John Grass Earns Second-Straight Regional Coach of the Year Honor
12/7/2015 9:10:00 AM | Football
WACO, Texas - Jacksonville State head football coach John Grass has been named the American Football Coaches Association's (AFCA) FCS Regional Coach of the Year for the second-straight year.
Off to what is tied for the best start in FCS history at 21-3, Grass and his No. 1 Gamecocks (11-1) are getting ready for an FCS Quarterfinal Matchup against Charleston Southern on Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
Grass, in his second year as a collegiate head coach, made NCAA history this season in becoming the first FCS coach to begin his career with a perfect 16-0 conference record in leading Jacksonville State to its second-straight OVC Championship. Jax State became just the third program in OVC history to complete back-to-back 8-0 seasons, joining Eastern Kentucky (1993 & 1994) and Murray State (1995 & 1996).
He has JSU in the Quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs for just the second time in school history and the second time in the last three years after a thrilling 41-35 overtime win over No. 7 Chattanooga on Saturday.
Grass' team started the season with a victory at No. 8 Chattanooga (the eventual Southern Conference champions) and followed that by becoming the first-ever FCS team to take a ranked FBS opponent to overtime in giving No. 6 ranked Auburn all it could handle before falling 27-20. Despite the loss the Gamecocks ascended to No. 1 in the STATS FCS Top 25 poll, the first-ever No. 1 ranking at any level of football in program history. JSU was the first OVC team to be atop the FCS rankings since the 1999 season and has held that No. 1 ranking for 11-straight weeks entering the postseason.
This year's OVC Championship is the fifth in program history and JSU will be making its sixth FCS Playoff berth, this time as the No. 1 overall national seed. Grass, who is a finalist for the STATS FCS National Coach of the Year, is the eighth OVC coach to win Roy Kidd OVC Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons and first since EIU's Dino Babers in 2012 and 2013. The OVC Coach of the Year award is named after Eastern Kentucky legend Roy Kidd, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, who won the award a record 10 times during his career (1964-2002) and retired with 314 victories, the second-most in I-AA/FCS history.
2015 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Winners
Football Championship Subdivision
Region 1: Buddy Teevens, Dartmouth College
Region 2: Mike Houston, The Citadel
Region 3: John Grass, Jacksonville State University*
Region 4: Rick Chamberlin, University of Dayton
Region 5: Ed Lamb, Southern Utah University
Football Bowl Subdivision
Region 1: Dabo Swinney, Clemson University
Region 2: Jim McElwain, University of Florida*
Region 3: Kirk Ferentz, University of Iowa
Region 4: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State University
Region 5: David Shaw, Stanford University
Division II
Region 1: Monte Cater, Shepherd University
Region 2: Will Hall, University of West Georgia
Region 3: Lee Owens, Ashland University
Region 4: Dan Cocannouer,
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Region 5: Rob Smith, Humboldt State University
Division III
Region 1: E.J. Mills, Amherst College
Region 2: Jeff Pukszyn, Moravian College
Region 3: Buck Buchanan, Hendrix College
Region 4: Mike Swider, Wheaton College*
Region 5: Pat Cerroni, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
NAIA
Region 1: Drew Cronic, Reinhardt University
Region 2: Kevin Donley, University of Saint Francis (Ind.)
Region 3: Mike Grossner, Baker University
Region 4: Steve Ryan, Morningside College*
Region 5: Donnie Yantis, Arizona Christian University
*-2014 winner
Award History: 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, and the number of divisions was increased from two to four, 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. In 2006, the AFCA?Division II?Award was split into separate Division II?and NAIA divisions, giving us the 25 winners we now recognize.
AFCA?National Coach of the Year: ?The AFCA?will announce its five 2015 National Coach of the Year winners at the 2016 AFCA?Convention in San Antonio, Texas. All head coaches who were eligible for regional honors are eligible for national honors as well.
Repeat Winners:?Florida's Jim McElwain, Jacksonville State's John Grass, Wheaton's Mike Swider and Morningside's Steve Ryan are the repeat winners from 2014. Swider also won Regional honors in 2003, giving him three for his career, while Ryan added his fifth honor, with his other four awards coming in 2005, 2011, 2012 and 2014.
