Trailblazer Award

The AFCA Trailblazer Award was created to honor early leaders in the football coaching profession who coached at historically black colleges and universities. For a five-year period, the Trailblazer Award will be given to an individual who coached in a certain decade. The inaugural winner coached in the decade from from 1920 to 1929, with the five-year cycle ending in 2008 and a winner coming from the 1960-1969 decade. In 2009, the cycle started over with a winner coming from the decade between 1920 and 1929.

Past Trailblazer Award winners include Charles Williams of Hampton (2004), Cleve Abbott of Tuskegee (2005), Arnett Mumford of Southern (2006), Billy Nicks of Prairie View A&M University (2007), Alonzo S. "Jake" Gaither of Florida A&M University (2008) and Fred "Pops" Long of Wiley College (2009). This year's winner will be honored at the 2011 AFCA Convention in Dallas, Texas, on Monday, January 10 at the President's Kickoff Luncheon.

• Vernon "Skip" McCain Named 2012 Trailblazer Award Winner
• Edward P. Hurt Selected as 2011 Trailblazer Award Winner
• Harry "Big Jeff" Jefferson Honored with 2010 Trailblazer Award
• Fred "Pops" Long Selected as 2009 AFCA Trailblazer Award Winner
• Alonzo "Jake" Gaither Named as 2008 AFCA Trailblazer Award Winner
• William J. "Billy" Nicks Selected as 2007 AFCA Trailblazer Award Winner
• Arnett "Ace" Mumford Selected as 2006 Trailblazer Award Recipient
• Cleve Abbott Named Winner of 2005 Trailblazer Award
• Charles Williams Selected as Inaugural Winner of AFCA Trailblazer Award