Aggen

CEDAR PARK, Tex. — Thinking back to his Freeport football days, George “Butch” Aggen knew he was well prepared for when it came time to move on to college.

“It was just an exciting time to play football under coach Don Earley,” said Aggen. “Looking back, he was a great football coach and great role model.

“Playing for him and his staff, that made me as mentally prepared to play at the college level at IUP. College was a lot more technique, but the toughest practices came with coach Earley,” Aggen added.

Aggen, 59, will be one of 11 inductees for this year’s Armstrong County Hall of Fame class, which will take place at April 28 at Laube Hall.

Aggen, a two-year letterwinner in football, basketball and track, captained the football squad (as well as track) and earned several honors, including the AIC All-Star team and the Associated Press All-State squad as a lineman.

After graduating from Freeport in 1972, Aggen moved on to IUP, where he was a four-year starter at middle guard and linebacker.

Aggen is the only player in any sport to be named captain both his junior and senior season and he still holds the team record for 429 career tackles, having led the team in tackles his junior and seniors years.

Much like high school, Aggen earned a bevy of awards during his stint at IUP. As a senior, his highlights included being named NAIA All-American and AP All-American. He would eventually be named to the school’s All-Seventies tam and was inducted into its Hall of Fame.

A knee injury before the start of his freshman year allowed Aggen to redshirt, which interestingly enough, allowed him to line up opposite high school teammate Doug Goodman. Goodman played for Edinboro University and playing in the PSAC allowed the friends to square off all four years.

“I’d have to say my experiences exceeded my expectations,” Aggen said. “My main goal was doing well in my studies. I would have been happy just making the team.”

With a degree in criminology and pre law, Aggen would become a graduate assistant from 1976-78 and earned a graduate degree in college administration.

Aggen coached at Oswego High School and Curry College in Boston between 1978-82 while working in college administration.

He moved on to spend many years at Telecom (MCI) before leaving six years ago to become a private pre-school owner, The Goddard School, which has 200 students.

Aggen, with his various positions had moved quite a bit, but has settled in Cedar Park, just northwest of Austin, with his wife Maria. The couple have two children, Connor and Grace, and Aggen also has a son, Doug, from his first marriage.

Aggen makes his way back to the area quite frequently, to visit family as well as IUP functions.

“One of my sons and my three sisters still live in the Freeport area,” Aggen said, “and I get back to IUP for alumni events.

“I actually saw Doug (Goodman) and a number of other high school friends last summer for a picnic for coach Earley. This year, Doug and I are having a joint barbecue to celebrate the Hall of Fame. It should be a lot of fun.”

Notes: Tickets for the Armstrong County Hall of Fame can be purchased by calling Dennis Wolfe at 724-882-3557 ... The 2012-13 High School Student-Athlete honorees for Armstrong County include Freeport’s Kayla Zboran and Brendan Lynch and Karns City’s Lacee Scheerbaum and Matt Slagle.