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SALT LAKE CITY — Dennis Pitta walked on at BYU in 2004 as a wide receiver.
He left as a consensus all-American tight end and the NCAA’s all-time leader in receptions by a tight end.
His walk-on experience at BYU prepared him for his next challenge.
“It taught me hard work pays off,” Pitta says about his BYU experience. “It taught me a lot about myself. It wasn’t the easiest journey to get where I got to at BYU, but it taught me a lot when I came here because I was kind of in that same circumstance.”
It's frustrating because coming off a Super Bowl win I feel like I had a very good offseason and was really prepared to have a big year. You suffer an injury like that and if feels like you take two steps back, but that's part of the game. When you have something like that you just got to put your head down and go to work each day in rehab and try to position yourself back at the top again.
–Dennis Pitta
Pitta was selected in the 4th round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens. He wasn’t even the first tight end they drafted. The Ravens selected tight end Ed Dickson out of Oregon in the 3rd round.
He felt like a walk-on again catching just one pass for 1 yard as a rookie and spending almost all of his playing time on special teams.
“Every day you’re fighting for a job. Nothing is guaranteed in this league, so the work never stops.”
The hard work and patience paid off the following season as he played in 16 games and developed into a reliable target for quarterback Joe Flacco, catching 40 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns. He was an important part of a team that reached the AFC Championship and was a field goal away from reaching the Super Bowl.
His role increased even more the following season as he caught 61 passes for 669 yards and seven touchdowns. One of those touchdowns came in Super Bowl 48 as he helped the Ravens defeat the San Francisco 49ers for their second Super Bowl.
“That was an unbelievable experience and still sitting here today a bit surreal,” He says. “It’s special, and so many guys play in this league for so long and are never able to achieve that. So, to have done that with this team relatively early in my career is something I certainly don’t take for granted, but we want more.”
Expectations were high for Pitta the following season. Many expected him to be the league’s next big star at the tight end position, but his season ended before it even started.
Early in training camp he suffered a fractured and dislocated hip after making a catch in practice. It was a traumatic injury that not only could have been season-ending but career threatening.
“It’s frustrating because coming off a Super Bowl win I feel like I had a very good offseason and was really prepared to have a big year. You suffer an injury like that and if feels like you take two steps back, but that’s part of the game. When you have something like that you just got to put your head down and go to work each day in rehab and try to position yourself back at the top again.”
Pitta went to work on his rehabilitation determined to return to action as soon as possible.
He stunned everyone by receiving clearance to play in December, just four months after major hip surgery.
His first game back was on Dec. 8, 2013, against the Minnesota Vikings. He caught six passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. He went on to play in the final four games of the 2013 season.
“I think you learn a lot about yourself when you go through tough challenges and are able to overcome them. I learned a lot about patience, work ethic, just being able to kind of just take it one day at a time and have faith that everything will work out in the end. That’s what I did. When life throws challenges your way, just trust and believe.”
The Ravens believed enough in Pitta that they signed him to a five-year, $32 million contract in February.
He entered the season once again with hopes of having a big year but his faith would be tested again.
Just 14 months after suffering a fractured and dislocated hip he suffered the injury again in the third game of the 2014 season.
Pitta faces the same grueling rehab that he went through a year ago. It won’t be known for months whether he will be able to play football again.
He is determined to get back on the field and win another Super Bowl, but if he’s played his last game, he walks away knowing he gave it everything he had.
“When you are able to see the bigger picture in all things and know that football isn’t everything, I think that is what helps you get through it. When you have a great family and faith and all the great things I have in my life, you know, football, you can kind of put it in the backseat for a little bit.”
