Fans’ emotions roar as the team hits the field. It takes blood sweat and tears to play football in Nebraska. It’s embedded in our school’s DNA. Building the backbone of the Football program for over the past 40 years wouldn’t be possible without varsity football head coach Fred Petito.
Though he doesn’t want to be celebrated, we recognize what he has done for 40 years for this team, and its program. He has put his heart and soul into this program making our team what it is today. Without Petito MN wouldn’t have come this far.
Petito has been coaching at MN since 1983. In this time, he has many accomplishments from winning State Championships to creating players that would go on to play in college and professionally.
Petito got his start by playing college football in Hasting, Nebraska for the Hastings Broncos. Having grown up in Chicago, he was ready to take on being a cop. However, his parents had other plans.
“I was right out of high school. I was 17, and my mom and dad said ‘no you’re not going to be a cop, you’re a good student, You have the ability to play,’” Petito said.
When his time at Hastings was up, Petito became a coach at Western Kentucky University. After working at Western Kentucky, Petito worked at Cathedral for two years before getting a job offer from Millard North.
Petito has had many achievements over the years. He has led his team to five State Championship wins and three state runner-up wins. He was also named Outstanding Alumni Coach Honoree at Hastings in 2004 and the Lincoln Journal Star Nebraska Football Coach of the Year in 2011.
Petito has also had the opportunity to coach Heisman Trophy Eric Crouch, winning it in 2001, three months exactly after 9/11 occurred. Petito saw potential in what Crouch could do. He always pushed Crouch to work harder and do his best to his abilities.
“I really appreciate how hard he made us work, and how he really cared about building our confidence as young men,” Crouch said. “He challenged us to be better, he wanted us to push past what we thought our limits were,” Crouch said.
Even with former players moving on to other endeavors, some former alumni come back to teach at the same school as their former coach. English Teacher Jacob Bergmeier went from playing running back for Petito, to teaching with him.
Bergmeier is currently now a track coach. He takes some of his former tactics and lessons and implements them into his coaching.
“I would say as a track coach I pull a lot from his certain style and mentality he has,” Bergmeier said.
Bergmeier often took what Petito had to say to heart and used it to have a positive outlook on things. He would call them “Petitoisms.” Where when players felt down in the dumps, they always could find a pick-me up in his sayings.
“If students would complain about not being fast enough, not being tall enough, not being strong enough he would kind of off the collar say ‘well you should have picked your parents better’,” Bergmeier said.
Bergmeier also takes the family aspects Petito implemented and tries to apply it to his classroom community
“We put our blood, sweat, and tears into the old adage of the brotherhood right, not like a fraternity but a family,” Bergmeier said.
Petito also wanted his players to work as a team. Most alumni come back to watch games and support the legacy Petito has continued to build.
“I’ve come to find that the people that are still present in my life are from that team. So Petito really worked on trying to make it like a family environment,” Bergmeier said.
Petito also has stuck with his traditional coaching from his very beginning. Petito, unlike other coaches, plays with the players he is giving without recruiting. Though this is controversial, he gives the players he has the opportunity to show him what they got.
“The notation of saying I’m not gonna go out there (to other schools games) to go recruit, I really wish other schools were like that. I felt for the first time coming here that I was seen for the value that I had and what I could offer to the team,” Bergmeier said.
Senior quarterback Evan Hansen has seen how the team has grown and changed over the years. Petito holds meetings for the quarterbacks to go over plays and figure out the best tactics.
“They’re (his tactics) a lot more old school. They work especially for our offense,” Hansen said.
Petito looks for players that have the drive and commitment to the team. Pushing their limits and their boundaries physically and mentally.
“ A lesson he has taught me is just always about making sure you’re fully committed to what you’re doing,” Hansen said.
It takes physicality and the mentality to break through the other team’s tactics. The family built on and off the field is what gives the team a win as one and even takes the hit of a loss as one. The legacy will live on with the players and the program Petito built himself.