Pete Nochta Re-Joins Louisville Football Staff After Battling Cancer

Mark BlankenbakerFebruary 17, 2016

Former Louisville player & coach Pete Nochta is making his return to the Cardinal Football staff Bobby Petrino announced this morning on ESPN Louisville 93.9 The Ville. Pete recently completed his battle against Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma!

Petrino announced that Pete will re-join the staff as Director of On-Campus Recruiting.

Nochta played for the Cards from 2006-2010 and was a graduate assistant for UofL during the 2014 season coaching the tight ends and was also with Coach Petrino at Western Kentucky. Pete completed chemotherapy treatments while battling Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. On May 14, 2015 a biopsy of a painful tumor in Pete’s knee revealed that Nochta had Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

After numerous tests that involved various scans and bone marrow being extracted from his pelvis, he was given his prognosis. Less than two weeks from his original diagnosis he was told that he has the Activated B-Cell subtype of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

Lymphoma occurs when cells of the immune system called lymphocytes grow and multiply uncontrollably. Cancerous lymphocytes can travel to many parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow, blood, or other organs, and form a tumor. Lymphoma is an aggressive and fast-growing cancer and immediate treatment is incredibly important. The locations where Pete’s cancer was found determined that his case was considered “Stage 4”.

Because the cancer has rapidly spread from his knee to other areas,including his femur, pelvis, chest and neck, a port was surgically inserted into his chest so that the chemotherapy medication can go directly into his heart to attack the cancer near his vital organs.

From UofL

University of Louisville football head coach Bobby Petrino announced on Wednesday the hiring of Pete Nochta, a former tight end and graduate assistant for the Cardinals, as the program’s director of on-campus recruiting.

Nochta served as a graduate assistant in 2014 and played for the Cardinals from 2006-10, where he was a member of the 2007 Orange Bowl squad. Nochta played in 41 games, making over 20 starts, recording 11 career receptions for 146 yards and a pair of scores.

“We are glad to have Pete back on our staff in this role,” Petrino said. “He was the first person I thought of when this position opened. He has battled through a tough fight with cancer and beat it. He has been with me on two different occasions and is someone that means a great deal to me. As a graduate assistant for us, he was an outstanding recruiter for our program. He is very organized and has excellent people skills, which makes him a great fit for this role.”

As director of on-campus recruiting, Nochta will be responsible for the organization of all recruiting efforts and maintain relationships with coaches throughout the state of Kentucky. Nochta also will lead the walk-on program and play a vital role in the organization of summer camps.

Nochta overcame a well-publicized bout with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and is currently in remission.

The Lexington, Ky., native, Nochta returns to the football program after working as a technical recruiter for TEKsystems, the world’s leading technology staffing and services company.

Prior to that experience in the corporate world, Nochta served as a graduate assistant on Petrino’s staff. He coached the fullbacks and tight ends, including Gerald Christian, a seventh-round selection of the Arizona Cardinals in the 2015 NFL Draft.

In addition to his time at Louisville, Nochta had two other stops as a graduate assistant, coaching the tight ends – at Purdue in 2012 and joining Petrino’s staff at Western Kentucky in 2013. He also served as the offensive quality control coach at Purdue, where he broke down the upcoming opponent and worked on the offensive game plan.

“I really appreciate the opportunity to return to my alma mater and work with Coach Petrino again,” Nochta said. “Coach has supported me through a lot of difficult times and I’m humbled that he would give me the opportunity to work for him again. The University of Louisville is a special place for me and I’m excited to be working at my alma mater.”

Nochta, who was a four-time All-BIG EAST Academic honoree and a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, earned his undergraduate degree in business administration. He currently is working toward a master’s degree in justice administration.