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Central Bucks West to unveil statue of legendary football coach Mike Pettine

Pettine directed the Bucks to a 326-42-4 mark. His squad put together a 55-game unbeaten streak from 1984-88 and won 45 straight from 1996-99.

Mike Pettine compiled a 326-42-4 mark in 33 seasons as Central Bucks West football coach.
Mike Pettine compiled a 326-42-4 mark in 33 seasons as Central Bucks West football coach.Read moreFILE PHOTO

The man who turned Central Bucks West into a football dynasty will be honored in grand style during the school's Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday night.

A life-size bronze statue of Mike Pettine, who guided the Bucks to 326 victories and four PIAA Class 4A state titles in 33 seasons, will be unveiled before a 7 p.m. game against visiting Souderton.

The 6-foot, 400-pound statue was funded by the Mike Pettine Foundation and created by a Utah sculpting company. It will be erected just outside War Memorial Field.

Mike Carey played for the legendary coach in the 1970s and was his right-hand man before succeeding him in 2000. He is the director of the foundation's eight-man committee.

"Just talking about the ceremony and what it would mean to Mike gives me the goose bumps right now," Carey said Tuesday. "I think it's fitting that the statue will be located where he can forever look over the field and watch the games."

Pettine died of a heart attack last year while playing golf near his winter home in Florida. He was 76.

Marking Pettine's number of victories, 326 bricks will surround the statue. The bricks are engraved with the name of the individual or company that purchased them.

"I think the statue is a great thing for the community, and something the alumni can look at whenever they return for athletic events," C.B. West athletic director Henry Hunt said.

Carey and Mike Pettine Jr., who played quarterback at C.B. West and was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns for two seasons (2014-15), will speak to the crowd during the unveiling ceremony at 6 p.m.

Pettine Jr. is in his first season as Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator. In five seasons as head coach at North Penn (1997-2001), he coached against his father and the Bucks five times.