Hitt, the 82-year-old fourth president of UCF who took office in 1992 and retired in June 2018, passed away on February 20, 2023. His wife Martha Hitt, a former UCF first lady, their two daughters, their grandchildren, and great-grandson Luca all survive him.
John Hitt Children: Meet Charles Hitt and Sharon Hitt
At Austin College, he first met Martha, and the two later wed there in Houston in 1961. Charles, a son, and Sharon, a girl, were the couple’s two children. They have two grandkids, Jarrod and Alex, thanks to Charles and Julie.
Hitt, who was raised in Houston, was the first member of his family to complete college. He received his degree with honors from Austin College in Sherman, Texas, where he also played offensive tackle on the football team. Hitt credits this experience with solidifying both his love of the game and his understanding of the value of teamwork.
While UCF’s enrollment increased from 21,000 to over 66,000 by the time he retired, Hitt’s legacy is also reflected in the more than 260,000 degrees he bestowed. Because of this expansion, hundreds more students graduated each year and went on to work in fields including engineering, optics and photonics, hospitality, and nursing, all of which are crucial to the regional and state economies.