Mike
Brehm enters his ninth year as the head coach for the 2008 edition of the PBL
Junior High Panthers Cross Country
team. Prior to that, Mike was the PBL High School Cross Country Coach for
three years and served as an assistant coach to the late, great Fred Guyot from
1977 - 1982. From 1983 - 1997 he served as a
principal in the western suburbs of Chicago.
In his previous 8 seasons, the Panthers boys and girls have captured 5 Sectional titles and 4 Sectional Runners-Up, along with State Finals appearances each season, including finishes of 3rd place (2002), 1st place (2003), 2nd place (2004) for his boys' teams. Eight Panther runners have garnered All-State honors during his tenure, with Tom Pacey winning an individual state championship in 2005.
Coach Brehm is a life long runner and prides himself in working out with the team at all practices. He prepped locally at Rantoul and Fisher High Schools, where he still holds school records in the mile and the 2 mile run. Mike continued his athletic career at Eastern Illinois University running on the Cross Country and Track teams, which won a NCAA Division II Track national title in 1974, while the Cross Country team was 3rd in the nation each of his 4 years at EIU.
Dr. Brehm serves as Technology & Grant Coordinator for the PBL school district, is a recognized Track and Cross Country official with the IHSA, is a section leader for the Illinois Track and Cross Country Officials Association, and serves on the IESA Cross Country Advisory Committee. He resides at Lake Iroquois and enjoys running, swimming, biking, computers & technology, reading, fishing, boating, and working in his yard.