Dabo Swinney Headlines 2019 Werner Ladder AFCA FBS Regional Coach Of The Year Winners
December 10, 2019
Clemson’s Dabo Swinney highlights today’s announcement of the 2019 Werner Ladder AFCA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Regional Coach of the Year winners. These winners will be honored at the American Football Coaches Awards, on Tuesday, January 14, during the 2020 AFCA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.
The AFCA recognizes five regional Coach of the Year winners in each of the Association’s five divisions: Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and NAIA. The winners are selected by Active members of the Association who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions.
RELATED ARTICLE: Werner Ladder To Sponsor AFCA FBS National & Regional Coach Of The Year Awards
Werner Ladder became the title sponsor of the AFCA FBS Regional and National Coach of the Year awards in August of 2019. Werner is the world leader in ladders and has a complete line of climbing products designed for working at heights.
“This announcement is the official kickoff of our partnership, and we are honored to be associated with such incredible Regional Coach of the Year winners,” said Stacy Gardella, Vice President of Brand Marketing at WernerCo. “These men ‘step up’ every day as leaders on and off the field and we recognize their effort and hard work.”
Region 1 – Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Swinney, the Region 1 winner, earned his third AFCA Regional honor after guiding Clemson to a 13-0 record, the ACC championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff. Clemson will play Ohio State in the CFP semifinals in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. He has an overall record of 129-30 with six ACC titles and two national championships, all at Clemson.
Region 2 – Ed Orgeron, LSU
The Region 2 winner, LSU’s Ed Orgeron takes home his first AFCA Regional honor. Orgeron has guided the Tigers to a 13-0 record with an SEC title and the program’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff. The Tigers will face Oklahoma in the CFP semifinals in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. He has an overall record of 54-36 in eight years as a head coach at Ole Miss, USC and LSU. In his four years at LSU, Orgeron has guided the Tigers to three bowl games prior to this season, winning two of them.
Region 3 – PJ Fleck, Minnesota
PJ Fleck earned his second AFCA Region 3 honor by leading Minnesota to one of the biggest turnarounds in 2019. The Gophers finished the regular season with a 10-2 record and ranked No. 16 in the Amway Coaches’ Poll after going 7-6 in 2018. Fleck has Minnesota playing in the Outback Bowl. He earned his first regional honor in 2016 after guiding Western Michigan to a 13-1 record, the Mid-American Conference title and a berth in the Cotton Bowl.
Region 4 – Matt Rhule, Baylor
Matt Rhule is another first-time winner from Region 4. He has led Baylor to a 11-2 record, an appearance in the Big 12 Championship game and a berth in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. In just three seasons as the Bears head coach, Rhule has led Baylor from a 1-11 record in 2017 to two bowl game appearances in 2018 and 2019. Prior to Baylor, he spent four years as head coach at Temple, guiding the Owls to back-to-back 10-win seasons and the 2016 American Athletic Conference title.
Region 5 – Kyle Whittingham, Utah
The Region 5 winner is Kyle Whittingham of Utah. The 2008 AFCA FBS National Coach of the Year winner, Whittingham earns his first Regional honor after leading Utah to a 11-2 record, the Pac-12 South Division title and an appearance in the Valero Alamo Bowl. In his 15th season at Utah, Whittingham has an overall record of 131-63 with 14 bowl game appearances. Utah is 11-2 in their previous 13 bowls games under Whittingham. He earned the 2008 National honor by guiding the Utes to a 13-0 record, the Mountain West Conference title and a victory in the Sugar Bowl.
AFCA National Coach of the Year: The AFCA will announce the 2019 FBS National Coaches of the Year winners at the American Football Coaches Awards on Tuesday, January 14. The Regional winners are finalists for National Coach of the Year.
Award History: The AFCA began recognizing district coaches of the year following the 1960 season. The awards were established the same year Eastman Kodak agreed to sponsor the AFCA Coach of the Year award. Prior to 1960, the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain had sponsored the program, which recognized one national Coach of the Year.
The AFCA first recognized eight district winners in each of two divisions: university and college. In 1972, a ninth district was added in each division. In 1983, the award was changed to recognize regional winners instead of district winners. The number of divisions was also increased from two to four and five regional winners were selected in each division. This resulted in a more equitable selection process and better represented the make-up of the membership. At the same time, the new system increased the number of honorees from 18 to 20. In 2006, the AFCA Division II Award was split into separate Division II and NAIA divisions, giving us the 25 winners we now recognize.
Most Awards: Penn State’s Joe Paterno (District 2: 1967-68, 1971-73, 1977-78, 1982; Region 1: 1985; Region 3: 1994, 2005) has the most FBS District/Regional Coach of the Year honors with 11. Three coaches have won the award seven times: Bo Schembechler, Miami (Ohio), Michigan; Bob Devaney, Nebraska and Tom Osborne, Nebraska. Four coaches have won Regional honors six times: Vince Dooley, Georgia; Brian Kelly, Grand Valley State, Cincinnati, Notre Dame; John McKay, USC and Darrell Royal, Texas.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
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Clemson’s Dabo Swinney highlights today’s announcement of the 2019 Werner Ladder AFCA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Regional Coach of the Year winners. These winners will be honored at the American Football Coaches Awards, on Tuesday, January 14, during the 2020 AFCA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.
