Dan Pettigrew developed winners on and off the mat during his 40-year career as a coach at Lexington, Madill, and Ada.  

A 1979 graduate of Ada High School, he was a three-time state qualifier and member of the 1980 Northern Oklahoma Junior College team that placed third at the national tournament before injuries ended his competitive career.

He coached three seasons at Lexington before moving to Madill, where he coached from 1986 until 1991.

He then returned to coach his alma mater for over 30 years, retiring in 2023. At Ada, he served as head high school coach from 1991-2001 and as assistant high school coach and head junior high school coach from 2002-2023.

Pettigrew compiled a 151-75 dual record as high school head coach, including winning three district titles to qualify for Dual State. He coached three state champions, eight state runners-up, 27 state placers, 106 state qualifiers and 13 All-State wrestlers. 

As a junior high coach, Pettigrew led his teams to a 285-120 dual record and coached 23 junior high state placers, including 10 junior high state champions.