The American Football Coaches Association capped its 2010 convention by presenting its top coaching award - AFCA Coach of the Year - to five outstanding coaches today. TCU's Gary Patterson, Villanova's Andy Talley, Northwest Missouri State's Mel Tjeerdsma, Wisconsin-Whitewater's Lance Leipold and Sioux Falls' Kalen DeBoer are the 2009 AFCA National Coach of the Year winners. Patterson in the FBS, Talley in the FCS, Tjeerdsma in Division II, Leipold in Division III and DeBoer in NAIA.

The winners are selected by a vote of the Active AFCA members (coaches at four-year schools) in the Association's five divisions. The AFCA has named a Coach of the Year since 1935. The AFCA Coach of the Year award is the oldest and most prestigious of all the Coach of the Year awards and is the only one chosen exclusively by the coaches themselves.

Gary Patterson led the Horned Frogs to a 12-1 record, the Mountain West Conference title and an appearance in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in 2009. The 12-1 season is the best record in school history. The Frogs also recorded their first perfect regular season since 1938. Patterson has led TCU to 10 or more wins in six of the last eight seasons. He has a nine-year career record of 85-28 (.752)

Talley led the Wildcats to a 14-1 record, the Colonial Athletic Association title and the Football Championship Subdivision national championship in 2009. The title was the first in football for the school and the 14 wins are a new school record. Talley also earned AFCA Coach fo the Year honors in 1997. He has a career record of 207-120-2 (.632) in 30 years at Villanova and St. Lawrence.

Mel Tjeerdsma led the Bearcats to a 14-1 record, the MIAA championship and the school's third NCAA Division II title in 2009 to earn AFCA National Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time in his career. Northwest Missouri's title game appearance in 2009 was its fifth in a row. He has a 26-year career record of 230-80-4 (.739) at Northwest Missouri State and Austin. Tjeerdsma is the career postseason wins leader in Division II football. He previously earned AFCA National Coach of the Year Awards in 1998, 1999 and 2008.

Lance Leipold led Wisconsin-Whitewater to a 15-0 record, its fifth consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship and its second NCAA Division III championship in the last three seasons in 2009. Leipold also earned AFCA Coach of the Year honors in 2007 when he led Whitewater to its first title. Leipold has a three-year career record of 42-3 (.933) at Whitewater. The Warhawks have advanced to the Division III title game in each of Leipold's first three seasons at the school.

Kalen DeBoer led the Cougars to a 15-0 record, a fifth consecutive Great Plains Athletic Conference title and the NAIA championship this season to earn NAIA National Coach of the Year honors for the third time. The title is the third for DeBoer in five seasons as head coach. USF has reached the NAIA final four times in DeBoer's five seasons at the helm. He has a five-year career record of 67-3 (.957). DeBoer previously earned AFCA National Coach of the Year honors in 2006 and 2008. The winners will be honored Tuesday evening at the AFCA Coach of the Year Dinner at the Orlando World Center Marriott.

All-Time Winners: A total of 143 men representing 104 institutions have been honored by the AFCA as AFCA National Coach of the Year since the program was established in 1935.

First Year Coach of the Year: Richmond's Mike London and Valdosta's David Dean are the only coaches to earn AFCA National Coach of the Year honors in their first seasons as a head coach.  Dean was the Division II winner  in 2007. London was the FCS winner in 2008.

Most Schools: Jim Tressel is the only coach to win AFCA National Coach of the Year honors at two different schools and the only to win the honor in two different divisions. Tressel earned AFCA honors at Division I-A Ohio State in 2002 and Division I-AA Youngstown State in 1991 and 1994.