The AFCA recognizes five regional Coach of the Year winners in each of the Association’s five divisions: Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and NAIA. The winners are selected by Active members of the Association who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions.
RELATED ARTICLE: Werner Ladder To Sponsor AFCA FBS National & Regional Coach Of The Year Awards
Werner Ladder became the title sponsor of the AFCA FBS Regional and National Coach of the Year awards in August of 2019. Werner is the world leader in ladders and has a complete line of climbing products designed for working at heights.
“This announcement is the official kickoff of our partnership, and we are honored to be associated with such incredible Regional Coach of the Year winners,” said Stacy Gardella, Vice President of Brand Marketing at WernerCo. “These men ‘step up’ every day as leaders on and off the field and we recognize their effort and hard work.”
Region 1 – Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Swinney, the Region 1 winner, earned his third AFCA Regional honor after guiding Clemson to a 13-0 record, the ACC championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff. Clemson will play Ohio State in the CFP semifinals in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. He has an overall record of 129-30 with six ACC titles and two national championships, all at Clemson.
Region 2 – Ed Orgeron, LSU
The Region 2 winner, LSU’s Ed Orgeron takes home his first AFCA Regional honor. Orgeron has guided the Tigers to a 13-0 record with an SEC title and the program’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff. The Tigers will face Oklahoma in the CFP semifinals in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. He has an overall record of 54-36 in eight years as a head coach at Ole Miss, USC and LSU. In his four years at LSU, Orgeron has guided the Tigers to three bowl games prior to this season, winning two of them.
Region 3 – PJ Fleck, Minnesota
PJ Fleck earned his second AFCA Region 3 honor by leading Minnesota to one of the biggest turnarounds in 2019. The Gophers finished the regular season with a 10-2 record and ranked No. 16 in the Amway Coaches’ Poll after going 7-6 in 2018. Fleck has Minnesota playing in the Outback Bowl. He earned his first regional honor in 2016 after guiding Western Michigan to a 13-1 record, the Mid-American Conference title and a berth in the Cotton Bowl.
Region 4 – Matt Rhule, Baylor
Matt Rhule is another first-time winner from Region 4. He has led Baylor to a 11-2 record, an appearance in the Big 12 Championship game and a berth in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. In just three seasons as the Bears head coach, Rhule has led Baylor from a 1-11 record in 2017 to two bowl game appearances in 2018 and 2019. Prior to Baylor, he spent four years as head coach at Temple, guiding the Owls to back-to-back 10-win seasons and the 2016 American Athletic Conference title.
Region 5 – Kyle Whittingham, Utah
The Region 5 winner is Kyle Whittingham of Utah. The 2008 AFCA FBS National Coach of the Year winner, Whittingham earns his first Regional honor after leading Utah to a 11-2 record, the Pac-12 South Division title and an appearance in the Valero Alamo Bowl. In his 15th season at Utah, Whittingham has an overall record of 131-63 with 14 bowl game appearances. Utah is 11-2 in their previous 13 bowls games under Whittingham. He earned the 2008 National honor by guiding the Utes to a 13-0 record, the Mountain West Conference title and a victory in the Sugar Bowl.
AFCA National Coach of the Year: The AFCA will announce the 2019 FBS National Coaches of the Year winners at the American Football Coaches Awards on Tuesday, January 14. The Regional winners are finalists for National Coach of the Year.
Award History: The AFCA began recognizing district coaches of the year following the 1960 season. The awards were established the same year Eastman Kodak agreed to sponsor the AFCA Coach of the Year award. Prior to 1960, the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain had sponsored the program, which recognized one national Coach of the Year.
The AFCA first recognized eight district winners in each of two divisions: university and college. In 1972, a ninth district was added in each division. In 1983, the award was changed to recognize regional winners instead of district winners. The number of divisions was also increased from two to four and five regional winners were selected in each division. This resulted in a more equitable selection process and better represented the make-up of the membership. At the same time, the new system increased the number of honorees from 18 to 20. In 2006, the AFCA Division II Award was split into separate Division II and NAIA divisions, giving us the 25 winners we now recognize.
Most Awards: Penn State’s Joe Paterno (District 2: 1967-68, 1971-73, 1977-78, 1982; Region 1: 1985; Region 3: 1994, 2005) has the most FBS District/Regional Coach of the Year honors with 11. Three coaches have won the award seven times: Bo Schembechler, Miami (Ohio), Michigan; Bob Devaney, Nebraska and Tom Osborne, Nebraska. Four coaches have won Regional honors six times: Vince Dooley, Georgia; Brian Kelly, Grand Valley State, Cincinnati, Notre Dame; John McKay, USC and Darrell Royal, Texas.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
