored their “Peepaw.” In addition, he has one surviving sister, Aileen Nielson.
Bucky was preceded in death by his parents, George Lofton Pitts and Annie Mackenzie Pitts. He also had six siblings who preceded him: George Lofton Pitts Jr., Margie Carter, William Pitts, Joseph Pitts, Robert Pitts, and Joanne Huffman.
A Celebration of Life memorial service will be held at noon Nov. 6 at the First United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, Tenn. Friends will be received from 11 a.m. until noon at the church.
The Rev. Bobby Ray Halbrooks, a long-time dear friend of Bucky’s, will conduct the service.
