A booming punt from the end zone that sailed more than 60 yards upfield in a close contest against Alfred was one of the many highlights from the undergraduate playing days of Carlton Petrie. Petrie, whose defensive ability as a tackler was a strong point for the Red Dragon gridders, also played soccer, baseball and basketball at Cortland. He was president of Phi Beta Epsilon and taught physical education after graduation in Buffalo, Akron and Hamburg. He was also president of the Fort Lauderdale Rotary Club and the Mortgage Bankers Association as well as chairman for the Fort Lauderdale Recreation Board.
When asked how athletics affected his life, Petrie responded by saying: “I think athletics have taught me to win and lose, to be a fierce competitor in trying to win, but to lose graciously. I think they have helped me to understand people and try to play by the rules. I feel they have helped me to influence people and motivate them to higher endeavors.”
He continued to say, when asked about his “biggest athletic thrill” at Cortland: “In my senior year, our first game of the year against Alfred, it was fourth down, and we were about on the two. Someone came in the huddle and said that I was kicking. I had never kicked in a game situation, and standing in the end zone, I was more than nervous. Joe Dietz kept warning me about stepping out of the end zone, as the ball was snapped. Somehow, the ball sailed some 50 yards, far enough over the safety man’s head that he could not field it. It landed just right and took off down the field and was finally blown dead somewhere around the 10 or 12.”
UPDATE: Petrie passed away on Sept. 2, 2001 at age 83.
