Coach of the Year - Liberty Mutual

Brian Kelly

Notre Dame

Since taking the coaching reins of one of college football’s most storied programs, Coach Kelly has led Notre Dame’s resurgence as a national power. In three seasons, Coach Kelly’s Fighting Irish have amassed a 28-10 record, including an unblemished 2012 slate heading into tonight’s BCS National Championship Game against Alabama. That win total ties Kelly for the most by any Notre Dame head coach through his first three seasons in South Bend. A devoted supporter of charity and education, Coach Kelly's on-field success is matched only by his community work off the field. In 2008, Kelly and his wife, Paqui, started the Kelly Cares Foundation which has an emphasis on breast cancer research, education and awareness. The Kelly’s also provided a $250,000 gift to the university to support cancer research, Notre Dame’s Hesburgh Library system, and the Robinson Community Learning Center, which provides tutoring, violence-prevention programs, youth entrepreneurship and performing arts projects for at-risk families in South Bend. Kelly’s student-athletes also thrive in the classroom, with four Irish players this year named to the Hampshire Honor Society, earned by achieving a minimum 3.2 grade point average throughout their college careers; two players named first-team Academic All-Americans; and, for the second consecutive year the program produced a National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete. In 2012, Notre Dame became the first FBS football team to be ranked No. 1 in the polls and No. 1 in graduation success.

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Willie Fritz

Sam Houston State

In three years since arriving in Huntsville, Coach Fritz has built the Sam Houston State Bearkats from a sub-.500 program to 31 victories and back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division I (FCS) national championship games for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Coach Fritz’s student-athletes have enjoyed success in the classroom as well. In his first two seasons, 70 Bearkats were named to the Southland Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll, and in 2011 Sam Houston State placed seven players on the Academic All-Southland Conference team, the most for any school. Beyond the success on the field, Coach Fritz has established a culture of community responsibility among his players and staff. Among their activities are canned food drives for the Good Shepherd Mission in Huntsville, fundraisers for the Ronald McDonald House and the Wounded Warrior Project, and weekly visits to local schools to read with children.

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Peter Rossomando

University of New Haven

Coach Rossomando accepted the responsibility of rebuilding New Haven football after the program’s five-year absence. Since the Chargers first win of the 2009 season, Rossomando had amassed a four-year record of 35-9 against Division II opponents, including back-to-back perfect runs through the Northeast-10 Conference in 2011 and 2012. This year’s season saw New Haven win its third consecutive conference title to return to the Division II playoffs, and finished with a 10-1 record and #8 ranking in the national AFCA poll. Off the field, Coach Rossomando and his staff place a high priority on their players’ academic commitment, which has helped nurture two Academic All-Americans. Rossomando is well known for his charitable endeavors supporting local Habitat for Humanity projects, youth mentoring programs, and community clean-up efforts. He is dedicated to the memorial fund he created to honor his brother Nicholas, a New York City fire fighter who lost his life in the 9/11 tragedy.

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Glenn Caruso

University of St. Thomas

Coach Caruso has won three years in a row - the only repeat Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year winner. Caruso engineered a tremendous turnaround at St. Thomas since 2008, continually improving the team year-over-year to take the two-win program he inherited to the Division III national championship game five years later. The Tommies have reeled off undefeated regular seasons three years in a row, and Caruso’s 50 wins over the past four years are the third-most in Division III. Under his leadership, UST football has won CoSIDA Academic All-America honors five times; had one National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete; has had one Gagliardi Trophy finalist and two other semifinalists; and three AFCA Good Works Team honorees. The founder of a Reading Recess program, Caruso also participates in Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society and volunteers at the annual Vision Walk for the Foundation for Fighting Blindness. He founded “Bucky’s Pride” following his first Coach of the Year Award in 2010, which provides support to families with children battling cancer and other blood diseases.

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Coaching is bigger than a game

Fan voting will decide the top 15 coaches from each division who will qualify for our objective scoring model endorsed by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. The model will produce ten finalists from Division I-FBS and five finalist coaches from each of the three other divisions, based on the criteria below.

