George Petrie begins his 29th season as Gettysburg’s head men’s basketball coach in 2017-18.
Named to the post in 1989 by interim President Charles Anderson, Petrie is Gettysburg's winningest coach with a career record of 389-330. He has guided the Bullets to three Centennial Conference (CC) championships and all five of the program’s NCAA tournament appearances. He has coached 719 games at Gettysburg, making him the longest-tenured coach in program history.
In the 2015-16 season, Petrie guided a young team to an 18-9 overall record. The squad finished tied for third in the conference with a 12-6 record and advanced to the semifinals of the CC Championship. Gettysburg claimed the title at its own tip-off tournament and the Bullets knocked off No. 13 Franklin & Marshall 73-57 during the regular season.
In 2007-08, Petrie guided Gettysburg to its winningest season in program history. With a final record of 24-5, the Bullets topped the program record for single-season victories by four. Gettysburg also recorded its first two NCAA Tournament victories in program history, beating Salem State College and Elms College at home to reach to the Sweet 16 round. In addition, the team did not lose from Jan. 5 through March 1, setting a team record for consecutive wins in a season with 11.
The Bullets finished 18-9 under Petrie in 2008-09, captured the CC championship, and played in the national tournament. In 2009-10, despite losing four starters from the previous year, his team made its third straight appearance in the CC title game and finished 15-11.
In 2000-01 and 2001-02, Gettysburg became the first school to claim back-to-back Centennial Conference titles. Petrie guided the Bullets to a 17-10 record in 2000-01 to earn the program’s first conference title of any kind in 62 years. For an encore, Gettysburg reeled off a then-program-record 20 wins in 2001-02 to claim another league crown and its second-straight and third overall appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Bullets hosted the program’s first-ever NCAA game against Lycoming College on Feb. 28, 2002.
The 1995-96 team finished with an 18-9 slate to become the first Gettysburg men’s basketball team to compete in the NCAA tournament. In 1998-99, the Bullets were runners-up in the ECAC postseason tournament.
Late in the 2011-12 season, Petrie passed legendary coach Hen Bream '24 for first on Gettysburg's all-time wins list with a victory over Washington College, and his teams have earned a spot in the Centennial Conference tournament in 14 of the last 16 seasons.
Petrie-led teams have traveled to Europe five times and have also made trips to California during the 1998-99, 2001-02, 2004-05, 2007-08, and 2010-11 seasons.
During his tenure, the Bullets have twice received the prestigious National Schoenfeld Sportsmanship Award given by the Collegiate Basketball Officials Association.
Petrie began his coaching career at Haverford High School in 1972 as an assistant basketball coach. After one year, he went to the University of Utah, where he earned a master’s degree and was a graduate assistant under Bill Foster and J.T. Pimm. He left Utah in 1975 to join Charlie Woollum at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. While at Bucknell, he played a major role in the establishment of a winning tradition. Woollum has credited Petrie with being highly instrumental in the success the Bison enjoyed.
Bucknell won four East Coast Conference (ECC) regular season championships during Petrie’s time as an assistant coach, posting a then-program-best 24-5 mark in 1983-84. No Bucknell team posted a better record until 2005-06. The Bison also won two ECC tournament championships, advancing to the NCAA tournament against Georgetown in 1986-87 and Syracuse in 1988-89.
A native of Springfield, Pa., Petrie is a 1972 graduate of Lebanon Valley College. As an undergraduate, he twice captained the Flying Dutchmen basketball team, leading Lebanon Valley to the Middle Atlantic Conference championship during his junior year. Following graduation, he had a free-agent try-out with the Chicago Bulls of the NBA.
Petrie, who is also the Bullet men’s golf coach and has led that program to three conference titles, has been inducted into the hall of fame at both Springfield High School and Lebanon Valley College.
| Overall |
Conference |
| School |
Year |
Wins |
Losses |
Pct. |
Wins |
Losses2 |
Pct.3 |
Finish |
Playoffs |
| Gettysburg |
1989-90 |
6 |
17 |
0.261 |
3 |
9 |
0.250 |
|
|
| Gettysburg |
1990-91 |
12 |
13 |
0.480 |
4 |
8 |
0.333 |
|
|
| Gettysburg |
1991-92 |
10 |
15 |
0.400 |
4 |
8 |
0.333 |
|
|
| Gettysburg |
1992-93 |
9 |
15 |
0.375 |
3 |
9 |
0.250 |
|
|
| Gettysburg |
1993-94 |
13 |
10 |
0.565 |
6 |
7 |
0.462 |
5th |
|
| Gettysburg |
1994-95 |
12 |
12 |
0.500 |
6 |
7 |
0.462 |
6th |
|
| Gettysburg |
1995-96 |
18 |
9 |
0.667 |
9 |
4 |
0.692 |
2nd |
|
| Gettysburg |
1996-97 |
7 |
17 |
0.292 |
4 |
9 |
0.308 |
8th |
|
| Gettysburg |
1997-98 |
13 |
11 |
0.542 |
7 |
6 |
0.538 |
5th |
|
| Gettysburg |
1998-99 |
16 |
10 |
0.615 |
9 |
4 |
0.692 |
6th |
|
| Gettysburg |
1999-00 |
15 |
9 |
0.625 |
8 |
5 |
0.615 |
6th |
|
| Gettysburg |
2000-01 |
17 |
10 |
0.630 |
10 |
3 |
0.769 |
1st |
1st |
| Gettysburg |
2001-02 |
20 |
7 |
0.741 |
10 |
3 |
0.769 |
1st |
1st |
| Gettysburg |
2002-03 |
13 |
13 |
0.500 |
9 |
4 |
0.692 |
5th |
5th |
| Gettysburg |
2003-04 |
15 |
13 |
0.536 |
10 |
8 |
0.556 |
4th |
3rd |
| Gettysburg |
2004-05 |
16 |
11 |
0.593 |
13 |
5 |
0.722 |
3rd |
4th |
| Gettysburg |
2005-06 |
16 |
10 |
0.615 |
12 |
6 |
0.667 |
3rd |
3rd |
| Gettysburg |
2006-07 |
13 |
13 |
0.500 |
10 |
8 |
0.556 |
4th |
4th |
| Gettysburg |
2007-08 |
24 |
5 |
0.828 |
16 |
2 |
0.889 |
2nd |
2nd |
| Gettysburg |
2008-09 |
18 |
9 |
0.667 |
11 |
7 |
0.611 |
3rd |
1st |
| Gettysburg |
2009-10 |
15 |
11 |
0.577 |
12 |
6 |
0.667 |
2nd |
2nd |
| Gettysburg |
2010-11 |
14 |
12 |
0.538 |
11 |
7 |
0.611 |
3rd |
4th |
| Gettysburg |
2011-12 |
11 |
14 |
0.440 |
8 |
10 |
0.444 |
7th |
|
| Gettysburg |
2012-13 |
12 |
14 |
0.462 |
8 |
10 |
0.444 |
5th |
5th |
| Gettysburg |
2013-14 |
12 |
13 |
0.480 |
10 |
8 |
0.556 |
6th |
|
| Gettysburg |
2014-15 |
15 |
12 |
0.556 |
10 |
8 |
0.556 |
4th |
3rd |
| Gettysburg |
2015-16 |
18 |
9 |
0.667 |
12 |
6 |
0.667 |
4th |
T-3rd |
| Gettysburg |
2016-17 |
9 |
16 |
0.360 |
8 |
10 |
0.444 |
T-6th |
|
| Totals |
28 Years |
389 |
330 |
0.541 |
243 |
187 |
0.565 |
|
|
