GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota head football coach
Chris Mussman found out earlier this week that he has been added to the list of nominees for the 2011 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year award. Created in 2006, the award recognizes one college football coach from each division (I-FBS, I-FCS, II and III), rewarding them for their sportsmanship, integrity, responsibility and excellence.
Winners will receive $50,000 to donate to a charity of their choice, a $20,000 grant to each school's alumni association and the Coach of the Year trophy. Since its inaugural season in 2006, the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award has donated more than $1.2 million to over 80 charities and colleges. This year's finalists will be announced December 6and the winners will be announced January 9, 2012, in New Orleans, in advance of the BCS championship game.
Fans can visit www.coachoftheyear.com to cast their vote for Mussman. Voting will run through December 3 and from that process the top 15 coaches from each division will be evaluated by an objective scoring model endorsed by the College Football Hall of Fame. The organization will then announce five finalists from the FCS level on Dec. 6.
Mussman, who is in his fourth season leading the UND program, currently has the Fighting Sioux ranked in the FCS Coaches Poll top 25 for the first time since beginning the transition to Division I and the Football Championship Subdivision in 2008.
His team's commitment to community service was recently recognized on an individual basis when senior safety
Justin Belotti (Kenosha, Wis.) was one of 22 football student-athletes named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®. Belotti and his teammates will start to amp up their efforts in the annual football fundraiser “Holiday Magic From Markus” in the coming weeks.
“The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award shines a light on great coaching and leadership – both on and off the field – which is so vital at the college level,” said Archie Manning, Chairman of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. “As a former college football player and father of football playing sons, I know first-hand the influence these coaches have on a student-athlete, even after a player's final days on the field.”
The 2011 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year voting and selection process is a unique process involving fans, College Football Hall of Fame players and coaches, and college football media:
• September 1 – December 3: Voting open to all fans at www.coachoftheyear.com. The top 15
coaches with the most fan votes in each of the four college football divisions – FBS, FCS, Division
II, and Division III – advance to an evaluation process using an objective scoring model endorsed
by the College Football Hall of Fame to measure coaching excellence, sportsmanship, integrity,
academic success and community commitment.
• December 6: Finalists are announced – 10 coaches from the FBS and five coaches each from the
FCS, Division II, and Division III.
by two select panels – one representing the College Football Hall of Fame and one comprised of
select members of the media. Members of these panels include: Archie Manning, Lou Holtz, Vince
Dooley, Ronnie Lott, Archie Griffin; and famed sports analysts including, Kirk Herbstreit, Stewart
Mandel and Tim Brando. Winners are ultimately determined using the following voting weight:
Fans 20%, College Football Hall of Fame 55%, and Media 25%
• January 9: The 2011 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award winners will be announced in
advance of the BCS championship game in New Orleans, Louisiana
Fans also will have new and enhanced ways to show their support their favorite coach and engage with the college football community:
• Daily voting by division – New in 2011, fans can vote for one coach in each division per day
• Coach of the Year goes mobile – Fans can now vote for their favorite coaches anywhere and anytime by visiting a mobile-enabled version of www.coachoftheyear.com on their smart phones
• Join the conversation – Fans can join the growing communities on Facebook by visiting www.Facebook.com/LMCoachofYear or on Twitter, @LMCoachofYear
• Enhanced website – In 2011, www.coachoftheyear.com will feature more unique content to enjoy and share. Fans are encouraged to check back regularly for fresh, new content, including:o Ask Archie – opportunity for fans to submit their college football questions to be answered by Archie Manning
• Enhanced leaderboard feature – features trending, up-to-the-minute vote tally, allowing fans to see their coach's vote ranking in real-time
• Sharable Coach cards – sharable electronic trading cards with exclusive content for fans to pass along via their social media channels
• Promote Your Coach Banners – downloadable site banners to promote voting for your favorite coach
• “Sound Off” section – forum area for fans to show support for their coaches and interact with other fans
“For the past five years, the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award has celebrated coaches who embody responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and excellence through their work on and off the field,” said Greg Gordon, Liberty Mutual senior vice president, Consumer Marketing. “These are the coaches who are natural leaders and who make an impact not just on the scoreboard but also within their communities. With the support of their fans, who play a significant role in honoring them with their votes, we are proud to recognize them for their continued dedication to be the best in college football.”
About Liberty Mutual Insurance
"Helping people live safer, more secure lives" since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group is a diversified global insurer and the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on A.M. Best Company's report of 2010 net written premium. The Group also ranks 82nd on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2010 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 Insurance (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 13,000 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.
About the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a nonprofit 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, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity, Play It Smart, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the NFF National ScholarAthlete Alumni Association, the NFF Gridiron Clubs of New York City, Dallas, and Los Angeles, and scholarships of more than $1.3 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF presents the MacArthur Bowl, the Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. For more information, visit
www.footballfoundation.org.
– Go Sioux –
