James Kretchman, a native of Faulkton, S.D., began his Northern experience as a scholar athlete in the 1950's. Playing football under Coach Clark Swisher, he earned Little All-American honors and remained among the top of Northern State's record books. He received his Bachelor's degree in 1956 and his Master's degree in 1958 from NSU, then gained early coaching experience at the high school level at Clark, Leola, Webster, and Aberdeen Central, as well as college experience as a graduate assistant at Northern State and the University of Wyoming. He earned his Doctorate at the University of Wyoming in 1967 and that same year accepted a position at Northern as an assistant coach in football, wrestling, and track. In 1968 he became head football coach at Northern State, succeeding his former coach Clark Swisher, and in his first season guided the Wolves to a perfect record. His football teams won 67 games during his 12 years as head coach. He became athletic director in 1980 and continued to coach until 1985, then retired from NSU in 1999. His honors included induction into NSU's athletic hall of fame in 1976, selection as alumni coach of the year in 1968, recognition as the NAIA District 12 Administrator of the Year in the spring of 1989 for his work during the 1987-88 academic year, and induction into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame in the spring of 1993. He devoted 32 years to higher education in South Dakota and served as a mentor and coach for countless student athletes at NSU. He and his wife Bonnie have three children, Jeff, Amy, and Jill.