Neal Brown, Billy Napier, & Sam Pittman Named To The AFCA Board Of Trustees
January 12, 2021
West Virginia University head coach Neal Brown, University of Louisiana head coach Billy Napier and University of Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman have been elected to the Board of Trustees of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Brown, Napier and Pittman were elected by members attending the virtual 2021 AFCA Convention today. Brown will represent the Big 12, Napier is the Sun Belt representative while Pittman will be the SEC representative.
Brown, Napier and Pittman will join a group of distinguished head coaches who guide the organization. The Board formulates policy and provides direction for the AFCA, which was founded in 1922 by Amos Alonzo Stagg, John Heisman and others. Returning members of the AFCA Board of Trustees include incoming president Pat Fitzgerald of Northwestern University, first vice-president Craig Bohl of the University of Wyoming, second vice-president Todd Knight of Ouachita Baptist University and third vice-president David Cutcliffe of Duke University.
RELATED ARTICLE: Northwestern Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald Named 2021 AFCA President
Also serving on the Board in 2021 are: Jeff McMartin, Central College (Iowa); Bronco Mendenhall, University of Virginia; Danny Rocco, University of Delaware; Paul Winters, Wayne State University (Mich.); Ken Niumatalolo, U.S. Naval Academy; David Shaw, Stanford University; Jim Catanzaro, Lake Forest College; Steve Ryan, Morningside College; Bobby Hauck, University of Montana; Lance Leipold, University at Buffalo; Skip Holtz, Louisiana Tech University; Bobby Kennedy, Stanford University, ex officio member and chairman of the Assistant Coaches Committee; Van Malone, Kansas State University, ex officio member and chairman of the Minority Issues Committee; Michael Christensen, Lakewood (Calif.) High School, ex officio member and chairman of the High School Committee; and Mark McElroy, Saddleback College, ex officio member and Junior College representative. AFCA Executive Director Todd Berry serves as secretary-treasurer of the organization.
Brown completed his second season at West Virginia by leading the Mountaineers to a 6-4 record and a win over Army in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. He came to West Virginia after spending four seasons as the head coach at Troy. Brown compiled a 35-16 overall record with three bowl game victories. The Trojans won at least 10 games in each of his final three seasons. He began his coaching career in 2003 at Massachusetts as tight ends coach after a two-year playing career for the Minutemen. Brown would spend 2004 at Sacred Heart and 2005 at Delaware before landing at Troy in 2006 as inside receivers coach. He would move up to offensive coordinator for the 2008 and 2009 seasons before landing his first job in the Big 12 at Texas Tech. Brown was the Red Raiders offensive coordinator from 2010-12, then went to Kentucky as offensive coordinator for two years before landing the head job at Troy in 2015.
In 2020, Napier led Louisiana to one of its best seasons, guiding the Ragin’ Cajuns to a 10-1 mark, a co-championship in the Sun Belt Conference and a victory over UTSA in the Servpro First Responder Bowl. He has an overall record of 28-11 in his three seasons at Louisiana with three Sun Belt West Division titles and three straight bowl game appearances. Napier began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Clemson from 2003-04. He coached quarterbacks at South Carolina State in 2005 before returning to Clemson as tight ends coach and eventually offensive coordinator over the next five years. In 2011, Napier was an offensive analyst at Alabama before spending one season at Colorado State as quarterbacks coach. He returned to Alabama in 2013 and spent three years in Tuscaloosa before spending the 2017 season as offensive coordinator at Arizona State.
Pittman completed his first season as head coach at Arkansas in 2020. He arrived in Fayetteville after a 32-year coaching career that took him from the high school level to Football Bowl Subdivision football. Pittman is considered one of the best offensive line coaches in the country. An All-American offensive lineman at Pittsburg State, he began his coaching career in 1987 as the head coach at Princeton (Mo.) High School. He would spend two seasons at Princeton before becoming head coach at Trenton (Mo.) High School for another two years. Pittman made the jump to junior college football as the offensive line coach at Hutchison Community College in 1991 before being named the head coach for the 1992 and 1993 seasons. In 1994, he made the move up to FBS football as the offensive line coach at Northern Illinois. Pittman would coach the offensive line at six different universities over the next eight years before coming back to NIU in 2003. He moved up to assistant head coach and offensive line coach for the 2004-06 seasons before spending five years at North Carolina as offensive line coach and eventually associate head coach. After one season at Tennessee, Pittman made his first stop at Arkansas in 2013 as assistant head coach and offensive line coach. He would spend three years with the Razorbacks before joining Georgia as offensive line coach in 2016. Pittman would serve as associate head coach to go along with his offensive line duties in 2019 before landing the Arkansas head job.
