By Hunter Reid

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- No matter the task or duty Ken Pettus always answered the call, and it's that versatility and consistency, combined with years of invaluable experience and perspective, Furman Athletics will be challenged to replace when the former coach and long-time administrator steps into retirement at the end of July.

In a professional career spanning five decades and one that includes four stints at Furman totaling 27 years, Pettus proved to be the ultimate team player who has been part of several signal moments in Paladin Athletics history — from victories, to championships, to scholarship and facility fundraising and construction, to sport oversight — all while developing lasting, meaningful relationships with coaches, staff, fans, and student-athletes.

"It's been primarily about the relationships with the coaches and players — that's has been the main highlight among many," said the Greenville native who came to Furman in the early 1970s as a graduate assistant football coach.  "I'm also proud of what we were able to accomplish in the construction of Pearce-Horton Football Complex and Paladin Plaza, the endowed scholarships, and the REK golf practice facility."

Through his many duties within the department, Pettus acquired experience and insight that proved valuable to many, including new Furman athletics director Jason Donnelly, who joined the Paladin fold in August of 2019.

"Upon arriving at Furman last summer, I was fortunate to inherit a talented, knowledgeable and respected senior administrative team, including Ken Pettus, who has been a significant and valued member of our staff and Furman Athletics for almost 30 years," said Donnelly. "Ken's contributions as a football coach, fundraiser, administrator, leader, and mentor have impacted thousands of student-athletes, alumni and fans. We have been blessed with his wisdom and friendship and will miss seeing him everyday but are thankful he will continue to be an active part of the Furman Family for years to come. We congratulate Ken on his lifetime achievements and wish him all the best in retirement. Once a Paladin, Always a Paladin!"

Pettus' impact in athletics began at nearby Greenville High School, where he starred as an all-state linebacker and baseball catcher, and later at Newberry College, where he earned football All-America honors under former Furman assistant coach Fred Herren, helping the then-Indians to an 8-2-1 record in 1971 — the program's best season since 1924.

Although nobody at the time knew the importance the year 1973 would come to represent in the history of Paladin Football, Pettus, as a first-year graduate assistant that season under head coach Art Baker, played a part in the sport's return to prominence at Furman, working alongside then-assistants and future university hall of fame head coaches Dick Sheridan and Jimmy Satterfield for the 1973 and '74 campaigns.

After securing a master's degree from the university and following three years of work in local law enforcement, he picked up his Furman whistle again in 1978, assuming linebacker coaching duties on first-year head coach Dick Sheridan's staff.  As much as 1973 stands as a signal year for Furman Football, 1978 holds even more prominence as it yielded the first Southern Conference football championship in program history.  

Another title followed in 1980 before Pettus accepted the head coaching job at Dunwoody (Ga.) High School, where he spent three seasons before answering Sheridan's call in 1984 to rejoin the Paladin program once again.

Consistent with the impact he helped bring in his first two stops at Furman, Pettus and the Paladins posted back-to-back wins over N.C. State in 1984 and '85, with the latter, a 42-20 blowout of the Wolfpack, highlighting a 12-2 season that included a third SoCon championship for Pettus and NCAA I-AA national runner-up finish.

That 1985 squad featured Clay Hendrix, an all-state offensive guard from Commerce, Ga., who launched his professional career the following year at N.C. State, joining Pettus and a large contingent of former Paladin coaches on Sheridan's new Wolfpack coaching staff.

His nine-year tenure in Raleigh, including the 1993 and '94 campaigns as defensive coordinator, mirrored his Furman experience in terms of success as the Wolfpack won 63 percent of their games and a pair of bowl championships.

Pettus put down his coaching whistle for good in the late 1990s to take up his next pursuit: fundraising.  Following three years as director of development for the College of Arts & Sciences at Appalachian State, he began his fourth stretch at Furman as director of the Paladin Club, Furman's athletic scholarship fundraising arm, in January of 2001.

Through the Paladin Club and later as director of special projects, he was intimately connected to nearly every building/modernization project involving Paladin Athletics over the last two decades, from securing funding, shepherding bidding and licensing processes, and monitoring construction.  Chief among those duties was the March 2012 expansion of the REK Center highlighted by a seven-acre practice facility, and construction of the $15 million 44,000-square foot Pearce Horton Football Complex in 2013.

More recently, Pettus has overseen planning and fundraising for a new state-of-the-art golf indoor training facility adjacent to the existing REK Center, with ground breaking planned for later this year.

Among his myriad of duties, his role as sports administrator kept him closely connected to several programs, including football, men's and women's golf, who collectively reaped the benefit of Pettus' experience and wisdom.

"Having known Ken Pettus in my capacities as a Furman player, young assistant coach, and later as a head coach, where I have worked alongside him as a fundraiser and administrator, has been a true blessing," said football coach Clay Hendrix.  "He has been an incredible friend, mentor, and supporter and has had the opportunity to see collegiate athletics from about every angle imaginable.  His leadership and experience will be missed on a daily basis at Furman, but I will work hard to keep him involved with our football program in some capacity."

"Ken has been a mentor to me since I came to Furman nine years ago," said women's coach Jeff Hull.  "He is always willing listen to any concerns that I or anyone on the team may have.  His servant leadership has been invaluable to our program and has set a great example for others to follow. He is always there to lend a hand no matter how trivial the task, but most important to me is the friendship we have, which I look forward to continuing beyond his retirement."
 
In a script already dotted with success along his professional path, it proved only fitting that Pettus' final year at Furman would yield 2020 National Player of the Year honors for Paladin senior golfer Natalie Srinivasan — no small feat for a one of the nation's smallest NCAA Division I athletics programs.

Looking back at his run at Furman and the various roles along the way, Pettus said, "Each job was in different phase of my life, so all were perfect for me at that time.  Furman has given me way more than I have given her!"