WACO, Texas – Jacksonville State head coach Jack Crowe has been named the American Football Coaches Association 2004 Region 4 Coach of the Year, as voted by the AFCA memberships.

Crowe guided the Gamecocks to their second straight Ohio Valley Conference Championship and he was recently named the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year.

“This is quite an honor and honestly, I’m flattered” said Crowe. “In this case, more than personal recognition, I think its more recognition of all the people that’s helped make our program more successful.”

The AFCA recognizes five regional Coach of the Year winners in each of the Association's four divisions: I-A, I-AA, Division II (NCAA Division II and NAIA schools) and Division III. The winners are selected by Active members of the Association who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions.

"What makes this award so special is that this is the only coach of the year award voted on exclusively by the coaches themselves," AFCA Executive Director Grant Teaff said. "The winners are selected by the coaches they compete with and against on a daily basis."

Utah's Urban Meyer has earned Division I-A Region 5 honors for the first time in his head coaching career as he led Utah to an 11-0 regular season and a berth in the Tositos Fiesta Bowl. Utah is the first team from a non-BCS conference to earn a bid to a BCS bowl.

Joining Meyer as winners in Division I-A are Virginia's Al Groh (Region 1), Auburn's Tommy Tuberville (Region 2), Wisconsin's Barry Alvarez (Region 3) and Texas-El Paso's Mike Price (Region 4).

In Division I-AA, the winners are New Hampshire's Sean McDonnell (Region 1); Coastal Carolina's David Bennett (Region 2); Jacksonville State's Jack Crowe (Region 3); Southern Illinois' Jerry Kill (Region 4) and California Polytechnic's Rich Ellerson (Region 5).

In Division II, the winners are Shippensburg's Rocky Rees (Region 1); Arkansas Tech's Steve Mullins (Region 2); Michigan Tech's Bernie Anderson (Region 3), Lindenwood's Pat Ross (Region 4) and Colorado School of Mine's Bob Stitt (Region 5).

In Division III, the winners are Trinity's (Conn.) Chuck Priore (Region 1); Delaware Valley's G.A. Mangus (Region 2); Hardin-Simmons' Jimmie Keeling (Region 3); Carthage's Tim Rucks (Region 4) and Concordia-Moorhead's Terry Horan (Region 5).

The AFCA began recognizing district coaches of the year following the 1960 season. The awards were established the same year Eastman Kodak agreed to sponsor the AFCA Coach of the Year award. Prior to 1960, the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain had sponsored the program, which recognized one national Coach of the Year.

The AFCA first recognized eight district winners in each of two divisions: university and college. In 1972, a ninth district was added in each division.

In 1983, the award was changed to recognize regional winners instead of district winners. The number of divisions was increased from two to the four we now have, and five regional winners were selected in each division. This resulted in a more equitable selection process and better represented the make-up of the membership. At the same time, the new system increased the number of honorees from 18 to 20.

The 2004 Regional Coach of the Year winners will be recognized at the AFCA Coach of the Year Dinner at the 2005 AFCA Convention in Louisville, Ky. The dinner is scheduled for January 11.

The AFCA will announce its four National Coach of the Year winners at the 2005 AFCA Convention in Louisville. All head coaches who were eligible for regional honors are eligible for national honors as well.

AFCA National Coach of the Year Winners to Earn Rewards for Their Assistants
The full-time assistants at the four schools represented by the AFCA National Coach of the Year winners will each receive a $1,000 grant from the American Football Coaches Foundation to assist in the education or professional development of each assistant.

Winning AFCA National Coach of the Year will earn all four coaches a trip to Hawaii to coach in the Hula Bowl All-Star Football Classic. The National Coach of the Year winners in Divisions I-AA, II and III will be invited to serve as assistant coaches at the 2005 game on January 22 in Maui. The I-A winner will be invited to serve as a head coach for one of the teams in the 2006 Hula Bowl.

Here’s a brief sketch on this year’s winners:

AFCA Division I-A
Region 1: Al Groh, University of Virginia
First AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Has led the Cavaliers to an 8-3 record and a berth in the MPC Computers Bowl ... Has a career record of 56-60 in 10 seasons at Virginia and Wake Forest ... Has a four-year record of 30-20 at Virginia ... The Cavaliers are 16-8 over the last two seasons ... This year's bowl trip is the third in a row for Virginia ... Led the New York Jets to a 9-7 record in 2000 in his only year as an NFL head coach ... Served 11 seasons as an NFL assistant coach with Atlanta, the New York Giants, Cleveland and New England before his season with the Jets.

