Forever Grateful for Wake Forest: Kitson’s Incredible Career Fueled by Time in Winston-Salem
2/6/2024 12:22:00 PM | Football
“To say that I’m proud to be a Demon Deacon would be the understatement of the century.” – Syd Kitson
Syd Kitson and his Demon Deacons rebounded from back-to-back one-win seasons in 1977 and 1978 with an 8-4 campaign that culminated in a Tangerine Bowl appearance. The 1979 season was punctuated with a 22-21 victory at No. 12 Georgia, a 24-19 win at No. 14 North Carolina and a legendary 42-38 comeback victory at home against No. 13 Auburn.
Recovering from the depths of despair on the football field provided the example Kitson needed to survive potential financial ruin less than a decade later.
"The years of working through those 1-10 seasons, then emerging as one of the top teams in college football, absolutely inspired me," Kitson said. "I knew with the extreme hard work, there would be a light at the end of the tunnel."
Kitson is Chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners, a Florida-based real estate company whose roots date back all the way to 1992. His latest development, Babcock Ranch, is a completely sustainable, environmentally-friendly 'town of the future' roughly 25 miles northeast of Fort Myers, Florida.
"We have a town," Kitson said proudly. "The last four-of-five years have been a remarkable run. We were ranked No. 10 in the country for home sales. To do that in just four-or-five years is probably the fastest in the country. We're very proud of that. What we're proving is that people want to live in a sustainable community.
"We're powered by solar energy, and are focused on preservation of the land and our treatment of the environment. Everything that is sustainable about Babcock Ranch, if you talk to the people here, they're very proud of it. The sales have reflected that."
Babcock Ranch has just finished a high school and a fieldhouse, and K-12 is all available right there in the town now.
"We have more than 5,000 people living here and a big shopping center," Kitson said. "It's a real town. When you come here, you'll see kids riding their bikes and it's turned out exactly as we hoped it would. It's a diverse mix that is multi-generational. The school did a lot of that for us.
"A lot of people here are working from home. We even have a golf course here already, and have sold more than 11,000 lots of the 20,000 we have. We're years ahead of the original plan. When you can build something from the ground up and do it the right way, it's very exciting to see it develop and mature the way it has."
The town is inhabited by a healthy mix of young families and older empty nesters, with many in the town congregating in the center Friday and Saturday nights for live music and entertainment in the area Kitson calls "The Quad."
"When the weather is nice, we get a couple thousand people out here and the kids are all over," he said. "It's like free range. They are running around. You see the grandparents mixing with the youth, and that's what a real town is all about. This is not a gated community and it's open to the public."
When Kitson was introduced to the Babcock family in 2004, they had 91,000 acres, which equates to roughly 143 square miles of land. The group sold 73,000 acres of the land to Florida during the tenure of Gov. Jeb Bush. Of the 18,000 acres kept for development, roughly half will be preserved.
"So 90 percent of the ranch is in preservation forever," Kitson said. That might be the thing I'm most proud of, that all this land will remain in its natural state for generations to come. That was really important to us.
"You'll see how different it is, as you weave through the community you will come across large, wetland areas that are preserved. We have 50 miles of trails at Babcock Ranch. It just feels different. You're a part of something really unique. We did a survey and people are here because they love being a part of the outdoors and love that it's sustainable. Those two things have really resonated with people."
In addition to sustainability, Kitson wants Babcock Ranch to offer everything a growing young family or retiree needs all within the town.
"We have 370 apartments being built right now and have 250 single-family rentals," he explained. "The young professionals do live here. There's easy access to I-75 and they can get to the airport in 20-25 minutes. We're right between two airports, but we want to make it where people don't have to leave here. We want to provide everything they need — jobs, schools, shopping and recreation."
The journey Kitson started at Wake Forest came because Penn State suddenly wasn't taking a tight end in the 1976 recruiting class.
