Not long ago, Tom Arth '99 was a bright student-athlete at Saint Ignatius, leading the Wildcats as a stellar wideout and quarterback.
Today, Arth is set to run a high profile Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) program.
As JCUSports.com announced this morning, Arth has accepted the position of head coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Arth served as head football coach of John Carroll University for the past four seasons, compiling a 40-8 record. The Saint Ignatius and JCU grad was named 2016 D3football.com National Coach of the Year after leading the Blue Streaks to the NCAA Division III Championship Semifinals, defeating Mount Union and Wisconsin-Whitewater along the way.
The Chattanooga Mocs are a member of the Football Championship Subdivision. The Mocs finished 9-4 in 2016, reaching the second round of the FCS playoffs.
"We'll miss him at John Carroll. He's brought the program to heights it's never seen," Wildcats' offensive coordinator Nick Restifo, a 1974 JCU grad, said today. "I just hope they find someone who can carry on the tradition. But certainly my best to Tom and his family. Now I have a place to go in the winter when it's cold – it's only 9 hours away!"
Led by Arth, the Blue Streaks won their first outright Ohio Athletic Conference championship since 1989. According to the JCU Sports Information Department, 61 John Carroll student-athletics received All-OAC honors and 13 were named to a Division III All-America team.
"Opportunities like this at a top FCS program don’t come often," Arth told Mark Podolski of The News-Herald today. "If this something you want to do, how can ever get a better chance?
"It's more about the people at John Carroll. The hard part is walking away from a place that has shaped my life."
On behalf of the Saint Ignatius Athletic Department and football program, we would like to say congratulations to Tom and his family. Tom is one of the brightest young coaches in the football world, but he's an even better man.
Congratulations, and good luck at Chattanooga, Coach!