IUP Athletic Hall of Fame
When George Aggen reported to his freshman-year preseason football camp in 1973, he weighed just 190 pounds. In an era, that is not big for a nose guard/middle linebacker.
By the time "Butch" completed his tour as a four-year starter in '76, built up slightly to 220, he had set the IUP team record for tackles, having brought ball carriers to the turf 429 times, 232 of the stops unassisted.
His most rewarding season came as a junior, in 1975, when Hall-of-Fame-inductee coach Bill Neal's team posted an 8-1-1 record, losing only to Edinboro 28-21 and tied by Clarion 16-16. The following year, when Aggen was the Indians' only senior starter on defense, he charted his best personal season, posting 130 tackles, 81 of them solo. He was co-captain both years.
That fall brought NAJA All-American status, as well as, each for the second time, Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and Pittsburgh Press district all-star honors.
In 1977, Aggen stayed on with Neal and company to serve as a graduate assistant coach while he completed a master's degree in student personnel services, following his undergraduate criminology pre-law major.
IUP and the Indiana community offered Aggen two experiences he calls "invaluable from a lifetime perspective," one his involvement with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the other working three summers with Neal at the Indiana Lions Club's Camp Orenda, a program for handicapped children.
After several years in education, as a residence hall manager at SUNY Oswego and then as housing director and football defensive assistant coach at Curry College in Massachuseus, Aggen decided to embark on a business career.
First signing on with MCI Communications in Salt Lake City for several months in 1983, and then working as a Princeton Industries fundraising consultant there for two years, Aggen returned to MCI in '85 as Salt Lake City sales manager. That was the start of a 14-year tenure with MCI.
In that tenure he rose from sales manager in Seattle to branch manager serving Washington and Montana four years, to branch director for Eastern North Carolina six years, to general manager for Southeast Region (North Carolina/Tennessee/Georgia/Florida) Local Services. While there, he was named by Business Leader Magazine to its Impact 100 list, the top 100 leaders in the Raleigh/Durham/Greensboro triangle.
In 1999, Aggen moved to Texas to create Riaba and TradeMark business firms and serve as their president. Riaba offers advanced business network services and residential real estate consulting. TradeMark distributes building energy management systems internationally. Married to the former Patricia Hopson in March, 2001, he has one son, Doug, 19.Â
Â
