CUBA CITY — Jerry Petitgoue, widely known for his storied basketball coaching career, was known as far more than that by athletes, colleagues, and his community.

“He was one of the kindest and most generous people around,” Cuba City girls’ basketball coach Jason Derby said. “If my only lessons learned from Coach Petitgoue were basketball ones, I would consider myself incredibly fortunate. However, the fact that those are the smallest of the lessons I learned from him as a player and coach says so much about exactly who he was. Cuba City, the state of Wisconsin, and the entire basketball world lost a tremendous coach and an even better person.”

Petitgoue died on June 7 at age 84 as first reported by his son, Mark, on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Derby first experienced Petitgoue as an athlete, having graduated from Cuba City High School in 2013. 

“As a player, I knew him to be a hard-working coach that wanted Cuba City players to both play basketball well and, more importantly, treat people well,” Derby said. “I knew that he cared about me when I made shots and when I missed shots, and I knew he cared even more about what I would do outside of and beyond basketball.”

After attending Loras College and graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, Derby returned to the Cubans as a teacher and an assistant coach to Petitgoue.

“As an assistant, I found out much more,” he said. “The hours we spent contacting other coaches at any level to try and find one tidbit or one drill that might help his team was special. You hear about people that are lifelong learners — [Petitgoue] is the definition. When the one person that actually may know it all behaves as if he has an unlimited amount to learn from others, the message that it sends to both his players and coaches is powerful.”

“I also found out that he wasn’t just trying to maximize Cuba City basketball all these years; he was trying to make basketball the best it could be in the whole state of Wisconsin and beyond, and he spent literally thousands of hours on that goal.”

Despite being the winningest coach in Wisconsin boys’ basketball history, Petitgoue’s contributions to basketball extended beyond the bounds of a clipboard as well. He served as the executive director of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), operated the Tri-State Basketball Camp and Cuba City basketball camp, and his efforts earned him inductions to the Halls of Fame at the University of Dubuque, UW-Platteville, and the WBCA.

Petitgoue’s basketball camps had student-athletes from all around coming to learn from the legendary mind at Cuba City. One such individual is the current head coach for the Belmont boys’ basketball program, Beau Buchs.

“I have known Coach Petitgoue since I was in elementary school,” Buchs said. “As a kid, I attended his Cuba City basketball camp, and then also went to the Tri-State Basketball Camp where I was able to learn from him and other coaches. My memory of that time was that he was inspiring to me in regards to becoming a better basketball player. I also remember his kindness and how he made everyone feel better about themselves.”

Buchs quickly learned through the camps why Petitgoue had such a great basketball mind, too.

“Coach was really good at teaching the basics and he did so with class,” he added. “He was direct and kept his most important lessons simple. He broke it down to make it simple for his players and then he let his players play. He knew how to manage the game very well, but also knew when to turn his players loose and let them play with instincts. I always admired how he could relate to the youth even as he got older.”

Petitgoue’s talent for coaching translated to consistent success over almost three quarters of his life. He earned 1,027 wins as a boys basketball coach over his 60-year career that ended in retirement at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season. Fifty-two of those were spent at Cuba City, where he earned state championships in 1981 (Class B), 1991 (Division 3), and 1998 (Division 3) while traveling to an additional nine state tournaments. He also earned 15 or more wins in almost every year with the Cubans.

To say Petitgoue’s win total puts him in hallowed territory would be a gross misrepresentation — he molded it into his likeness, with others striving to attain his level of success. No basketball coach in Wisconsin is close to the total. Randy Storlie (Blair-Taylor, Taylor; 665-315) is the next closest active boys’ coach, while Jim Myers (Barneveld; 721-146) holds the most wins by an active coach in the state on the girls’ side.

One area coach is all too familiar with Coach Petitgoue from an opposing standpoint. Darlington’s head coach, Tom Uppena, echoed Derby’s comments on Petitgoue’s preparedness. 

“We had some great battles over the years, and I can tell you that you were almost always going to see something different the second time you played,” Uppena said. “He always had something new or some kind of different look to keep you off guard. It was hard to prepare for Cuba City because they were always so well prepared. I also admire the longevity — I don’t see anyone ever coming close to his records. To be able to do it for as long as he did, as well as he did, is quite remarkable. He was a fierce competitor, and one of a kind.”

“The first game I coached as a varsity coach was against Coach Petitgoue [in 2016], so that was a pretty memorable way to start a career,” Uppena added. “I doubt many can say that the first game they ever coached was against the winningest coach of all-time.”

Back at Cuba City, the school’s athletic director and volleyball head coach, Keri Lawson, has a bulletin board with notes from Petitgoue.

“There are many things that come to mind over the past 28 years of knowing Jerry,” she said. “On a personal level, receiving his ‘Note’ was pretty special. Jerry had personalized stationery, ‘A note from Coach Petitgoue.’ He was always a true colleague, mentor, and of course, a friend. Early in my coaching career at Cuba City, he would leave a note card in my mailbox with just supportive words — ‘tough loss, but you are doing a great job,’ or a simple congratulations on a big win. Those cards are pinned on my office bulletin board and will remain there as inspiration.”

As a coach, good speeches to the team can be critical to motivating them in pivotal moments, and that was another area Petitgoue excelled at.

“Rarely did he have a note card, and he would speak with honesty, emotion, and humor, captivating all in attendance,” Lawson said. “My favorite qualities of Coach are his relentless drive, energy, and passion. It always amazed me when I would be setting up for a basketball game, and he would be finishing up practice. He would practice up to the last minute and coach his players as if it were the last seconds of a tied SWAL game. He would pull his team into a huddle, share some points of emphasis, and then send them off with words that many times had nothing to do with basketball, but life.”

“His passion for others is what I’ll remember,” Cuba City superintendent Aaron Olson said. “He coached both of our boys, Brady and Carter, in high school. While he didn’t coach our daughter, Olivia, that didn’t stop him from contacting coaches all over and sending them game film on her. He was a fan of kids and basketball, so when you put the two together, you saw his passion, and his players saw that and felt it. He loved his players and his players loved him.”

Derby reflected on his time as an athlete under Petitgoue more as well.

“There were a lot of on-court memories that were fun — winning big games, trips to state,” he said. “There were also countless hours of him going to the Pit so I could get shots up. The story about the smell of the Pit — an old gym in town — and the time that a local bank teller smelled it on him from the drive-up window will always be a good one.”

While attaining Petitgoue’s level of success as a coach might be a difficult bar, keeping his memory alive is attainable. 

“Apply his principles to whatever you’re doing — be willing and eager to both learn from and help anyone you might be able to,” Derby said. “Work extremely hard at whatever you do while treating people really well, too.”

“Most that knew Coach will simply do their best to emulate what he did,” Buchs added. “Be a great role model and treat kids the right way. Be honest, work hard, and care about people. Clearly, Coach Petitgoue cared about everyone’ success in basketball across the area, and the state. He will be greatly missed.”