New Bern High School Staff Member of the Week: Coach Pittman

"Our goal is to get New Bern football back to the level that it is supposed to be.  We are the Cream of the Crop in this area. When you see that interlock NB, people know what it means and the level of excellence that is expected!  Coach Nowell has the vision to get it back to that level and that is what we are doing.”

​ - Coach Pittman 

The Bears are currently 9-1 on the season and are looking to put a bow on top of their incredible regular season. The Bears will be traveling to West Craven this Friday, in a game that means much more than football. The county title is on the line this Friday, as the Bears will take on the Eagles of West Craven. 

The staff that Coach Nowell put together almost a year ago today is an impressive one that has helped New Bern to get to this point in the season. 

One of the standouts on staff is Coach Pittman. Coach Pittman is the defensive line coach at New Bern High School and he is a Craven County native.“I graduated from high school in 2004 (West Craven) and went to Benedict College to play football.  I transferred to Elizabeth City State University in 2005 to continue my education and playing career.  I graduated from Elizabeth City State University in 2009. After attending ECSU, I moved back to Craven County and began working for Craven County Schools.”

Coach Pittman grew up and has lived in the county for a long time and graduated from West Craven High School. He played football at West Craven High School and went on to later become a coach at West Craven. So this game this weekend is extra special to Coach Pittman. When asked about his time at the local rival Coach said this,“It was pretty good.  I was given my first coaching positions there.  Matt Riggsbee was the coach that gave me my first football coaching job and David Fernadez gave me my first Basketball Coaching position.  It was cool to work with people that coached me(Clay Jordan, Todd McMillian, Bobby Griffin, Bobby Cox, Pat Whitford).”

He (Coach Pittman) knows better than anyone on staff about what makes this rivalry so special. “The rivalry is a special one.  Many people in this rivalry are either related, work together, attend churches’ together and etc.  This is for bragging rights for the next 364 days.”The New Bern-West Craven High School game is like the North Carolina-State rivalry, it is purely based off of competition and bragging rights. 

Just like many current football players, Coach Pittman’s journey through football was not easy.“I would call my journey in football one filled with adversity.  In high school and college, I dealt with a lot of injuries that continuously tested my faith.”It takes a serious amount of love for the game to overcome injuries and get back on the field.

Once he graduated college and hung up his helmet, Coach Pittman still couldnt give up football. Coaching was his next step.“My coaching journey has been one filled with many memories and tough lessons.  I have enjoyed every minute that I got to coach former and current student-athletes.”

After working at West Craven for a few years and winning conference titles, what brought him to New Bern High School?“Well, the first thing that made me want to come to New Bern is Coach Nowell.  I thought that it would be cool to work with someone that I knew and trusted. I knew most of the old staff and new staff that was coming which made it a very attractive position.  The final reason why I wanted to come to New Bern to be at a school that usually competes for state titles. Anyone can win conference titles, but state titles are rare and New Bern has 3 in the trophy case!”

Those three state titles that are sitting in the trophy case at New Bern High are a visual reminder for everyone who walks past it, what the standard and expectations are at New Bern. 

Coach has worked with a lot of talented men in his coaching and playing career. When speaking about his guys (the defensive line) he said this,“The group of guys I work with is first of all great student-athletes!  They win the classroom every single day and come to practice to work. They are a group that I can depend on to bring their “Hard Hat” and go to work every day.” 

The team has come a long way since Coach Pittman arrived on campus. He was able to tell us a little bit about the growth he’s seen in that time span,“The team has grown leaps and bounds since I first arrived.  They have grown in the weight room, on the field, in the classroom, and most of all as young men who eventually will become great men of the community.” 

Coach Pittman shared his feelings about being apart of the turnaround from a two win team last year to be sitting at a 9-1 record so far.“It means that they have bought into what we are doing.  It was tough for them to learn brand new systems ( defensively and offensively) and brand new coaching staff.  They have not only bought it but exceeded all expectations that were set for this season. Now they are writing their own goals.”

Coach Pittman has let it be known that his ultimate goal is to coach State Champions, scholars, and great men. This Friday at 7 PM at West Craven, Coach Pittman will be with the Bears as he will be coaching his guys in a rivalry game that means so much to Pittman, the community and the two teams. 

Coach Pittman is our New Bern High School Football Staff Member of the Week! Go Bears!