Former Kodiaks soccer coach to be inducted into ACAC hall
Longtime Kodiaks coach Alvin Tietz will soon be inducted into the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Hall of Fame, Lethbridge College announced Friday.
Tietz, who coached both the men’s and women’s soccer programs during his time at LC, will be inducted as part of the 2017 ACAC Hall of Fame class on May 13 in Calgary.
Tietz coached one or both Kodiaks soccer programs for a total of 11 years. He won a CCAA gold medal with the Kodiaks women's team during its inaugural season in 1994. It remains the only national soccer gold medal in the college’s history.
“It is awesome,” Tietz said in a news release. “I grew up with this game of soccer and to be recognized for something you love is amazing.”
Tietz joined the college in 1985 as the first coach of the men’s soccer team and led the Kodiaks for eight seasons. His top campaign came in 1991-92 when the Kodiaks went 61-3 and earned a berth in the ACAC semifinals, while Tietz was named ACAC coach of the year.
Following a one-year hiatus, Tietz returned to the college in 1994 when he and Knud Petersen took a hands-on approach to founding the women’s soccer program. The pair co-coached the team to a legendary inaugural season as the team went undefeated and won the CCAA gold medal.
Tietz coached the women’s team for three seasons, winning the ACAC coach of the year award in 1996-97. He continues to be a large supporter of Kodiaks Athletics, making numerous contributions to student awards each year through the Tietz/Petersen Scholarship Fund, which provides student awards to deserving soccer and volleyball players.
Tietz has been inducted into the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame on three separate occasions. Tietz was inducted into the hall as an athlete in 1989 for his efforts in soccer and broomball. His national champion Kodiaks team then earned its way into the hall in 1997, and he was inducted again in 2016 as part of the 1963 Western Canadian champion Lethbridge Hungaria soccer team.
In celebration of its 50th season of competition, the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) held its inaugural ACAC Hall of Fame selection and ceremony in 2014, with the induction of 50 individuals within the categories of builders and administrators, coaches and studentathletes. This year marks the second class of inductees with eight more members joining the hall.
Previous inductees from Lethbridge College include longtime athletic director Tim Tollestrup, former women’s basketball coach John Jasiukewicz, national champion cross-country runner Kip Kangogo and women’s basketball star Laurie Ann Hockridge.