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Mike Pettine, Legendary Central Bucks West Coach, Dies

by Tim Jimenez

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Mike Pettine Senior, the legendary high school football coach who led perennial powerhouse Central Bucks West for decades, has died at the age of 76.

Mike Pettine retired from CB West in Doylestown in 1999, with 326 wins and only 42 losses.

"The further we get away from the time that we played, the more that we appreciate what coach did for us," said North Penn Football Coach Dick Beck.

Beck played for Pettine in the 80s. He says he pushed each player with "a very positive toughness."

"I think everybody that played for him at one point or another hated him. But I think that's what made our love for him so much stronger," said Beck.

Pettine had four state titles, but Beck says he put family first.

And he spent plenty of time in Cleveland when his son, Mike Pettine Junior, became head coach of the Browns in the NFL.

"He took every loss the Browns had ten times worse than any loss he took when he was a coach himself for his own team, because he wanted his son to be so successful," Beck said.

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