Former Hudson Valley Football Coach Helps Lead Panthers to the Super Bowl

A former Hudson Valley football coach has gone on to leave his mark in the NFL as the Carolina Panthers general manager. Dave Gettleman got his start as coach of the Spackenkilll High School team in 1973. He led the team for more than five years and them to two league titles and a Section 1 Bowl berth. He later also led Kingston to the championship game.

According to Panthers.com, Gettleman made his debut as general manager of the Panthers in 2013 after more than 30 years as a scout. He worked with both the Bills and Bronocos before arriving in Carolina. He stepped into a situation with the Panthers where, while the team had just won the NFC South, they faced an extremely tough situation with the salary cap. They simply didn't have the money to sign players.

Gettleman instead focused on building the team via the NFL Draft. In under three years, he has built the Panthers into a team that has the potential to compete for years to come. In the near term, they have a big date with Denver on Feb. 7.