1985 - 1987 Tony Aretz, 80
Coaching History
Head Coach Fall 1985 - Spring 1987
Short Biography
As an excellent athlete, in his freshman year Tony played defensive nose tackle for AFA's legendary coach Ben Martin. Although injury forced him to retire from football, he picked up rugby on the intramural fields where he played for three years. After graduation, he resumed playing at Wright Patterson AFB, OH, from 1980-1984 where he played for the Miami Valley RFC in 1980 and was part of the founding team of the WPAFB Jets RFC in 1981 who won the military championship in 1982 when the tournament was hosted at WPAFB. He was elected team president in 1983 and selected to the AF and All Military select sides in 1983 when the tournament was held at Ft. Polk. He returned to USAFA in 1984 and then started coaching the USAFA women’s club.
His professional biography (Dec 2016): Catholic higher education is a passion for Dr. Tony Aretz. He is a dedicated educator with more than 30 years of experience as a professor and administrator. On July 1, 2016, Dr. Aretz became the 9th President of the University of Great Falls. He brings a wealth of experience with academic programming, strategic planning, ethics and career development. He is committed to an education that develops students who are ethical while seeking to ensure the education serves their practical needs as well. His focus on character and career development blends well with the University of Great Falls’ mission of “education for living and making a living.”
Before accepting the position of President of the University of Great Falls, Dr. Aretz served as President of Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee.
Dr. Aretz transitioned Mount St. Joseph from college to university status, completed a strategic planning effort including a comprehensive restructuring, created an ethical leadership institute, instituted their first online degree programs, and expanded graduate and doctoral offerings.
Prior to arriving at Christian Brothers University where he also led strategic planning and the creation of new programs, Dr. Aretz was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force and a member of the faculty at the USAF Academy for 17 years where he was the founding director of the USAF Academy Scholars Program and director of academic strategic planning.
Dr. Aretz received a Ph.D. in engineering psychology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, an M.A. from Wright State University, and a B.S. from the USAF Academy. Nationally, Dr. Aretz has served on the board of directors of the Council for Independent Colleges and the Division III President’s Council for the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Dr. Aretz and his wife Terry have been married for 32 years and have three sons.
