Central Bucks West: The Last Game ESPN Version 2016

4 Responses

1. Just amazed, at talking to former players, how much Coach Pettine stuck with them. His football record is second to none, but they talked about his attention to detail, his being there for them and about how is teachings were applicable to life as well, instead of the championships. I think the tremendous amount of wins were just a by-product of an extraordinary man- demanding at times- who knew the process for building greatness. God bless the Pettine and CB West families.

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2. The first time I saw Mike Pettine was during my senior year at Central Bucks High School in 1966. He was playing in the faculty vs. students basketball game which was a full-school student assembly in the gym. I remember remarking to a friend sitting next to me that a new teacher, Mr. Pettine, was in the game. The next year, after I graduated, he became head football coach in 1967. His very first team went 9-0-1. I returned to the school for the 1967-68 sports awards banquet to watch my brother receive an award. I remember Mike Pettine receiving his team’s award for a championship season. The presenter asked, “Coach, what are going to do for an encore?” Everyone laughed. Little did anyone expect that 15 more undefeated seasons would follow. Every coach dreams of an undefeated season, but how about 16? CB became CB West after the opening of CB East and I followed the Pettine teams over the years as a loyal CB West fan. I attended a number of championship games in Hershey along with many regular-season and playoff games. What fun it was to see your team win and win and win. It will never come again. Not to that degree and not for that long. Matt Showalter, who played as a senior on the 1999 state championship team, was working for a company that was remolding our house in 2004. I asked him many questions about Mike Pettine. He told a story of being in a supermarket in Doylestown when he heard Pettine’s booming, low voice call out, “Showalter!” Without seeing him, he knew instantly who it was. He said it sent shivers down his spine just like at practices five years before. Mike Pettine made a lasting impression on players and fans alike.

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3. Just a great coach and man. When we moved to Doylestown some 40 years ago CB Westfootbal became a ritual for Friday nights during the season. I was in awe of how disciplined his teams were and I know that this was one of the main reasons they won so much, that and his knowledge of the opposition and how to beat them. I still talk about his 4 state championships . I was at them all. God bless you Mike Pettine.

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4. I wrote Coach Pettine a letter in 2007 or 2008 telling him how much I loved “The Last Game” and asked him to sign an 8×10 for my sports room. Not only did he sign it for me, we became friends and chatted via email regularly. We finally met, of all places, at the Outback Bowl in Tampa Fl on Jan 1, 2010 to see PSU vs Florida. We tailgated together and talked football for hours. I watched “The Last Game” again last night. God bless coach!

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