Sportsmanship

The best coaches conduct themselves in an honorable way on and off the field. By treating their players, opposing coaches and the media with respect, they set an example for everyone to follow.

Integrity

Integrity means knowing how to win the right way. The best coaches refuse to bend or break the rules to keep their teams on top and require the same from their players.

Responsibility

Coaches aren’t just leaders of their team, but also leaders in their community. They give back to their schools and communities that cheer on their teams every week.

Excellence

Wins and losses aren’t the only measure of excellence. It’s also about encouraging student-athletes to excel in the classroom so they be successful in anything they pursue when their playing days are done.

On the Field — Wins, penalties, and year-over-year improvements are among the measures of on-field excellence by the coach, his staff, and his team.

Off the Field — The coach’s commitment to education is measured by academic progress rate (APR) scores for the Division I schools and success at producing Academic All-Americans for Divisions II and III.

How the winners are selected

Fan votes

College hall of fame selection committee votes

National media votes

College Hall of Fame selection committee

Bob Anderson
Jim Ballard
Tom Beck
Tom Brahaney
Roger Brown
Teel Bruner
Marino Casem
Chuck Cecil
Jim Christopher-
son
Carmen Cozza
John Cooper
Jeff Davis
Dan Dierdorf
Jim Dombroski
Terry Donahue
Vince Dooley
Joe Dudek
LaVell Edwards
Dick Farley
Joe Fusco
Archie Griffin
Bob Griese
Roger Harring
Chad Hennings
Lou Holtz
Jim Houston
Don James
Billy Joe
Johnnie Johnson
Brian Kelley
Ted Kessinger
Roy Kidd
Gordie Lockbaum
Ronnie Loft
Archie Manning
Fred Martinelli
Mark May
Rueben Mayes
Randall McDaniel
Don McPherson
Darrell Murda
Don Nehlen
Tom Osborne
Tubby Raymond
Bob Reade
John Robinson
James Saxton
Jeff Siemon
Bruce Smith
Jim Sochor
Jessie Tuggle
Herschel Walker
Curt Warner
Frosty Westering
Paul Wiggin
Reggie Williams
Richard Wood
Ron Yary

VIEW ALL »

National media

Craig Bennett
Jack Bogaczyk
Christine Brennan
Tim Brando
Chris Childers
Colin Cowherd
Steve Conroy
Teddy Greenstein
Clyde Hughes
Dan Jenkins
Bill King
Ivan Maisel
Stewart Mandel
Gordie Mann
Keith McMillan
Brandon Misener
Ryan Tipps
Kelly Whiteside
Bud Withers

VIEW ALL »

*Active football coaches in all NCAA divisions with a winning record are eligible to receive the 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award. The winner in each division is chosen using a combination of fan votes and votes received from members of the 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Selection Committee.

To be a finalist, a coach must NOT have had: Major program infractions assessed by the NCAA in the current year (2012) at the school he represents, APR penalties assessed to the program by the NCAA in the last two reporting periods, or major integrity violations during 2012 as determined solely by Liberty Mutual Insurance (also applies to members of coach’s staff).

Coach of the Year 2012 Timeline

Fan Voting 9/12 – 12/1

Your votes during this period will determine the 15 coaches in each division who are eligible to become finalists.

Evaluation 12/2 – 12/3

The top 15 vote getters in each division are evaluated by an objective scoring model endorsed by the College Football Hall of Fame that determines the ten finalists from Division I-FBS, and the five finalists from Division I-FCS, Division II and Division III.

Finalist Voting 12/4 – 12/20

Fans along with the National Media and the College Football Hall of Fame selection committee will cast their votes.

Votes Tallied 12/21 – 1/6/13

Votes are tallied based on the following equation:
20% Fan Votes
55% College Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee Votes
25% National Media Votes

Winners Announced 1/7/13

The four winners are announced at a special ceremony in South Florida in advance of the BCS National Championship Game.

Division I-FBS

Brian Kelly

Notre Dame

Division I-FCS

Willie Fritz

Sam Houston State

Division II

Peter Rossomando

University of New Haven