COLUMBUS, Ohio –Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer is a finalist for the 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award. The award promotes charity and scholarship while also honoring coaches for their sportsmanship, integrity, responsibility and excellence, on and off the field.
Meyer, also a finalist this year for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award presented by the Football Writers Association of America, guided the Buckeyes to a 12-0 record – just the sixth undefeated/untied season in school history – and to the championship of the Big Ten Conference Leaders Division.
The 10 Football Bowl Subdivision finalists for the Liberty Mutual award were determined as a result of fan voting through CoachOfTheYear.com and Twitter from September 12 through December 1, and evaluated through an objective scoring model endorsed by the College Football Hall of Fame. The coaches were also evaluated against a series of on- and off-field criteria; including wins, team penalties, sportsmanship, academic performance by the student-athletes, and charitable commitments in their communities and beyond. Among Meyer’s charitable activities this year:
- Buckeye Cruise for Cancer in February;
- Naples Buckeye Club event to raise money for scholarships in March;
- Columbus City Schools Special Olympics in May;
- Speaker at “Lauren’s First and Goal” football camp in June;
- Held the Ohio State Football Women’s Clinic in June to raise money for Spielman Foundation and the James Cancer Hospital;
- Participated in the Chick Fil A Bowl Challenge to raise money for charity in July;
- Honorary chair for Red Cross golf outing in August;
- Keynote speaker for Team Focus, a program that mentors young men; and
- Keynote speaker for Champions for PLAY, a grant program that provides opportunities for underprivileged area youth.
Finalists, in addition to Meyer, are Brian Kelly, Notre Dame; Jim Mora, UCLA; Bill O’Brien, Penn State; Mark Richt, Georgia; Nick Saban, Alabama; Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M; Dabo Swinney, Clemson; and Charlie Strong, Louisville.
The Coach of the Year will be determined using a combination of College Football Hall of Fame selection committee vote, fan vote – fans can log onto www.coachoftheyear.com to vote through Dec. 20 – and media vote. The winner will be announced the morning of Jan. 7.
Meyer, the second-winningest active Football Bowl Subdivision coach with a winning percentage of .835, is now 116-23 overall, a record that includes a 65-7 home record, a 68-18 mark against conference competition, a 24-7 record against teams in the Top 25 and a 22-3 record in “rivalry games.”
Urban Meyer Coach of the Year(s) Honors
- 2000-09 Sporting News Coach of the Decade
- 2000-09 Sports Illustrated Coach of the Decade
- 2006 National Coach of the Year (All-American Football Foundation)
- 2004 National Coach of the Year (Home Depot, Maxwell Club, FWAA)
- 2004 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year
- 2003 National Coach of the Year (Sporting News)
- 2003 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year
- 2001 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year
