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New Coach Interested in Spiritual Dimension, Too
By Stan Friedman
CHICAGO, IL (January 18, 2006) - Although he coached football at the NCAA
Division1-A level, Scott Pethtel considers taking the reigns of North
Park University's program to be a step up.
"It's a long-term goal that I had," says the new coach. "I think it's
the truest form of amateurism in football. The athletes love the game.
They don't come because of scholarship - I just like that attitude. They
still love to play the game and they are as committed as any level of
football."
Pethtel comes to North Park from the Division 1-A program at the
University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York, where he was the special
team coordinator and defensive assistant.
Coaching at Division III will allow him to help instill values that he
might not have been able to at the larger programs. "The almighty buck
was driving Division 1 football and not the development of character,"
Pethtel says.
"My approach is 'positively demanding,' " Pethtel says. "I want to bring
as much out of any individual and do it in the most positive way. I'm
not a yeller and a screamer." That's not to say he never yells, he adds,
but he doesn't want players to feel demeaned when he does.
The coach wants his athletes to live the motto, "Give 100 percent of
your God-given talent in everything you do for as long as you can give it."
"God-given" is important to Pethtel, who wanted to coach at a school
where he could help student athletes develop spiritually as well as
learn how to play the X's and O's. "It's a big part of what I want to
accomplish with the team."
Pethtel comes to the school looking to turn around a program that has
struggled in one of the country's toughest Division III conferences. He
says the process will take time, which is why he wasted none and started
talking with recruits on his first day in the office.
"It's a challenge," Pethtel says. "It's going to continue to be a
challenge until we can get the right recruits."
The new Helwig Recreation Center, currently under construction and
scheduled for completion this fall, will help recruiting, Pethtel says.
He notes that few indoor centers have the artificial turf that will be
used in the facility.
In addition to his tenure at Buffalo, Pethtel has coached in various
capacities at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio; Ball
State University in Muncie, Indiana; and his alma mater, Adrian College
in Adrian, Michigan.
He graduated from Adrian College, where he was captain of the football
and wrestling teams and received numerous athletic accolades, including
Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year (1975) and two inductions into the
Athletic Hall of Fame (1985, 2004). His career highlights include
coaching numerous championship teams within the Michigan Intercollegiate
Athletic Association (MIAA) and the Mid American Conference (MAC), as
well as meaningful work off the field with Fellowship of Christian
Athletes and community service programs.
While a coach, Pethtel organized chapels for the football teams at Ball
State and Buffalo, as well as for the basketball team at Ball State. He
also helped plant a church in Muncie, Indiana, in which he served as
church chair.
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