Top Individuals: Larry Kehres of Mount Union is now the only coach in AFCA history to win National Coach of the Year honors nine times. He has earned the award in Mount Union's national championship seasons of 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006 and 2008. Joe Paterno of Penn State earned his Division I-A fifth National Coach of the Year Award in 2005 (1968-72-82-86). Northwest Missouri State's Mel Tjeerdsma joins Bob Reade of Augustana (Ill.) College as the only four-time AFCA Coach of the Year winners. Reade earned the honor in 1983-84-85-86 in College Division II (Now Division III).  Sioux Falls' Kalen DeBoer joins Appalachian State's Jerry Moore (2005-06-07), Youngstown State and Ohio State coach Jim Tressel (1991-94-2003), Alabama's Bear Bryant (1961, 1971, 1973) and North Alabama's Bobby Wallace (1993-94-95) as the only three-time Coach of the Year winners. Moore, Wallace, Reade and Kehres are the only coaches to win the award in three or more consecutive seasons.

Top Schools: Mount Union is the only institution to have a representative win the AFCA National Coach of the Year Award nine times. Georgia Southern and Penn State are the only schools with five winners. Northwest Missouri State, Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, Augustana (Ill.), Grand Valley State, North Dakota State and Wittenberg are four-time winners.

Larry Kehres has won all nine awards for Mount Union. Paul Johnson (1999, 2000), Erk Russell (1986, 1989) and Tim Stowers (1990) are Georgia Southern's honorees. Mel Tjeerdsma (1998, 1999, 2008, 2009) accounts for all of Northwest Missouri's awards. Lloyd Carr (1997), Fritz Crisler (1947), Bennie Oosterbaan (1948) and Bo Schembechler (1969) are Michigan's winners. Bill Edwards (1962, 1963) and Dave Maurer (1973, 1975), his successor, are responsible for Wittenberg being listed in the select group. North Dakota State's national winners are Don Morton (1983), Earle Solomonson (1986) and Rocky Hager (1988, 1990). Gene Stallings earned Coach of the Year honors in 1992 to join three-time winner Bear Bryant as Alabama's winners. Penn State's Paterno and Augustana's Reade account for all of their school's awards. Ohio State's Jim Tressel joins Carroll Widdoes (1944), Woody Hayes (1957) and Earle Bruce (1979) as one of the four Buckeye coaches to win the award. Chuck Martin (2005-2006) joins Brian Kelly (2002-2003) as the winners from Grand Valley State.

Kalen DeBoer's third Coach of the Year award and Lance Leipold's second put Sioux Falls and Wisconsin-Whitewater in exclusive company as two of six schools with three winners. Bob Berezowitz (2005) earned Whitewater's first award. UWW & USF join Appalachian State (Jerry More, 2005, 2006, 2007), USC (John McKay, 1962, 1972; Pete Carroll, 2003), Furman (Dick Sheridan, 1985; Jimmy Satterfield, 1988; Bobby Johnson, 2001) and North Alabama (Bobby Wallace, 1993-94-95) in the triple winner category.

Two-Timers: Andy Talley and Lance Leipold join an exclusive group of two-time Coach the year winners. Chuck Martin, Brian Kelly, Jim Tressel, Paul Johnson, Bill Edwards, Dave Maurer, John McKay, Rocky Hager, Erk Russell, Mike Van Diest, Carroll (Mont.) (2003, 2007), Darrell Royal, Texas (1963, 1970), Harold "Tubby" Raymond, Delaware (1971-72), Joe Glenn, Northern Colorado (1996-97) and Jim Butterfield, Ithaca (1988, 1991) are the repeat winners.

Back-to-Back: Paul Johnson, Bill Edwards, Bob Reade, Tubby Raymond, Bobby Wallace, Joe Glenn, Larry Kehres, Mel Tjeerdsma, Brian Kelly, Jerry Moore, Chuck Martin and Kalen DeBoer are the only coaches to win national honors in consecutive years. No FBS coach has won the award in consecutive years. Kehres is the only coach to win three consecutive Coach of the Year awards twice. Tjeerdsma is the only coach to win two consecutive Coach of the Year awards twice.

Fit to be Tied: In 2003, Brian Kelly and Mike Van Diest became the fourth duo in the history of the AFCA National Coach of the Year award to finish in a tie for the honor and the first non-I-A coaches to share the award. Larry Coker and Ralph Friedgen finished in a tie for the honor in 2001. In 1964, Frank Broyles of Arkansas and Ara Parseghian of Notre Dame shared the award and in 1970, Charlie McClendon of Louisiana State and Darrell Royal of Texas were co-winners.