"I'd looked at a number of schools and had been offered multiple scholarships," he said. "The one school I wanted to go to was Penn State. They changed the rules in the NCAA and every school was only allowed a certain number of scholarships. Many schools had to adjust and one such school was Penn State. They only had so many scholarships they could give out. I was a tight end, and they decided to not recruit a tight end that year. I had a number of other choices."
Enter former Wake Forest offensive lineman Win Headley.
"Win Headley knocked on my door," Kitson said. "He was an All-American from Wake Forest and worked for the coaching staff. He came to my house and made a presentation. My parents thought it looked great. I didn't know much about Wake Forest, but what I did know was more Arnold Palmer and golf."
Like so many other student-athletes through the years, the campus visit sealed the deal for Kitson.
"The moment I walked on campus I knew that's where I wanted to go to school," he said. "It was the best decision I ever made. There were two things I loved about Wake Forest. First, there was the academics. Even back in those days, it had a great academic reputation. You knew you were going to get a great education and that was really important.
"But right there with it was the football program that seemed like it was rising through the ranks and the schedule was incredible, playing teams like Michigan, Auburn, Purdue and all the schools in the ACC. Having the opportunity to get an incredible education and play high-level football was all it took to get me hooked. I never regretted it for one moment."
A wide receiver and defensive end in high school, Kitson was recruited as a tight end and slot back in the wing-t offense utilized by then head coach Chuck Mills. Once committed to Wake Forest, Kitson made it a goal to be the biggest tight end in the ACC.
"I'd eat six-or-seven sandwiches for lunch," he said. "Back then, we didn't have the same understanding of nutrition. When I came to Wake Forest, I knew I had to put on weight. I arrived at 210 and wanted to get to 255 to be the biggest tight end in the ACC. I got up to about 255 my junior year.
"When Coach John Mackovic moved me from tight end to offensive line, I was leading the ACC in receiving. It was a tough move going from tight end to offensive line. The offensive line coach thought I would have a good shot to play in the NFL with the position change. We had a pretty good year my senior year and it was a lot of fun."
Mackovic became the head coach after Kitson's sophomore season in 1977 and instilled a more stringent work ethic on the team, which led to some departures.
"Coach Mills did a great job recruiting and brought in some really good people," Kitson said. "When Coach Mackovic came in, he worked us pretty darn hard. A lot of people quit. There weren't a lot of seniors left, maybe eight-or-nine in my class. But anyone who remained really wanted to play football.
"It brought us closer together. When you go through tough times, it's amazing how that brings you together. We sacrificed, worked and laughed all together. When they made the change, Coach Mackovic came in with a positive attitude and a work ethic that was off the charts.
"That impacted my life. Those of us who made it through, it toughened us up. I'm not the most talented guy, but nobody outworked me."
After several close calls on the field in 1978, the Deacs started with a trio of wins to begin the following season before falling 17-14 at No. 16 NC State.
"We believed we could win," Kitson said. "We really did. I remember talking with all the guys. We were a very close group of guys. There was a determination that we were going to do it differently and we were going to treat the underclassmen with respect. We knew we had talented underclassmen who could contribute.
"There was real talent on the team. Three of the offensive line starters ended up playing in the NFL. You had a whole group of others who played in the NFL from that team. There were really good players up-and-down the roster. Just bringing that all together as a team was crucial. We didn't understand how good we were until we beat Georgia."
Quarterback Jay Venuto threw for more than 2,400 yards and 16 touchdowns, and running back James McDougald rushed for 1,177 yards.
"Venuto had a spectacular season and had some great receivers," Kitson recalled. "It was a ton of hard work, but I really believe it was about all of us coming together and having a single purpose. When you have a group of guys who really like each other, that can happen. We were fortunate to have that staff come in when they did, and they had a great impact on me.
"What made that team special that year was the players. It was a great group of seniors and we had a great group of people from top-to-bottom. We really liked each other. It was a real team and was the most fun I ever had playing football. I still think about my teammates often."
Kitson referenced what Coach Mackovic called the 'ladder of success' in their journey from a one-win team to earning Tangerine Bowl berth.
