Coach Meyer named finalist for Coach of the Year
Wednesday, December 10, 2008 | Football
Today Liberty Mutual Insurance and Archie Manning, chair of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame, named University of Florida Head Football Coach, Urban Meyer a finalist for the 2008 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award. Coach Meyer is among the ten finalists from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) who best exemplifies excellence in coaching – on and off the field – as determined by a combination of hundreds of thousands of fan votes at www.CoachoftheYear.com and an objective scoring model endorsed by the College Football Hall of Fame.
If Coach Meyer wins, he will be recognized in the permanent College Football Hall of Fame display in South Bend, Ind., and will receive $50,000 from Liberty Mutual to support his favorite civic and charitable activities and a $20,000 scholarship donation for Florida's alumni association. This is the third year Liberty Mutual has recognized outstanding coaches and after this season, the total Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year charitable and scholarship contributions will reach $680,000.
“Hundreds of thousands of fans embraced what is unique about this award by voting to name Coach Meyer among the Coach of the Year finalists,” said Greg Gordon, Liberty Mutual senior vice president of Consumer Marketing. “Revered by fans for exhibiting characteristics of sportsmanship, integrity and responsibility, Coach Meyer represents what is great about college football because he understands that how you win is every bit as important as winning itself.”
Coach Meyer led Florida to their second SEC Championship in three years after defeating Alabama 31-20 last Saturday in Atlanta. With the win, Coach Meyer became the third coach in the history of college football to lead a school that was ranked No. 2 (AP) to a win over the No. 1 (AP) team more than once in his college coaching career (Joe Paterno, Penn State; Jimmy Johnson, Miami). The Gators will travel to Miami to take on the University of Oklahoma on Jan. 8 in the BCS National Championship, the second appearance for UF under Coach Meyer.
Joining Coach Meyer among the ten finalists for the Football Bowl Subdivision are:
Mack Brown, University of Texas
Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern University
Brady Hoke, Ball State University
Joe Paterno, Penn State University
Chris Peterson, Boise State University
Nick Saban, University of Alabama
Bob Stoops, University of Oklahoma
Jim Tressel, Ohio State University
Kyle Whittingham, University of Utah
Between Dec.12 and Dec. 22 college football fans are once again invited back to www.CoachoftheYear.com to cast their vote to determine the winner. On the site, fans have the opportunity to review bios and fan testimonials supporting each finalist before they make their selection and enjoy episodes of “Coach's Corner” which offer Archie Manning and Kirk Herbstreit's perspectives on the latest topics in college football.
To ensure candidates are evaluated fairly and measured against the specific values of responsibility and integrity, a Selection Committee composed of College Football Hall of Fame players and coaches and the national media will also cast votes for the winners. Fan votes account for 20 percent of each coach's final score while the College Football Hall of Famers and national college football media account for 55 percent and 25 percent, respectively.
The 2008 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award winners will be announced on ESPN during halftime of the Music City Bowl on Dec. 31.