Region 2: Tommy Tuberville, Auburn University
First AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Tigers to an 12-0 record, the SEC Championship and a berth in the Sugar Bowl this season ... Has a six-year record of 25-17 at Auburn ... Has a 10-year career record of 37-39 at Auburn and Mississippi ... Auburn will be appearing in its fifth consecutive bowl game this season ... The Tigers have won or shared three of the last four SEC Western Division titles and are playing in their second SEC title game under Tuberville ... Auburn will be seeking its third consecutive bowl win in the Sugar Bowl.

Region 3: Barry Alvarez, University of Wisconsin
First AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Badgers to a 9-2 record and a berth in the Outback Bowl this season ... Has a 15-year career record of 108-69-4 at Wisconsin ... Has guided Wisconsin to three Big Ten and Rose Bowl titles (including back-to-back in 1998-99) en route to becoming the winningest football coach in school history ... Just the 10th coach in Big Ten history to win 100 games at one conference institution ... Earned AFCA National Coach of the Year honors in 1993 when he led Wisconsin to a 10-1-1 record, the Big 10 title and a victory in the Rose Bowl.
Previous AFCA National Coach of the Year Honors: Division I-A, 1993

Region 4: Mike Price, University of Texas-El Paso
Fifth AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Miners to an 8-3 record and a berth in the EV1.net Houston Bowl in his first season at the school ... Has a 23-year career record of 137-125 at UTEP, Washington State and Weber State ... Earned AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honors in 2002 when he led the Cougars to a 9-3 record and a berth in the Rose Bowl ... Earned AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honors in 2001 when he led the Cougars to a 10-2 record and a berth in the Sun Bowl ... Earned AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honors in 1997 when he led the Cougars to a 10-2 record and a berth in the Rose Bowl ... Earned Regional honors in 1987 with a 10-3 mark at Weber State.
Previous AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Honors: Region 5 I-AA 1987; Region 5 I-A 1997, 2001, 2002

Region 5: Urban Meyer, University of Utah
First AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Utes to an 11-0 record, the Mountain West Conference championship and a berth in the Tostios Fiesta Bowl this season ... Utah is the first school from a non-BCS conference to qualify for a BCS bowl game ... Has a two-year record of 21-2 at Utah ... Has a four-year career record of 38-8 at Utah and Boise State ... Led the Utes to a 10-2 record, the Mountain West title and a win in the Liberty Bowl in his first season at the school in 2003 ... Was 17-6 in two seasons at Bowling Green.

AFCA Division I-AA
Region 1: Sean McDonnell, University of New Hampshire
First AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Has led the Wildcats to an 10-3 record, the Atlantic 10 Conference North Division title and a berth in the quarterfinals of the NCAA I-AA playoffs this season ... Has a six-year career record of 33-35 at New Hampshire ... The Wildcats captured their first-ever NCAA I-AA playoff win when they defeated Georgia Southern in the first round of the 2004 playoffs.

Region 2: David Bennett, Coastal Carolina University
Fourth AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Chanticleers to a 10-1 record and the Big South Conference title in 2004 ... Has a two-season record of 16-6 at Coastal Carolina ... Has a nine-year career record of 79-23 at Coastal Carolina and Catawba ... Hired as Coastal Carolina's first football coach following the 2001 season and spent 2002 developing the school's football program ... Posted a 63-17 record in seven seasons at Catawba and won four South Atlantic Conference titles .. Led the Indians to an 11-2 record and a berth in the NCAA Division II semifinals in his final year at Catawba in 2001.
Previous AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Honors: Region 2 Division II, 1994, 1999, 2000

Region 3: Jack Crowe, Jacksonville State University
First AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Gamecocks to a 9-2 record, the Ohio Valley Conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs this season ... Has a 31-24 record in five seasons at Jacksonville State ... This year's OVC title was the second for the Gamecoacks in just two years of competition in the league ... Has a 10-year career record of 45-54 Jacksonville State, Arkansas and Livingston (now West Alabama).

Region 4: Jerry Kill, Southern Illinois University
Second AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Salukis to a 10-2 record, the Gateway Conference title and a berth in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs in 2004 ... Has a four-year record of 25-22 at Southern Illinois ... Has a career record of 74-47 in 11 seasons at Southern Illinois, Saginaw Valley State and Emporia State ... Southern Illinois is 20-4 in the last two seasons ... SIU made it first playoff appearance in 20 years in 2003.
Previous AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Honors: Region 4 Division I-AA, 2003

Region 5: Rich Ellerson, California Polytechnic State University
First AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Mustangs to a 9-2 record and the inaugural Great West Conference title in 2004 ... Has a four-year record of 25-19 at Cal Poly-SLO ... Has a career record of 29-26 in five seasons at Cal Poly and Southern Utah ... Cal Poly has won 11 of its last 13 home games and 17 of 23 overall dating back to the final game of 2002 ... The Mustangs finished third in the nation in rushing defense (84.27), fifth in net punting (38.10) and ninth in scoring defense (16.64). Cal Poly was ranked as high as No. 5 in the national polls, settling for No. 16 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.