"First you realize you can play with these people, but then you have to learn how to win," Kitson said. "There's a big difference between losing a game by three points and actually winning. You have to believe you can win. You have to believe you have the ability to do it.
"When you take it one step at a time and start knocking off those goals, you realize you're heading in the right direction and that has a big impact. We knew we had the talent and could play with the best teams in the nation."
The victories that season were legendary, including knocking off Lawrence Taylor's North Carolina squad, winning on the road at Georgia and then claiming a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Auburn that Wake Forest fans speak about to this very day.
"Winning that game (over Georgia) was one of the greatest thrills of my life," Kitson said. "Everybody talks about Auburn as one of the top five games played by Wake Forest. It was two teams in the top-20 in front of a sold out crowd. That was a really good football game, and one I will never forget."
Kitson said Mackovic delivered an all-time great rousing halftime speech, imploring the Deacs to never give up.
"The defense did a spectacular job shutting down that team," Kitson said. "I couldn't believe what a job they did in the second half. Every single guy on that sideline contributed to that victory. We trailed 38-20 at the half and won 42-38."
During his time at Wake Forest, Kitson was introduced to a local developer who invited him to lunch.
"He picked me up and took me through Winston-Salem and showed me all the things he'd done, from building small single-family homes to communities and buildings," Kitson recalls. "The thing that was interesting about him was the enthusiasm and excitement he had for creating these places."
The spark was lit for Kitson that afternoon.
"This is what I want to do," he remembers thinking. "I started working in real estate during each offseason. That's where it started for me, right there at Wake Forest."
Kitson was drafted by the Green Bay Packers and played in the NFL for five-plus seasons, before diving full-time into real estate and development. He still keeps up with the Demon Deacons and enjoys following the success in recent years under the leadership of head coach Dave Clawson.
"I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for Coach Clawson," Kitson said. "I'm so proud that he is our coach. We've had great coaches at Wake Forest. We've been fortunate to have the kind of leaders we've had, who understand the combination of high-level football on the field and academic excellence. I do follow the Demon Deacons and I'm very proud.
"Whenever anything comes from Wake Forest, it's really special to me. To say that I'm proud to be a Demon Deacon would be the understatement of the century. I'm very thankful that they gave me a scholarship and I'm forever grateful that they believed in me."
Recovering from the depths of despair on the football field provided the example Kitson needed to survive potential financial ruin less than a decade later.
"The years of working through those 1-10 seasons, then emerging as one of the top teams in college football, absolutely inspired me," Kitson said. "I knew with the extreme hard work, there would be a light at the end of the tunnel."
Kitson is Chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners, a Florida-based real estate company whose roots date back all the way to 1992. His latest development, Babcock Ranch, is a completely sustainable, environmentally-friendly 'town of the future' roughly 25 miles northeast of Fort Myers, Florida.
"We have a town," Kitson said proudly. "The last four-of-five years have been a remarkable run. We were ranked No. 10 in the country for home sales. To do that in just four-or-five years is probably the fastest in the country. We're very proud of that. What we're proving is that people want to live in a sustainable community.
"We're powered by solar energy, and are focused on preservation of the land and our treatment of the environment. Everything that is sustainable about Babcock Ranch, if you talk to the people here, they're very proud of it. The sales have reflected that."
Babcock Ranch has just finished a high school and a fieldhouse, and K-12 is all available right there in the town now.
"We have more than 5,000 people living here and a big shopping center," Kitson said. "It's a real town. When you come here, you'll see kids riding their bikes and it's turned out exactly as we hoped it would. It's a diverse mix that is multi-generational. The school did a lot of that for us.
"A lot of people here are working from home. We even have a golf course here already, and have sold more than 11,000 lots of the 20,000 we have. We're years ahead of the original plan. When you can build something from the ground up and do it the right way, it's very exciting to see it develop and mature the way it has."
The town is inhabited by a healthy mix of young families and older empty nesters, with many in the town congregating in the center Friday and Saturday nights for live music and entertainment in the area Kitson calls "The Quad."
