|
|
Andrew Fields
Football
(1983-85)
Andrew Fields, a native of
Birmingham, Ala., was a standout wide receiver for the Tigers
under Head Coaches Frank North (1983-84) and Sam McCorkle
(1985). In his best season at West Alabama in 1984, Fields
hauled in 55 receptions for 856 yards and 11 touchdowns on his
way to earning First Team Kodak All-American honors.
All told, Fields caught 116 passes for 1,837 yards over his career. He
was an All-Gulf South Conference selection in 1983 and 1984, and
his 24 touchdowns set a UWA record at the time.
In addition to being a standout
receiver, Fields was also one of the most prolific punt
returners in school history. His 550 punt return yards during
his career still stands third all-time, and 311 of those yards
came on 31 returns in 1983, which is still the best mark in UWA
history. After his playing days, Fields spent three seasons as an assistant
football coach at Miles College, and has spent the past 20 years
working for the Partnership in Neighborhood Growth (PING) in the
Birmingham area. PING runs 13 community centers in the
Birmingham area. Fields in engaged to Regina King of Birmingham.
He is the father of three children, daughters Shana and Sharday
Fields and son Andrew Fields, V, and also has two grandchildren.
Jerry Pitts
Football
(1971, 73-75)
Jerry Pitts,
a native of Sulligent, Ala., was a member of the UWA football
team in 1971 and 1973-75. He was a member of the 1971 NAIA
National Championship Team under legendary Head Coach Mickey
Andrews. His football
accolades were many, including being named First Team All-GSC
twice (1974 and 1975) and First Team NAIA All-American in 1975.
He was also a two-time Birmingham Post-Herald All-Small
College First Team Selection (74-75) and earned two selections
to the NAIA All-District 27 First Team (74-75). In 1974, he
earned UWA (then Livingston University) Defensive Player of the
Year honors and was a GSC Defensive Player of the Week
recipient. During his
senior season in 1975, Pitts helped lead the Tigers to a NCAA
Division II Semifinal appearance in addition to being named A.P.
Honorable Mention All-American and Permanent Defensive Team
Captain. In 1980, he was named to the UWA Team of the Decade for
the 1970s and in 1989; he was named to the Lamar County Sports
Hall of Fame. Since his
playing days in Livingston, Pitts has spent 19 seasons as a high
school football coach and 24 years as a high school baseball
coach. Some of his stops include: Nettleton (Miss.) HS
(current), Sulligent HS, South Lamar HS, Marion County HS,
Cordova HS and Newnan (Ga.) HS. He currently has 335 wins as a
head baseball coach and has taken 18 teams to the playoffs,
complete with a State Runner-Up finish in 2001 (Sulligent HS).
He is the father of two children, son Nathan and daughter
Ashley. |