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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West Virginia University head coach Neal Brown, University of Louisiana head coach Billy Napier and University of Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman have been elected to the Board of Trustees of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Brown, Napier and Pittman were elected by members attending the virtual 2021 AFCA Convention today. Brown will represent the Big 12, Napier is the Sun Belt representative while Pittman will be the SEC representative.
Brown, Napier and Pittman will join a group of distinguished head coaches who guide the organization. The Board formulates policy and provides direction for the AFCA, which was founded in 1922 by Amos Alonzo Stagg, John Heisman and others. Returning members of the AFCA Board of Trustees include incoming president Pat Fitzgerald of Northwestern University, first vice-president Craig Bohl of the University of Wyoming, second vice-president Todd Knight of Ouachita Baptist University and third vice-president David Cutcliffe of Duke University.
RELATED ARTICLE: Northwestern Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald Named 2021 AFCA President
Also serving on the Board in 2021 are: Jeff McMartin, Central College (Iowa); Bronco Mendenhall, University of Virginia; Danny Rocco, University of Delaware; Paul Winters, Wayne State University (Mich.); Ken Niumatalolo, U.S. Naval Academy; David Shaw, Stanford University; Jim Catanzaro, Lake Forest College; Steve Ryan, Morningside College; Bobby Hauck, University of Montana; Lance Leipold, University at Buffalo; Skip Holtz, Louisiana Tech University; Bobby Kennedy, Stanford University, ex officio member and chairman of the Assistant Coaches Committee; Van Malone, Kansas State University, ex officio member and chairman of the Minority Issues Committee; Michael Christensen, Lakewood (Calif.) High School, ex officio member and chairman of the High School Committee; and Mark McElroy, Saddleback College, ex officio member and Junior College representative. AFCA Executive Director Todd Berry serves as secretary-treasurer of the organization.
Brown completed his second season at West Virginia by leading the Mountaineers to a 6-4 record and a win over Army in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. He came to West Virginia after spending four seasons as the head coach at Troy. Brown compiled a 35-16 overall record with three bowl game victories. The Trojans won at least 10 games in each of his final three seasons. He began his coaching career in 2003 at Massachusetts as tight ends coach after a two-year playing career for the Minutemen. Brown would spend 2004 at Sacred Heart and 2005 at Delaware before landing at Troy in 2006 as inside receivers coach. He would move up to offensive coordinator for the 2008 and 2009 seasons before landing his first job in the Big 12 at Texas Tech. Brown was the Red Raiders offensive coordinator from 2010-12, then went to Kentucky as offensive coordinator for two years before landing the head job at Troy in 2015.
In 2020, Napier led Louisiana to one of its best seasons, guiding the Ragin’ Cajuns to a 10-1 mark, a co-championship in the Sun Belt Conference and a victory over UTSA in the Servpro First Responder Bowl. He has an overall record of 28-11 in his three seasons at Louisiana with three Sun Belt West Division titles and three straight bowl game appearances. Napier began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Clemson from 2003-04. He coached quarterbacks at South Carolina State in 2005 before returning to Clemson as tight ends coach and eventually offensive coordinator over the next five years. In 2011, Napier was an offensive analyst at Alabama before spending one season at Colorado State as quarterbacks coach. He returned to Alabama in 2013 and spent three years in Tuscaloosa before spending the 2017 season as offensive coordinator at Arizona State.
Pittman completed his first season as head coach at Arkansas in 2020. He arrived in Fayetteville after a 32-year coaching career that took him from the high school level to Football Bowl Subdivision football. Pittman is considered one of the best offensive line coaches in the country. An All-American offensive lineman at Pittsburg State, he began his coaching career in 1987 as the head coach at Princeton (Mo.) High School. He would spend two seasons at Princeton before becoming head coach at Trenton (Mo.) High School for another two years. Pittman made the jump to junior college football as the offensive line coach at Hutchison Community College in 1991 before being named the head coach for the 1992 and 1993 seasons. In 1994, he made the move up to FBS football as the offensive line coach at Northern Illinois. Pittman would coach the offensive line at six different universities over the next eight years before coming back to NIU in 2003. He moved up to assistant head coach and offensive line coach for the 2004-06 seasons before spending five years at North Carolina as offensive line coach and eventually associate head coach. After one season at Tennessee, Pittman made his first stop at Arkansas in 2013 as assistant head coach and offensive line coach. He would spend three years with the Razorbacks before joining Georgia as offensive line coach in 2016. Pittman would serve as associate head coach to go along with his offensive line duties in 2019 before landing the Arkansas head job.
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.