Like Father, Like Son: Jim Tressel and his father, Lee are the only father-son combination to win Coach of the Year honors in AFCA history. Lee Tressel was named College Division Coach of the Year in 1978 at Baldwin-Wallace.

Football Bowl Subdivision
Gary Patterson, TCU
First AFCA National Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Horned Frogs to a 12-1 record, the Mountain West Conference title and a appearance in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl this season ... The 12-1 season is the best record in school history ... The Frogs also recorded their first perfect regular season since 1938 ... Has led TCU to 10 or more wins in six of the last eight seasons, including five seasons of at least 11 victories ... Has a nine-year career record of 85-28 (.752) ... Ranks No. 2 on the school's career coaching wins list.
Previous Regional Coach of the Year Honors: FBS Region 5, 2009

Football Championship Subdivision
Andy Talley, Villanova University
Second AFCA National Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Wildcats to a 14-1 record, the Colonial Athletic Association title and the Football Championship Subdivision national championship this season ... The title was the first in football for the school and the 14 wins are a new school record ... Talley also earned AFCA Coach fo the Year honors in 1997 when he led Villanova to a 12-1 record and the Atlantic 10 Conference title ... He has a career record of 207-120-2 (.632) in 30 years at Villanova and St. Lawrence.
Previous District/Regional Coach of the Year Honors: College II District 1 1982; I-AA Region 1, 1991-97; FCS Region 1, 2008-09
Previous National Coach of the Year Honors: I-AA, 1997

Division II
Mel Tjeerdsma, Northwest Missouri State University
Fourth AFCA National Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Bearcats to a 14-1 record, the MIAA title and the NCAA Division II championship this season ... Has a 26-year career record of 230-80-4 (.739) at Northwest Missouri State and Austin ...  Northwest appeared in the Division II championship game for the fifth consecutive season in 2009 and the seventh time overall under Tjeerdsma ... Earned National Coach of the Year honors in 2008 when he led the Bearcats to a 13-2 record, the MIAA championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II championship game ... Tjeerdsma is the career postseason wins leader in Division II football ... He earned back-to-back AFCA National Coach of the Year Awards in 1998 and 1999 when he led Northwest Missouri State to consecutive Division II national championships ... Served as AFCA President in 2006 and was a member of the Board of Trustees from 1999-2006.
Previous Regional Coach of the Year Honors: Division II Region 4, 1996-97-98-99-00-06-08
Previous National Coach of the Year Honors: Division II, 1998-99-08

Division III
Lance Leipold, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Second AFCA National Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Warhawks to 15-0 record, its fifth consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship and its second NCAA Division III championship in the last three years this season ... Has a three-year career record of 42-3 (.933) at Whitewater ... Earned AFCA Coach of the Year honors in 2007 when he led Whitewater to 14-1 record, the WIAC title and the school's first NCAA Division III championship ... The Warhawks have advanced to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in each of Leipold's first three seasons at the school.
Previous National Coach of the Year Honors: Division III, 2007

NAIA
Kalen DeBoer, University of Sioux Falls
Third AFCA National Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Cougars to a 15-0 record, a fifth consecutive Great Plains Athletic Conference title and the NAIA championship this season ... Has a five-year career record of 67-3 (.957) at Sioux Falls ... The title is the third for DeBoer in five seasons as head coach ... USF has reached the NAIA final four times in DeBoer's five seasons at the helm ... Earned AFCA National Coach of the Year honors in 2008 when he led USF to a 14-0 record, the Great Plains Athletic Conference title and the NAIA championship ... Earned AFCA National Coach of the Year honors in 2006 when he led the Cougars to a 14-0 record, the Great Plains Athletic Conference title and the NAIA championship ... Was an All-America wide receiver on USF's 1996 NAIA championship squad and the offensive coordinator on the school's 2001 NAIA runner-up team.
Previous Regional Coach of the Year Honors: Region 4 NAIA, 2006-07-09
Previous National Coach of the Year Honors: NAIA, 2006-08