MISHAWAKA, Ind.  – Bethel University Athletic Director Tony Natali announced today that he will retire from his full-time position August 1, 2025. He will stay on as a consultant/advisor to aid in the transition for the 2025-26 school year.
Natali has served Bethel University for 26 years and touched many lives as a coach (1998-2019), assistant athletic director (2011-2019) and athletic director (2019-2025).
“Tony Natali’s decades of coaching and mentoring have left an indelible mark on Bethel student-athletes,” says Shawn Holtgren, Ph.D., Vice President for Spiritual Life and University Affairs, who oversees Bethel’s athletic programs. “A highly successful coach and athletic director, Tony’s priority has always been to keep Christ at the center of Bethel athletics and to make students a priority. His legacy will be felt for decades to come.”
Natali came to Bethel in 1998 to develop the Track & Field program and serve as the head coach for the men’s and women’s teams, a role he held until he became Athletic Director in 2019. He also served as Men’s Basketball Assistant Coach from 1998-2017. During his tenure as coach, his teams achieved 15 NCCAA National Championships (13 Track & Field, two Men’s Basketball) and 14 Crossroads League Championships (10 Track & Field, four Men’s Basketball). He also received 12 NCCAA Track & Field Coaching Staff of the Year Awards and 11 Crossroads League Track & Field Coach of the Year Awards.
Other accolades include being inducted into the NCCAA Hall of fame (2018) and Dr. Albert J. Beutler Athletic Hall of Fame (Bethel, 2020). But behind his success was a vision to point student-athletes to Christ by serving as a pastor-coach.
During his tenure as Athletic Director, Bethel Pilot Athletics achieved 12 National Championships in the NCCAA and NAIA. He helped oversee the development of new athletic programs, including Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving, Men’s and Women’s Bowling, Esports and Men’s Volleyball, bringing 204 new students to Bethel. He played a key role in securing Bethel as a host site for NAIA National Tournament play in Men’s Soccer, and Men’s Basketball, and hosting the NAIA Swimming & Diving National Championship. Natali also assisted in planning and fundraising for the Lehman Family Training Center, a track training facility, and oversaw the Wiekamp Center lobby and coaches hallway renovation projects.
In a statement, Natali said: “I’d like to start off by saying my 26 years at Bethel University were a special time for me and my family. I am so blessed to have gone through life with so many amazing administrators, leaders, supervisors, co-workers, coaches and athletes during this time. I would like to thank each and every person I’ve had the pleasure to come into contact with during these past years. While I am retiring from my Athletic Director position, I am excited that I will remain involved in the Bethel University Athletics Department as a consultant and advisor during this coming year. This will provide a great transition for the future of Bethel Pilot Athletics. I am excited for what God has planned for the future of Bethel University and myself. I can’t express the feeling of appreciation I have for Bethel and all the great memories. I am truly blessed in more ways than I could ever express. No regrets, just many thanks!”
Tony and his wife, Andrea, live in Mishawaka, Ind. They have two daughters: Cassie (Mitchell Horn) and Hannah (Alec Betz), three grandsons and one granddaughter.