Kokomo woke up Thursday without Bobby Pettigrew. His sudden death Wednesday night was a shock and it was difficult for members of the Kokomo High School football team to process it.
A former star athlete for the Wildkats, Pettigrew had been an assistant coach with the football program for more than 15 years.
“It was a very somber mood this morning, a lot of guys were choked up, a lot of tears were shed,” Kokomo football coach Austin Colby said Thursday afternoon after practice. “It’s one of those things where you ask why, everybody wanted to know why, and a lot of times you don’t have those answers.
“We were able to get together as a team first period and talk about it and talk about what he meant to the program, had an opportunity for people to share what he meant to them, and it was a very special time. A lot of kids went back to class still crying an hour later.”
After the school day, practice was clearly affected as well.
“This afternoon at practice, it was weird going without him,” Colby said. “Especially those who were coached by him were devastated, there’s no other way to put it.”
A linebacker and fullback during his days as a three-year starter on the Wildkat football team, Pettigrew carved his place into KHS lore with back-to-back state titles in shot put in 1994 and ’95. His first title as a junior helped the Kats win the team state title in 1994, and he helped Kokomo’s team finish second at state as a senior. Pettigrew was named to the Howard County Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.
After his playing days ended, Pettigrew quickly moved into coaching. In addition to coaching with the football squad, he also previously spent time as an assistant with the Kat track squad and as a middle school girls basketball coach.
“Our hearts go out to the family of Bobby,” Kokomo athletic director Nick Sale said. “Bobby was a legend at Kokomo High School on the playing field in football and track. For us, he was a mentor, he was a coach, he was a friend.
“Bobby’s compassion and love for our students, it extended well past the playing field. I think his legacy here at Kokomo High School will live on forever. He’s going to be missed by the entire Wildkat family.”
Larry Ruch, another Howard County hall of famer, was Kokomo’s track and field coach when Pettigrew was in high school. Pettigrew was raw when he started throwing as a sophomore but made rapid progress, reaching state as a sophomore before breaking through as champ the next season.
“He really liked to compete with people, it would bring out the best in him,” Ruch said. “He worked hard and he got stronger and he developed a technique. He had a quickness to him and that helped him developing that shot and throwing that thing out great distances. And he always had a smile and enjoyed competition. When the big meets came along, he was able to step it up and do his best at that time — and it takes a real athlete to do that.”
His impact on Kokomo’s team state title run went beyond the points he produced.
“He was a big factor when we won the state championship in track in ’94 and he was an inspiration for the other kids,” Ruch said. “His effort in the state track meet kind of got the ball running for the team.”
It was no surprise that Pettigrew went into coaching.
“He always had a smile on his face. He was great with kids,” Ruch said of Pettigrew. “He was a great shot putter and discus thrower, and after his career he spent a lot of time assistant coaching in football and track and worked with young kids. He’s had an impact on a lot of people.”
Pettigrew was already an assistant with Kokomo’s football squad when Colby came to Kokomo as a student when his father, Brett, arrived to take over the squad in 2007. Colby knew Pettigrew first when Pettigrew was one of his coaches, then they worked shoulder-to-shoulder as assistants when Colby’s playing career finished, and when Colby was hired as coach in 2020, he made sure Pettigrew was part of his staff.
“He was one of the first guys my dad hired when he came to Kokomo,” Colby said. “Stepping up and being a colleague of his, and being an assistant coach with him, and then him being on my staff has been very special. He was more than a coach, I called him my uncle. We spent time outside of football together and had fun. He’ll be missed, more than people will imagine, at the Colby household. He was truly a one-of-a-kind guy.”
As an assistant with Kokomo, Pettigrew coached secondary and linebackers on defense, and fullbacks on offense.
Colby said Pettigrew liked to be involved with the Wildkats and the city.
“He ran a couple of the Studebaker fests at the park, he was one of the big-time guys that was involved in that,” Colby said. “He had his hands involved in a lot of things at the Carver Center.
“If it had something to do with Kokomo athletics or Kokomo, he was probably involved, or attended in some manner. He was all about giving back and he loved the city of Kokomo, and truly lived to make this city a better place.”
Ruch noted that Pettigrew was also named to the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches’ Hall of Fame. Pettigrew didn’t rest on his laurels, rather he passed down the knowledge he absorbed in his time as an athlete and as a member of the community.
“He worked in football and track and he’s affected a lot of people,” Ruch said. “He’s been a positive influence to many people. It’s really great to see one of your athletes do that and carry the sport on to other people.”
That makes his sudden death all the sadder.
“He had a smile, he was a good competitor and he had a passion for helping young people,” Ruch said. “He’s going to be really, really missed.”
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.