"I just wanted to be a part of something like that," Michael Pittman Jr. tells PEOPLE's Janine Rubenstein at Media Row in San Francisco
NEED TO KNOW
- Michael Pittman Jr. spoke to PEOPLE at Media Row in San Francisco during Super Bowl 2026 week
- Michael Jr. recounted watching his dad, Michael Pittman Sr., win the Super Bowl back in 2003
- The win still motivates Michael Jr. in his own football career
Michael Pittman Jr. has witnessed Super Bowl glory — and it motivated him to find his own way to the NFL.
The Indianapolis Colts wide receiver tells PEOPLE's Janine Rubenstein at Media Row in San Francisco on Wednesday, Feb. 4, that his fondest Super Bowl memory is watching his father, Michael Pittman Sr., win the big game back in 2003.
Michael Sr. was a running back in the NFL and won the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that year.
"He won, I can't remember the exact Super Bowl number — he'd probably be mad at me right now — when he was with the Buccs and that whole time, watching them win, was just crazy," Michael Jr. tells PEOPLE. "So that just always replays in my head."
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He says he "knew" football would also be his path, "but ... watching them win [the Super Bowl] and just the excitement about it, I just wanted to be a part of something like that."
Michael Pittman Sr./Instagram
Michael Jr., who was at Media Row as part of his partnership with Toyota, is not the only next-generation athlete in his family. His brother Mycah Pittman played college ball for the University of Oregon.
"We're always competitive and we've played on the same high school team," Michael Jr. says of Mycah, "and then we actually played each other when we were in college, so he played for Oregon and I was at USC, and they actually beat us."
The athlete didn't take the loss lightly, even though it was still a family victory. "I was so mad, I didn't talk to anybody," admits Michael Jr. "I didn't talk to him after the game and I just went home and I was so p----d off."
Mycah has transitioned away from football, though, to a completely different career: "He actually is a pilot now," says Michael Jr. "He went from my little brother and now he's gonna be flying planes."
During his time in California, Michael Jr. helped coach for Toyota's Glow Up Classic, a youth flag football game for girls held at Moscone Center. "I'm just glad that I get to be here and kind of take part in it," he says.
Read the original article on People
Category: General Sports
