Now in its fourth year of heralding college football coaches who demonstrate sportsmanship, integrity and responsibility on and off the field, Liberty Mutual Insurance today announced the 25 finalists for the 2009 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award. Liberty Mutual will award one winner from each NCAA division $50,000 to donate to the charity of their choice and a $20,000 grant to donate to their school’s alumni association for student scholarships and activities, bringing the Award’s four-year charitable and scholarship contribution to nearly $1 million. The winners will be announced January 6, 2010, in Los Angeles, in advance of the BCS Championship Game.

The finalists (10 from the Football Bowl Subdivision and five each from the Football Championship Subdivision, Division II and Division III) were determined by the result of online fan votes at www.CoachoftheYear.com and an objective scoring model endorsed by the College Football Hall of Fame. Each coach was among the top 15 in fan votes in his division to qualify for the model, which considers, among other criteria: wins, team penalties, on-field sportsmanship, academic achievement by the student-athletes, and civic and philanthropic endeavors.

“These 25 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year finalists demonstrate that college football is about more than winning on the field,” said Archie Manning, Chairman of the National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame. “They embody the spirit of the sport by inspiring greatness and leadership in their athletes, whether in the stadium, in the classroom, or in their communities.”

2009 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Finalists (listed in alphabetical order)

Football Bowl Subdivision:
Mack Brown, University of Texas
Pete Carroll, University of Southern California
Kirk Ferentz, University of Iowa
Al Golden, Temple University
Paul Johnson, Georgia Institute of Technology
Brian Kelly, University of Cincinnati
Joe Paterno, Penn State University
Gary Patterson, Texas Christian University
Nick Saban, University of Alabama
Dabo Swinney, Clemson University

Football Championship Subdivision:
Tom Gilmore, College of the Holy Cross
Jerry Moore, Appalachian State University
Danny Rocco, Liberty University
Bob Spoo, Eastern Illinois University
John Stiegelmeier, South Dakota State University

Division II:
Bo Atterberry, Texas A&M University – Kingsville
Danny Hale, Bloomsburg University
Bill Maskill, Midwestern State University
Bob Nielson, University of Minnesota – Duluth
Mel Tjeerdsma, Northwest Missouri State University

Division III:
Steve Briggs, Susquehanna University
Greg Debeljak, Case Western Reserve University
John Gagliardi, Saint John’s (Minn.) University
Steve Staker, Coe College
John Troxell, Franklin & Marshall College

“College football fans again expressed their passion for their teams and coaches by casting hundreds of thousands of votes to help produce this year’s impressive list of finalists,” said Greg Gordon, senior vice president of Consumer Marketing at Liberty Mutual. “Each of these 25 coaches has made a great impact on the lives of their student athletes and their communities and we are proud to recognize them as Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year finalists.”


Between December 15 and December 29 fans can visit www.CoachoftheYear.com to vote among the finalists. Fan votes constitute 20 percent of a coach’s final score.

To ensure candidates are evaluated fairly and measured against the specific values of responsibility and integrity, selection committees of College Football Hall of Fame players and coaches – including Archie Manning, Lou Holtz, Vince Dooley, Ronnie Lott, and Jerry Rice – and the national college football media will also cast votes for the winners. Hall of Fame and media votes account for 55 percent and 25 percent, respectively.

Launched in 2006, Liberty Mutual created the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award to celebrate responsible coaching because it is one of the clearest examples of a positive influence on young people, their families and entire communities. Past winners include 2006 – Greg Schiano (Rutgers); 2007 – Ron Zook (Illinois), Jerry Kill (Southern Illinois), Bill O’Boyle (Chadron State), John Gagliardi (Saint John’s); 2008 – Nick Saban (Alabama), Mickey Matthews (James Madison), Chuck Broyles (Pittsburg State), Larry Kehres (Mount Union).


About Liberty Mutual Group
“Helping people live safer, more secure lives” since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group (Libertymutualgroup.com) is a diversified global insurer and fifth-largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2008 direct written premium. Liberty Mutual Group ranks 86th on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2008 revenue. The company has over 45,000 employees located in more than 900 offices throughout the world.

The eighth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual (libertymutual.com) sells full lines of coverage for automobile, homeowners, valuable possessions, personal liability, and individual life insurance. The company is an industry leader in affinity partnerships, offering car and home insurance to employees and members of more than 12,000 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.

About the National Football Foundation & the College Football Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 121 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, Play It Smart, the NFF-FWAA Football Forum, the NFF Gridiron Club of New York City, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF presents the MacArthur Trophy, the Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org or www.collegefootball.org.