Kavika Pittman

Early years

Pittman was born in Frankfurt, Germany, where his father was stationed with the United States Army. After five moves, his family settled in Leesville, Louisiana, where as a senior at Leesville High School he was an All-State selection and the district Most Valuable Player, after finishing with 94 tackles and 12 sacks.

In track and field he won the district championship in the high jump, triple jump and the long jump as a senior. In basketball, he led his AAU all-star team to a national championship.

College career

He played few games at McNeese State University until his junior year, when he earned All-Southland Conference honors, finishing with 59 tackles (4 for loss), 4 sacks, 11 quarterback pressures, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick.

As a senior, he helped his team reach the school's first ever semifinal appearance in the Division I-AA playoffs, while registering 57 tackles (7 for loss), 13 sacks, 18 quarterback pressures, 11 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and a blocked kick. For his efforts, he was named first-team Division I-AA All-American, Louisiana Defensive Player of the Year and the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He finished as the school's career all-time sack leader (22.5).

In 2014, he was inducted into the McNeese State Hall of Fame, besides being named to the 1990s and the All-time Southland Conference football teams.

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys traded down their first-round draft choice in the 1996 NFL Draft, sending to the Washington Redskins the 30th and 250th picks, in exchange for their 37th and 67th draft choices. The team gambled that they could move down into the second round and still select Tony Brackens, while changing a seventh-round selection into a third (#67-Clay Shiver). The Jacksonville Jaguars ended up selecting Brackens and the Cowboys still needing a defensive end, drafted Pittman in the second round. He was originally seen as a project, with the plan of eventually replacing Shante Carver.

As a rookie, he contributed in special teams with 17 tackles (third on the team). He was a backup defensive end until earning a starter position in 1998, playing opposite to Greg Ellis and finishing with 6 sacks (led the team), 16 quarterback pressures (third on the team), 59 tackles, 7 passes defensed, 2 fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.

The next year, he started all 16 games and registered a career-high 74 tackles, 3 sacks, 21 quarterback pressures (second on the team) and 10 pass defensed (led the team). After his rookie contract ended, the team didn't re-sign him because of salary cap constraints.

Denver Broncos

Pittman signed as a free agent with the Denver Broncos in 2000 and as the starter at right defensive end (15 starts), he proceeded to collect a career-high 7 sacks, 39 tackles (33 solo), one pass defensed, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

In 2001, he started 14 games at left defensive end, totaling 50 tackles (43 solo), one sack, one pass defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He suffered a left calf tear in the 14th game of the season against the Kansas City Chiefs and was placed on the injured reserve list.

He was released during the 2003 offseason, because of the salary cap and a decrease in production.

Carolina Panthers

On May 23, 2003, he was signed as free agent by the Carolina Panthers. However, in only his second game, he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament after being chop-blocked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Keenan McCardell. He reinjured the knee in the 2004 training camp, was placed on injured reserve and was not re-signed at the end of the season.