Pennsylvania

Mike Pettine, Sr., Legendary Central Bucks West Football Coach, Dies at 76

Pettine passed away suddenly in his winter home in Florida

Mike Pettine, Sr., the Central Bucks West High School football coach who led his team to four state championships and more than 300 wins, has died.

The 76-year-old died suddenly on Friday at his winter home in Florida, school officials said. A cause of death was not immediately known.

Pettine spent 33 years at CB West in Doylestown, Pennsylvania where, under his leadership, the football team marked 326 wins. In 1985, the team was ranked in the national top 10.

Central Bucks school district Superintendent John Kopicki called Pettine's death a "tremendous loss."

"Coach Pettine’s impact went far beyond his amazing records of wins because he made a lasting impact on the lives of many, many young men," Kopicki said in a statement. "He taught them life-long lessons about hard work and perseverance."

The coach's son, Mike Pettine, Jr., played for his father and then coached against him at North Penn. Junior eventually became an NFL coach working for the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills and finally as head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

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