Evansville Otters mourn loss of 'secret weapon' Bruce Pittman, one of team's biggest fans
EVANSVILLE — Andy McCauley has scanned the Bosse Field crowd before every Evansville Otters game for years in search of one of the team’s biggest fans, who was typically dressed in full uniform.
He always needed to check if the cowbell was available to spark a rally.
Bruce “Secret Weapon” Pittman always responded with a thumbs up.
“He knew the players, who was having good years and who wasn’t,” McCauley said. “He was definitely a secret weapon, a super fan and a super friend as well. He will be sorely missed.”
A mainstay at Otters games for two decades, Pittman unexpectedly died Sunday at age 67. He led the Bosse Field crowd in cheers the night before, sparking the team to a walk-off victory in extra innings during their final home series of the season.
“I don’t think he ever met a stranger,” said Joel Padfield, the Otters’ vice president. “He was a super-friendly guy and everybody knew who he was, just like everyone knew who Marvin Gray was. He had that kind of stature in our community and his timing with the cowbell was pretty amazing.”
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Pittman was given his nickname years ago by a former player who didn’t have a name on the back of his jersey, yet hit a home run. Pittman dubbed him the team's secret weapon. They formed a bond and when the player eventually moved on, Pittman kept the nickname for himself. It had been on the back of his custom Otters jersey ever since.
He’d been a recognizable figure at games since 2001, whether he was selling programs or moving about the concourse in his wheelchair while banging his cowbell.
“He would get the crowds going in important parts of the game when we needed some runs or needed to shut down an inning,” McCauley said. “It wasn’t all the time, but he chose his spots to help us out and give us a little energy with the cowbell.”
McCauley added that Pittman was a good talent evaluator who gave helpful advice to players from the stands. Otters owner Bill Bussing even gifted him a pair of championship rings for the team’s Frontier League titles in 2006 and 2016.
Pittman was a beloved fan.
“Many times, when us starting pitchers would be by the front gate signing autographs, we would see Bruce and talk to him,” Otters pitcher and USI grad Austin Gossmann wrote on social media. “Regardless of how things were going from a winning/losing standpoint, he was always so enthusiastic about our season and us as a team. I like to think he gave me a little bit of luck Saturday before my start when he was in the tunnel and fist-bumped me on my way out to the field.
“Bosse will never be the same without you, ‘Secret Weapon.’”
Pittman, a native of New Haven, Connecticut, is survived by his wife of 26 years, Brenda, as well as two sons, one daughter, five siblings and five grandchildren. Plus, a host of cousins, nieces, nephews and many best friends. He was proud to be lifelong friends with Basketball Hall of Fame member Moses Malone.
His work history in Evansville included time at the Marriot Hotel, Casino Aztar, Vanderburgh County Corrections Complex and Public Safety Officer at Eastland Mall. He was a dedicated member of the community who spent many hours volunteering as a mentor at the Carver Community Organization AARP Program and as a basketball coach at the Boys and Girls Club.
His family scheduled visitation for Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon with the funeral to follow at Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1800 S. Governor St. in Evansville.
Pittman’s obituary noted he “was called home to strike the bell with the heavenly team.”
Chad Lindskog is the sports editor of the Courier & Press. You can contact him by email, clindskog@gannett.com, or on Twitter: @chadlindskog.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Baseball: Evansville Otters mourn the loss of super fan Bruce Pittman