"When the weather is nice, we get a couple thousand people out here and the kids are all over," he said. "It's like free range. They are running around. You see the grandparents mixing with the youth, and that's what a real town is all about. This is not a gated community and it's open to the public."
When Kitson was introduced to the Babcock family in 2004, they had 91,000 acres, which equates to roughly 143 square miles of land. The group sold 73,000 acres of the land to Florida during the tenure of Gov. Jeb Bush. Of the 18,000 acres kept for development, roughly half will be preserved.
"So 90 percent of the ranch is in preservation forever," Kitson said. That might be the thing I'm most proud of, that all this land will remain in its natural state for generations to come. That was really important to us.
"You'll see how different it is, as you weave through the community you will come across large, wetland areas that are preserved. We have 50 miles of trails at Babcock Ranch. It just feels different. You're a part of something really unique. We did a survey and people are here because they love being a part of the outdoors and love that it's sustainable. Those two things have really resonated with people."
In addition to sustainability, Kitson wants Babcock Ranch to offer everything a growing young family or retiree needs all within the town.
"We have 370 apartments being built right now and have 250 single-family rentals," he explained. "The young professionals do live here. There's easy access to I-75 and they can get to the airport in 20-25 minutes. We're right between two airports, but we want to make it where people don't have to leave here. We want to provide everything they need — jobs, schools, shopping and recreation."
The journey Kitson started at Wake Forest came because Penn State suddenly wasn't taking a tight end in the 1976 recruiting class.
"I'd looked at a number of schools and had been offered multiple scholarships," he said. "The one school I wanted to go to was Penn State. They changed the rules in the NCAA and every school was only allowed a certain number of scholarships. Many schools had to adjust and one such school was Penn State. They only had so many scholarships they could give out. I was a tight end, and they decided to not recruit a tight end that year. I had a number of other choices."
Enter former Wake Forest offensive lineman Win Headley.
"Win Headley knocked on my door," Kitson said. "He was an All-American from Wake Forest and worked for the coaching staff. He came to my house and made a presentation. My parents thought it looked great. I didn't know much about Wake Forest, but what I did know was more Arnold Palmer and golf."
Like so many other student-athletes through the years, the campus visit sealed the deal for Kitson.
"The moment I walked on campus I knew that's where I wanted to go to school," he said. "It was the best decision I ever made. There were two things I loved about Wake Forest. First, there was the academics. Even back in those days, it had a great academic reputation. You knew you were going to get a great education and that was really important.
"But right there with it was the football program that seemed like it was rising through the ranks and the schedule was incredible, playing teams like Michigan, Auburn, Purdue and all the schools in the ACC. Having the opportunity to get an incredible education and play high-level football was all it took to get me hooked. I never regretted it for one moment."
A wide receiver and defensive end in high school, Kitson was recruited as a tight end and slot back in the wing-t offense utilized by then head coach Chuck Mills. Once committed to Wake Forest, Kitson made it a goal to be the biggest tight end in the ACC.
"I'd eat six-or-seven sandwiches for lunch," he said. "Back then, we didn't have the same understanding of nutrition. When I came to Wake Forest, I knew I had to put on weight. I arrived at 210 and wanted to get to 255 to be the biggest tight end in the ACC. I got up to about 255 my junior year.
"When Coach John Mackovic moved me from tight end to offensive line, I was leading the ACC in receiving. It was a tough move going from tight end to offensive line. The offensive line coach thought I would have a good shot to play in the NFL with the position change. We had a pretty good year my senior year and it was a lot of fun."
Mackovic became the head coach after Kitson's sophomore season in 1977 and instilled a more stringent work ethic on the team, which led to some departures.
"Coach Mills did a great job recruiting and brought in some really good people," Kitson said. "When Coach Mackovic came in, he worked us pretty darn hard. A lot of people quit. There weren't a lot of seniors left, maybe eight-or-nine in my class. But anyone who remained really wanted to play football.
