In the office of North Penn Activities Director Mr. Kyle Berger sits a  Cleveland Browns helmet signed by former North Penn Head Coach Mike Pettine Jr. Inscribed on that helmet is the following statement: “Never forget where you came from,” and although Pettine has made his fair share of pit stops in the NFL; from working with Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Ed Reed in Baltimore, coaching a Darrelle Revis led  Jets defense that made the AFC Championship game, and even getting a head coaching opportunity with the Cleveland Browns, he still fondly remembers his days as the Knights football coach.

“[Me and Coach Beck] weren’t inheriting a losing program… but it took a culture change to take [North Penn] from good to great, and a buy-in from the players and the parents. In the early years, we were fortunate to have Dave Costlow, Chris McKelvy, and Hikee Johnson, who were Division 1 players, but for every program to be successful… you can’t depend on your superstars… you need that next-tier of guys that may never play college football… tough kids that can do all the fundamentals well, that are smart and love football. When you have a program built like that and you have a solid core of players that fall into that category, you’re going to be successful.” said Pettine.

This NFL offseason has been an exciting one for Pettine,  as he made news being named the Green Bay Packers new Defensive Coordinator, taking the place of longtime NFL coach Dom Capers.

In his days as a head coach at the high school level, Mike Pettine Jr.’s first job came in the Suburban One League, at William Tennent High School, where he would spend two seasons before making the switch to North Penn High School, where he would take over the Knights football team, and become the AV Specialist at the school. Pettine would bring along North Penn’s current football coach, and teammate at C.B. West, Dick Beck, to be his defensive coordinator while coaching the Knights.

It’s hard to believe a person could go from his AV position in a high school to the NFL, but for Pettine, it was a perfect storm that helped him land his first pro job with the Baltimore Ravens. Matt Cavanaugh, who was on the coaching staff at the University of Pittsburgh when Pettine was working as a graduate assistant, was the Ravens Offensive Coordinator at the time. Cavanaugh notified Pettine about an opening in the video department, his application being to re-create plays through a PC format the Ravens were switching to. Pettine was unsure of how to use the PC format, but he knew someone that would: North Penn Business Teacher Ken McLarnon.

“I went to [McLarnon] after school, locked the door, and said “I’m not letting you out of here until you show me how to convert this,” Pettine said.

McLarnon, who was hired at North Penn the same time as Pettine was, helped design the first North Penn Football website, in addition to developing the gameday football program. When McLarnon found out what was at stake for Pettine, he was more than willing to give his co-worker a hand.

“Mike knew I was pretty good with technology so when he needed help he would come to me. The day he came to me with the Ravens playbook and told me what was going on I was very excited for him – what an opportunity… I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”

It’s been a fortuitous road for Pettine, travelling from the sidelines of the swamp at 1340 Valley Forge Road to the Frozen Tundra of 1265 Lombardi Avenue.

“I wanted to barely be seen, and certainly not heard, just wanted to roll up my sleeves, work my tail off, and learn the game.” said Pettine.

One big advantage Pettine had was that his late father, Mike Pettine Sr., was one of the most renowned coaches in Pennsylvania history, compiling 326 wins and four state championships during his time as the coach at Central Bucks West.

“His dedication to the game and love for the sport were second to none. He always said “the best playbooks and schemes are worthless if your guys don’t know the fundamentals,” Pettine said, talking about his father.

Since his high school coaching days, Pettine has always been stressing two things in particular to his teams – buying in, and something he calls the “ankle weights theory,” the idea of going so hard in practice that his players are tired out, but by doing this, games will come easier.

When Pettine takes the field on July 27th for the first day of Packers training camp, he’ll see Aaron Rodgers lining up on the opposite side of his young defense, but Pettine is looking forward to competing against one of the best signal callers in the league.

“In the NFL, if you want to win it all, you’re going to have to defeat the elite quarterbacks in this league. There’s no better way to prepare for that than to see one everyday,” said Pettine.

Coach Pettine will be inheriting a young defense budding with potential, but there’s a solid veteran presence as well, in defensive end Mike Daniels, who was a Pro-Bowler this year, and linebacker Clay Matthews, a six time Pro-Bowler, and a former First-Team All Pro, that Pettine was eager to talk about.

“Clay Matthews has shown his versatility and longevity… we like that he can play on and off the ball, he’s a guy I’m looking forward to getting in here and working with,” said Pettine.

The 2017 season did not go nearly as planned for the Packers, as they finished 7-9, good for third place in the NFC North. Injuries were the culprit of the mediocre season, as most of their stars went down with injuries, including running back Ty Montgomery, receiver Davante Adams, and even stud quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

With Pettine on the staff for the 2018-2019 season, he’ll look to bring a championship back to Titletown, saying “the standard here is to win a championship.”