| Tom Arth led John Carroll to
Division III prominence as a player. JCU athletics photo |
John Carroll has turned to one of its own to guide its football
fortunes.
Tom Arth, a former Division III All-American quarterback for the
Blue Streaks as well as an NFL quarterback with the Indianapolis
Colts, has been named the 17th head football coach in the program's
92-year history. He replaces Regis Scafe, who was let go in November after 14 seasons with an 88-56
mark.
Arth has been an assistant coach and co-offensive coordinator
for his alma mater over the past three seasons. He was a
D3football.com first-team All-America selection at quarterback in 2001
and a
second-team pick in 2002.
“Tom has demonstrated leadership qualities, football
expertise, and the ability to engage people which will take our
football program to the next level of success,” said Laurie
Massa, John Carroll's athletic director. “His experiences in
the NFL, the business world, and at John Carroll have given him
skill sets with a mission focus that will serve us well as we work
towards our goals of championships and student
development.”
In being named to this position, Arth joins Jerry Schweickert
(1965-1976), Frank Amato (1984-86) and Tony DeCarlo
(1987-1998) as the only John Carroll graduates to serve as head
coach of Blue Streaks football team. Arth also joins
Schweickert and Amato as former Blue Streak players to have
ascended to the head coach position.
“I am motivated by the challenge and humbled by the
opportunity to lead our football program and serve the John Carroll
University community,” said Arth, who replaces Regis Scafe as
the school's third head football coach since 1987. “I
am so proud to represent a university that is committed to
leadership, service, academic excellence, and most importantly to
helping young people realize the God-given potential they have to
succeed and to make a difference in our world.”
| As a player, Tom Arth led
John Carroll through a barnstorming tour of the East bracket in the
2002 playoffs, leading the Blue Streaks to the national semifinals
despite being injured and despite playing every game on the
road. D3sports.com 2002 file photo |
During his coaching tenure at JCU, Arth has served as a quarterbacks coach, co-offensive coordinator, assistant recruiting coordinator, and director of football operations. He helped the Blue & Gold offense average 396 yards and 28.9 points per game in the last three seasons, and has mentored quarterbacks Devin O'Brien, winner of the 2011 Bob Packard Award for most outstanding offensive back in the Ohio Athletic Conference, and Mark Myers, one of the nation's leading passers in 2012.
From 1999-2002, Arth set 18 John Carroll football records as its
quarterback, earning unanimous All-American honors as a junior and
senior. In 2002, he guided the Blue Streaks to a 12-2 record,
an East region championship, and a berth in the NCAA Division III
national semifinals for the first time in program history.
After graduating from John Carroll in 2003, Arth signed a free
agent contract with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, where he spent
three seasons as a backup to quarterback Peyton Manning. He also
had stints with the Green Bay Packers, as well as NFL Europe and
the Arena Football League.
Arth, who assumes the head coaching position effective
immediately, aims to re-establish the Blue Streaks as an OAC
championship contender while exemplifying and instilling into his
players Jesuit ideals.
“We will passionately pursue perfection and in doing so will
create a culture of excellence,” said Arth. “John
Carroll football players will respect, value, and trust one
another. They will be willing to sacrifice and persevere to
accomplish team goals, and they will be ingrained with a relentless
belief in themselves and their ability to achieve
greatness.”