"It brought us closer together. When you go through tough times, it's amazing how that brings you together. We sacrificed, worked and laughed all together. When they made the change, Coach Mackovic came in with a positive attitude and a work ethic that was off the charts.
"That impacted my life. Those of us who made it through, it toughened us up. I'm not the most talented guy, but nobody outworked me."
After several close calls on the field in 1978, the Deacs started with a trio of wins to begin the following season before falling 17-14 at No. 16 NC State.
"We believed we could win," Kitson said. "We really did. I remember talking with all the guys. We were a very close group of guys. There was a determination that we were going to do it differently and we were going to treat the underclassmen with respect. We knew we had talented underclassmen who could contribute.
"There was real talent on the team. Three of the offensive line starters ended up playing in the NFL. You had a whole group of others who played in the NFL from that team. There were really good players up-and-down the roster. Just bringing that all together as a team was crucial. We didn't understand how good we were until we beat Georgia."
Quarterback Jay Venuto threw for more than 2,400 yards and 16 touchdowns, and running back James McDougald rushed for 1,177 yards.
"Venuto had a spectacular season and had some great receivers," Kitson recalled. "It was a ton of hard work, but I really believe it was about all of us coming together and having a single purpose. When you have a group of guys who really like each other, that can happen. We were fortunate to have that staff come in when they did, and they had a great impact on me.
"What made that team special that year was the players. It was a great group of seniors and we had a great group of people from top-to-bottom. We really liked each other. It was a real team and was the most fun I ever had playing football. I still think about my teammates often."
Kitson referenced what Coach Mackovic called the 'ladder of success' in their journey from a one-win team to earning Tangerine Bowl berth.
"First you realize you can play with these people, but then you have to learn how to win," Kitson said. "There's a big difference between losing a game by three points and actually winning. You have to believe you can win. You have to believe you have the ability to do it.
"When you take it one step at a time and start knocking off those goals, you realize you're heading in the right direction and that has a big impact. We knew we had the talent and could play with the best teams in the nation."
The victories that season were legendary, including knocking off Lawrence Taylor's North Carolina squad, winning on the road at Georgia and then claiming a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Auburn that Wake Forest fans speak about to this very day.
"Winning that game (over Georgia) was one of the greatest thrills of my life," Kitson said. "Everybody talks about Auburn as one of the top five games played by Wake Forest. It was two teams in the top-20 in front of a sold out crowd. That was a really good football game, and one I will never forget."
Kitson said Mackovic delivered an all-time great rousing halftime speech, imploring the Deacs to never give up.
"The defense did a spectacular job shutting down that team," Kitson said. "I couldn't believe what a job they did in the second half. Every single guy on that sideline contributed to that victory. We trailed 38-20 at the half and won 42-38."
During his time at Wake Forest, Kitson was introduced to a local developer who invited him to lunch.
"He picked me up and took me through Winston-Salem and showed me all the things he'd done, from building small single-family homes to communities and buildings," Kitson recalls. "The thing that was interesting about him was the enthusiasm and excitement he had for creating these places."
The spark was lit for Kitson that afternoon.
"This is what I want to do," he remembers thinking. "I started working in real estate during each offseason. That's where it started for me, right there at Wake Forest."
Kitson was drafted by the Green Bay Packers and played in the NFL for five-plus seasons, before diving full-time into real estate and development. He still keeps up with the Demon Deacons and enjoys following the success in recent years under the leadership of head coach Dave Clawson.
"I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for Coach Clawson," Kitson said. "I'm so proud that he is our coach. We've had great coaches at Wake Forest. We've been fortunate to have the kind of leaders we've had, who understand the combination of high-level football on the field and academic excellence. I do follow the Demon Deacons and I'm very proud.
"Whenever anything comes from Wake Forest, it's really special to me. To say that I'm proud to be a Demon Deacon would be the understatement of the century. I'm very thankful that they gave me a scholarship and I'm forever grateful that they believed in me."
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