Off to what is tied for the best start in FCS history at 21-3, Grass and his No. 1 Gamecocks (11-1) are getting ready for an FCS Quarterfinal Matchup against Charleston Southern on Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
Grass, in his second year as a collegiate head coach, made NCAA history this season in becoming the first FCS coach to begin his career with a perfect 16-0 conference record in leading Jacksonville State to its second-straight OVC Championship. Jax State became just the third program in OVC history to complete back-to-back 8-0 seasons, joining Eastern Kentucky (1993 & 1994) and Murray State (1995 & 1996).
He has JSU in the Quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs for just the second time in school history and the second time in the last three years after a thrilling 41-35 overtime win over No. 7 Chattanooga on Saturday.
Grass' team started the season with a victory at No. 8 Chattanooga (the eventual Southern Conference champions) and followed that by becoming the first-ever FCS team to take a ranked FBS opponent to overtime in giving No. 6 ranked Auburn all it could handle before falling 27-20. Despite the loss the Gamecocks ascended to No. 1 in the STATS FCS Top 25 poll, the first-ever No. 1 ranking at any level of football in program history. JSU was the first OVC team to be atop the FCS rankings since the 1999 season and has held that No. 1 ranking for 11-straight weeks entering the postseason.
This year's OVC Championship is the fifth in program history and JSU will be making its sixth FCS Playoff berth, this time as the No. 1 overall national seed. Grass, who is a finalist for the STATS FCS National Coach of the Year, is the eighth OVC coach to win Roy Kidd OVC Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons and first since EIU's Dino Babers in 2012 and 2013. The OVC Coach of the Year award is named after Eastern Kentucky legend Roy Kidd, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, who won the award a record 10 times during his career (1964-2002) and retired with 314 victories, the second-most in I-AA/FCS history.
2015 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Winners
Football Championship Subdivision
Region 1: Buddy Teevens, Dartmouth College
Region 2: Mike Houston, The Citadel
Region 3: John Grass, Jacksonville State University*
Region 4: Rick Chamberlin, University of Dayton
Region 5: Ed Lamb, Southern Utah University
Football Bowl Subdivision
Region 1: Dabo Swinney, Clemson University
Region 2: Jim McElwain, University of Florida*
Region 3: Kirk Ferentz, University of Iowa
Region 4: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State University
Region 5: David Shaw, Stanford University
Division II
Region 1: Monte Cater, Shepherd University
Region 2: Will Hall, University of West Georgia
Region 3: Lee Owens, Ashland University
Region 4: Dan Cocannouer,
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Region 5: Rob Smith, Humboldt State University
Division III
Region 1: E.J. Mills, Amherst College
Region 2: Jeff Pukszyn, Moravian College
Region 3: Buck Buchanan, Hendrix College
Region 4: Mike Swider, Wheaton College*
Region 5: Pat Cerroni, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
NAIA
Region 1: Drew Cronic, Reinhardt University
Region 2: Kevin Donley, University of Saint Francis (Ind.)
Region 3: Mike Grossner, Baker University
Region 4: Steve Ryan, Morningside College*
Region 5: Donnie Yantis, Arizona Christian University
*-2014 winner
Award History: 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, and the number of divisions was increased from two to four, 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. In 2006, the AFCA?Division II?Award was split into separate Division II?and NAIA divisions, giving us the 25 winners we now recognize.
AFCA?National Coach of the Year: ?The AFCA?will announce its five 2015 National Coach of the Year winners at the 2016 AFCA?Convention in San Antonio, Texas. All head coaches who were eligible for regional honors are eligible for national honors as well.
Repeat Winners:?Florida's Jim McElwain, Jacksonville State's John Grass, Wheaton's Mike Swider and Morningside's Steve Ryan are the repeat winners from 2014. Swider also won Regional honors in 2003, giving him three for his career, while Ryan added his fifth honor, with his other four awards coming in 2005, 2011, 2012 and 2014.
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