Kyle Pitts’ return to Philly brings his family’s sports legacy here full circle

The last time Kyle Pitts was at Lincoln Financial Field, he watched the pregame fireworks just outside the stadium and thought about what it would be like to experience it all as a player.

The former Archbishop Wood star and current Atlanta Falcons tight end was given a chance to find out for himself on Monday, seven years removed from watching the Eagles’ NFC championship win against the Minnesota Vikings. The Falcons’ Monday night showdown with the Eagles represented Pitts’ first game in his hometown since leaving for the University of Florida in 2018.

It is the latest chapter in the Pitts family’s legacy in Philadelphia sports, a legacy initially authored by Pitts’ grandfather, Sonny Pitts, who died from prostate cancer a little over a year ago after spending decades as a well-known referee for local high school sports.

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“He was a renegade in the Philadelphia sports community in general,” Kyle Pitts said. “The early days all the way up to a couple years ago. In the basketball community, the PIAA, the Catholic League, he was well known. He definitely put his stamp on it.”

Kyle Pitts was close with both of his grandfathers, with Sonny driving him to practice often when he was young and introducing him to his fellow officials who handled football and basketball games in the Public and Catholic leagues.

At first, Sonny wanted his grandson to focus on basketball, but Kyle’s father, Kelly, knew his passion lay elsewhere. Even though Kyle wasn’t the tallest kid growing up — he “shot up” in high school, growing six inches over the four years — Sonny was a basketball referee first and foremost and could see a future for Kyle on the hardwood.

Talking sports on long drives from various practice facilities around the area as Kyle grew both in stature and notoriety as a tight end, their conversations would still always wind up involving hoops.

“Just work ethic and always being better than the next guy,” Pitts said of his grandfather’s talking points. “He’d always bring it back to basketball. Just always giving me basketball moves.”

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As Pitts established himself as the best tight end in college football and one of the top prospects in the 2021 NFL draft, Sonny finally conceded that his son and grandson made the right call pursuing football.

“Before he passed on, we were riding in the car and he said, ‘You know what? You were right,’” Kelly Pitts said. “That’s all he said, ‘You were right.’ He didn’t have to say anything else, I already knew what he was talking about.”

Even as a two-time state football champion at Archbishop Wood and the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Pitts said he still feels his grandfather’s legacy in the area outshines his own.

Predominately known as “Mr. Sonny” by those who met him through officiating, he was one of the few officials who rarely needed to show Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association credentials to get into games for free.

Eddie Simpson, a longtime friend of Sonny’s and a fellow official, said he’d even have tickets waiting for him at the gate of highly anticipated games like the Catholic League championship matchups at the Palestra.

“When you go with Sonny, they just let you in the door,” Simpson said. “It was like walking with royalty. ‘Oh, he’s with you? Come on in!’ There wasn’t a Public League game, a Suburban One game, whatever, even though we could have gotten in anyway, they just knew him from all those years before.”

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Kelly Pitts added, “If you go to any basketball game and hear someone say, ‘Mr. Sonny,’ they know who you’re talking about. That speaks for itself. I’m talking girls’ basketball, guys’ basketball, kids’ basketball, all of that, they knew him throughout the city by way of his work.”

Sonny attended a few of Kyle’s games in Gainesville before his illness made it too difficult to do so. But he was instrumental in helping his grandson pick the University of Florida. Simpson said Kyle’s games were “appointment viewing” for Sonny, who would also call him to discuss officials’ decisions on Saturdays to help educate him on the trade.

“He was so happy and so proud of Kyle,” Simpson added. “Of course, every Saturday, it was must-see TV when Florida came on. And he just kept getting better and better. And I felt so proud, not just because I knew him, but because I knew what type of man he became.”

Kelly Pitts added, “For him to see his grandson be able to get all the accolades he got and play on all levels, that was huge for him. That’s one of the things he wanted to do before he passed on, see him play at Florida and play in the pros. And that’s what happened. He got a chance to see that.”

Kyle Pitts will have plenty of family members in attendance for Monday night’s game, although neither he nor his father knew the exact number. His Southeastern Conference schedule made games in the surrounding area a near impossibility in college and his three years in the NFL featured trips to New York and Washington, but his first time at Lincoln Financial Field since he was a teenager has resulted in plenty of calls and texts that he’s “funneling” to his parents.

“Just to see him playing in Philadelphia, it’s going to be huge,” Kelly Pitts said. “Because he never got a chance to play here. … It’s going to be very similar to when he played in college for the first time, the excitement, the hoopla, the lights.”

Don’t forget the fireworks.

The Eagles play in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.