Tuesday, September 4, 2012

SWAC: Vann Pettaway’s Battle Off The Court

MADISON COUNTY, Alabama (WHNT) – Vann Pettaway was the men’s basketball coach at Alabama A&M for 25 years. He led the Bulldogs to eight NCAA tournament appearances and eight conference championships.

The year 2005 was one of the highlight years of his career, as he led A&M to a SWAC regular season title and tournament title. But what many didn’t know was that he was facing a battle off the court as well. Pettaway had prostate cancer.



He had no symptoms. It was a routine PSA blood test that was higher than usual. A biopsy confirmed his worst fears. “The cancer was so aggressive,” Pettaway said. “It was the middle of August when I got results, and we scheduled surgery three weeks later in September.” But he attacked the cancer the same way he would any opponent on the court.

“They laid out the different treatments, told me what was best for me,” said Pettaway. “Because it was so aggressive, I needed to get it out, and I was all for that because I wanted some more birthdays.”

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