AFCA Division II

Region 1: Rocky Rees, Shippensburg University
Second AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Flying Dutchmen to a 10-2 record, a share of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title and a berth in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs this season ... Has a 93-73-1 record in 15 years at Shippensburg ... Has a career record of 129-88-1 in 20 years at Shippensburg and Susquehanna .. Earned AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honors in 1986 at Susquehanna when he led the Crusaders to an 11-1 record, the Middle Atlantic Conference title and a berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Previous AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Honors: Region 2 College Division II (Now Division III), 1986

Region 2: Steve Mullins, Arkansas Tech University
First AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Wonderboys to a 10-2 record, a second place finish in the Gulf South Conference and a berth in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs ... Has an eight-year career record of 52-35 at Arkansas Tech ... Led Arkansas Tech to a 9-3 record, the Gulf South Conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1999.

Region 3: Bernie Anderson, Michigan Tech University
First AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Huskies to a 9-2 record, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs this year ... Has an 18-year career record of 87-93 at Michigan Tech ... This year's conference title was the first ever for the Huskies and the program posted nine wins for only the third time in its 82-year history ... Two of Tech's nine-win teams have been coached by Anderson. His 1992 squad finished 9-1 ... His 87 wins are the most for a head coach in the program's history.

Region 4: Pat Ross, Lindenwood University
First AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Lions to an 11-1 record, the Heart of America Conference title and a berth in the NAIA playoffs in his first season at Lindenwood ... Has a three-year career record of 25-8 at Lindenwood and Ottawa ... Led Ottawa to a 9-2 record and a berth in the NAIA playoffs in his final year at the school in 2003 .. At age 29, he is one of the youngest college football head coaches in America.

Region 5: Bob Stitt, Colorado School of Mines
First AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Orediggers to a 12-1 record, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title and a berth in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs this season ... Has a five-year record of 34-22 at Colorado School of Mines ... The RMAC title is the first in school history ... The Orediggers won 14 consecutive games in the 2003 and 2004 seasons ... Colorado School of Mines has posted three consecutive winning seasons for the first time in 89 years .. Stitt's .611 winning percentage is the best in school history.

AFCA Division III
Region 1: Chuck Priore, Trinity College (Conn.)
First AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Bantams to an 8-0 record and the New England Small College Athletic Conference title in 2004 ... Has a four-year career record of 31-9 at Trinity ... The Bantams have won 22 consecutive games and three consecutive NESCAC titles ... The 22 consecutive wins is the longest current streak in Division III ... Trinity is now 23-1 since the start of the 2002 season.

Region 2: G.A. Mangus, Delaware Valley College
First AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Has led the Aggies to a 11-1 record, the Middle Atlantic Conference title and a berth in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III playoffs so far this season ... Has a three-year career record of 23-11 at Delaware Valley ... The Aggies' playoff appearance is the first in the program's history and the first NCAA trip for any athletic team at Delaware Valley ... The Aggies are 21-3 in their last 24 games.

Region 3: Jimmie Keeling, Hardin-Simmons University
Second AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Cowboys to a 10-1 record, the American Southwest Conference title and a berth in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs this season ... Has a 15-year career record of 127-36 at Hardin-Simmons ... Earned Regional Coach of the Year honors in 2001 when he led the Cowboys to an 8-2 record, the American Southwest Conference title and berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs ... The Cowboys have won 10 conference titles in his 15 years at the school ... Has been the school's only head coach since it revived its football program in 1990.
Previous AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Honors: Division III, Region 3, 2001

Region 4: Tim Rucks, Carthage College
First AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Redmen to an 11-2 record, a share of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin title and a berth in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III playoffs this season ... Has a record of 49-48-1 in 10 seasons at Carthage ... Has a 14-year career record of 58-81-4 at Carthage and North Park ... In four years at North Park, he increased the size of the football squad from 21 players to 91 players and led the program to its best finish in 25 years in 1993.

Region 5: Terry Horan, Concordia College (Moorhead, Minn.)
First AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award ... Led the Cobbeers to an 11-1 record, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and a berth in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs this season ... Has a four-year career record of 30-12 at Concordia-Moorhead .. The 11 wins this season equal the most in a single season in school history ... The Cobbers have finished in the top three in the MIAC in each of the last three seasons, capturing their first MIAC title since 1986 this year ... Horan was a starting wide receiver on Concordia's last conference championship squad.

For more information on the AFCA and its programs, log onto the AFCA's website at www.afca.com.