Great athletic genes run in the Pettis bloodline. In fact, Dante Pettis‘ mom, Peggy Pettis, says that some of her son’s athletic ability comes from her. Her pride was well placed. After all, the New Orleans Saints‘ wide receiver delivered his best performance of the season by far this weekend. The veteran entered the game with only one catch on two targets across six games with the active roster. He’s the same player who grew up dreaming of chasing down fly balls, much like his father, Gary Pettis, who won five Gold Gloves during his 11-year Major League Baseball career.

Who is Dante Pettis’s father, Gary Pettis?

Gary Pettis has been the longest-tenured member of the Houston Astros. Known for his signature windmill arm motion, Gary, 67, manned the Astros’ third-base coaching box for nearly a decade before stepping away in 2024.

As for his bond with Dante Pettis, let’s say this father–son duo takes immense pride in lifting each other.

“The biggest piece of advice I hear in my head is his mentality,” he said before Gary’s Astros fell 6-2 to the Braves in Game 1 of the World Series back in 2021. “If his team ever brought someone else in, another outfielder, he said, ‘OK, he might be more talented, be able to hit better, but he’ll never be able to outwork me.’ ”

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In fact, in the same year, on a random Sunday, Gary supported his son by donning a Giants hat during his team’s pre-World Series workout. And nearly 1,600 miles away, his son Dante Pettis stole the spotlight in the Giants’ win.

For years, people have wondered, and some probably still do, how the son of a smooth-fielding, elite center fielder found his way to becoming an NFL wide receiver.

Gary answered this question a few years ago.

“People always asked me, ‘Why isn’t he playing baseball? ‘Why didn’t you make him?’ You just have to let your kid, when they get to high school, do what they want to do. He could catch the baseball, but he could definitely catch the football.”

No matter which sport Pettis was playing, be it football, basketball, or baseball, Gary was always teaching him lessons that stayed with him year-round. Sometimes, his mother, Peggy Pettis, a former Raiders cheerleader, would join too.

Who is Dante Pettis’s mother, Peggy Pettis?

Dante Pettis’ dad’s career gave him the chance to grow up around baseball, but it was his mom, Peggy, who made sure her kids got enough time to practice and go everywhere in between.

“She always got us there on time,” Pettis said. “We would get home, and she would still cook dinner for us somehow. She was always at all of our games. She did a great job.”

Peggy Pettis is a former Raiders cheerleader, a mother, and the wife of a former professional athlete. Those labels hint at her story, but they don’t capture the full texture.

Her public biography is minimal. The one fact repeated most often is that she once cheered for the Raiders. Beyond that, she has led a private life so far. She is known as the parent who raised four children who would go on to succeed in sports and entertainment.

Peggy rarely takes the spotlight in videos or interviews. However, in some ways, Peggy’s presence has been felt woven through the media of others. It’s felt in the stories of her children.

What ethnicity are Dante Pettis’ parents?

Born and raised in Oakland, California, Gary Pettis is African American. Meanwhile, Peggy Pettis (née Difilippo) is of European descent, with Italian, Irish, English, and Scottish ancestry, according to publicly available family background information.

How is Dante Pettis’s relationship with his parents?

Dante Pettis picked many of his catching and receiving skills from his father, a five-time Gold Glove winner who spent 11 seasons in MLB as a center fielder with the Angels, Tigers, Rangers, and Padres.

Playing multiple sports growing up certainly helped Pettis shape his natural movement, be it baseball, basketball, soccer, track, or football. And supporting his training was none other than his father.

“Growing up, we did a lot of ball drills, being able to track the ball, whether it’s a baseball or football, and so I think that carries over a little bit,” Pettis said. “He’d be like, ‘Dante, come on, we’re going to train.’ If I didn’t really want to, he’d say, ‘Alright. That’s on you if you choose not to.”

And the same thing from Gary’s point of view was, “I always told him if you’re not training, you’re letting someone else get ahead of you, because someone else is.”’

Gary Pettis himself has had an outstanding career. He has recorded 2,940 putouts and just 44 errors while playing for the California Angels, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, and San Diego Padres. Despite that success, he believed in guidance, not pressure.

Gary Pettis loves watching how his son has gotten better at every stage of his journey. From JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano to the University of Washington and the Saints.

This duo often laughs about how their careers have come full circle. Meanwhile, Dante’s mom, Peggy, also attended many games to support her son. “I would see other people after the games having to sit and wait for their moms, or they didn’t have anyone come to the games for them, so I was really appreciative that she was there.” Dante Pettis shared once.