2007 Coach of the Year

['gro]

2007 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award

This award isn't getting much press on d3football.com (or so I thought), but I think it deserves some discussion.  These are the finalists, in their current order on the site.

[Ron Boerger]

[/popularity contest]

[Pat Coleman]

Gro -- the front page link on Tuesday wasn't enough pub for you?

['gro]

Gro -- the front page link on Tuesday wasn't enough pub for you?

must of missed it, just saw it in the noteables.

[Ralph Turner]

[/popularity contest]

East Region  -- Two.  (One team eliminated the other in the first round, only to see the winner monkey-stomped in the second round.)
North Region -- Two.  (One team failed to make the playoffs, and the other was eliminated in the second round by a team that was 2 points shy of a double monkey-stomp in the 3rd round.)
West Region -- One (Team was eliminated in the second round.)

[K-Mack]

Gro -- the front page link on Tuesday wasn't enough pub for you?

must of missed it, just saw it in the noteables.

I mentioned it several weeks in a row in ATN.

But I guess you didn't say getting "no" press on D3football.com

This is the first year for the trophy, definitely takes time to gain steam. Hard for us to give it much coverage when readers don't seem to care about it, and hard for readers to care about it if we don't give it much coverage.

As far as the discussion, I think it should be between Hamilton and Debeljak. Whether it will be is another story.

I am firmly in the 'Did the most with the least' and 'unexpectedly good' camp on Coach of the Year awards, unless a team with a lot of talent or one that was expected to be good had to fight through a lot of adversity ... like maybe Capital this season.

I hate when Coach of the Year awards just go to the guy who wins the championship. Sometimes that is the finest coaching job of the year, a lot of times it isn't.

['gro]

See, discussion... the real purpose of this thread.

Hard for us to give it much coverage when readers don't seem to care about it

isn't that called a self fulfilling prophecy? 


seriously though, I agree with the 'did more with less' thought process.  Too bad my vote is biased anyway. 

[retagent]

I would think that using Keith's criteria, which I also subscribe to, the UWEC coach would have been at the top of my list.

[K-Mack]

Hard for us to give it much coverage when readers don't seem to care about it

isn't that called a self fulfilling prophecy? 

I swear that there was a second half to that sentence when I typed it

Or are you saying no one cares about anything that isn't on D3football.com? (pats self on back, adjusts tie)

I think, using that criteria, our All-Region coaches of the year might not be anyone that's in the Liberty Mutual top 5, although I can't say that for sure.

R-MC, IWU and TCNJ were the teams that totally came out of nowhere to be in their conference's title mix. Albright too I guess.

[Ralph Turner]

Gro -- the front page link on Tuesday wasn't enough pub for you?

must of missed it, just saw it in the Notables.

...

As far as the discussion, I think it should be between Hamilton and Debeljak. Whether it will be is another story.

I am firmly in the 'Did the most with the least' and 'unexpectedly good' camp on Coach of the Year awards, unless a team with a lot of talent or one that was expected to be good had to fight through a lot of adversity ... like maybe Capital this season.

I hate when Coach of the Year awards just go to the guy who wins the championship. Sometimes that is the finest coaching job of the year, a lot of times it isn't.

R-MC, IWU and TCNJ were the teams that totally came out of nowhere to be in their conference's title mix. Albright too I guess.

Let me add, Coach Ginn at NCWC who got his team to the playoffs in his 4th year, and got a playoff win over a name team, W&J.

Finally, if Coach Fredenburg from UMHB gets a Stagg Championship, then that warrants consideration in the "COTY Finals".

[Jonny Utah]

Isnt this a "internet voting" poll where everyone can vote?

[K-Mack]

Isnt this a "internet voting" poll where everyone can vote?

I believe fans played a large role in determining the final five and have a 20% say in who wins. I know there is a committee involved beyond fans for the vote though.

Here. Right hand rail explains it.

[Jonny Utah]

Isnt this a "internet voting" poll where everyone can vote?

I believe fans played a large role in determining the final five and have a 20% say in who wins. I know there is a committee involved beyond fans for the vote though.

Here. Right hand rail explains it.

A close member of my family works for Liberty Mutual and told me about this earlier in the year.  I should have stuffed the ballots early!

[K-Mack]

Looks like your guy is still in the running though, right? 

I like these criteria:

Team Discipline - Total number of penalties in comparison to the respective conference average

SPORTSMANSHIP / INTEGRITY
On-Field Sportsmanship Total personal foul penalties

Off-Field Integrity Absence of integrity violations by head coach or staff
Absence of integrity violations per player per incident

[ADL70]

Let me point out that four of the finalists come from storied programs with a history of success.  Coach Debeljak brought in CWRU's largest recruiting class ever and lead the Spartans to the most wins ever in a season, the second winning season in fifteen years, and the third conference title in the 38 year history of the program.  This season the Spartans notched wins over three teams that had a combined 55-21 winning record against them.  Two of those teams they hadn't beaten since 1990 and 1994 respectively.