At hundreds of colleges and universities
across the country, college
football coaches
devote fall Saturdays to executing their game strategies in hopes of leading
their teams to victory. However,
in Division II, there are five coaches whose dedication and commitment are
felt beyond the field of play, helping to promote academic excellence among their
student-athletes and through charitable acts in their communities.
Today, Liberty Mutual Insurance recognizes USF head football coach Jed
Stugart, one of five D-II finalists for the 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the
Year Award, the premier college football-coaching
honor that promotes charity and scholarship while also honoring coaches for
their sportsmanship, integrity, responsibility and excellence, on and off the
field.
The five D-II finalists 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. To qualify
for this model, each coach was among the top 15 in fan votes in Division II. Those coaches were then 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.
“We have heard first-hand by USF fans' voting that Coach Stugart is a
clear example of what it means to be a true leader both on the field and in the
community,” said James MacPhee, senior vice president and Chief Marketing Officer
at Liberty Mutual Insurance “We applaud Coach Stugart's commitment to the
values that help shape the players he coaches and sense of service to the
community in which he lives and are pleased to celebrate him as one of this
year's finalists for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award in Division II.”
Coach Stugart joins a class of five Division II finalists for the 2012
Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award including, in alphabetical order: Mark
Maciejewski, Shippensburg (Pa.); Scott Maxfield, Henderson State (Ark.); Bob
Nielson, Minnesota Duluth and Peter Rossomando, New Haven (Conn.).
“Many coaches are recognized for just the tally in the wins column at
the end of each season,” said USF director of athletics Kevin Hesser. “But,
Coach Stugart is a rare breed of leader, who has not only committed himself to
success on the field, but also the community and academic success of his
athletes, off the field. Cougar fans, parents and alumni are proud to have one
of our own named as a finalist for the 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year
Award.”
Show Coach Stugart Your Support – Tweet Your Vote at Coachoftheyear.com
Beginning today through December 20, USF fans can log their Liberty
Mutual Coach of the Year vote for Coach Stugart by visiting coachoftheyear.com on their PC, tablet or mobile device and posting a pre-populated tweet. As part of
Liberty Mutual's partnership with the National Football Foundation, a
selection committee of more than 50 College Football Hall of Fame players and
coaches, including Archie Manning, Lou Holtz, Vince Dooley, Ronnie Lott, Archie
Griffin; as well as national college football media, such as Colin Cowherd, Stewart
Mandel and Tim Brando, will evaluate the coaches based on their responsibility,
integrity and on-field success to help determine the four coaching winners from
the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), Football Championship Subdivision (FCS),
Division II and Division III. Winners
are ultimately determined using the following voting weight: Fans 20 percent, College Football Hall
of Fame 55 percent, and Media 25 percent.
Liberty Mutual will announce the four winners the morning of the BCS
Championship game, January 7, 2013, in South Florida. The Division II coaching winner will receive a $50,000
donation from Liberty Mutual to the charity or charities of his choice, as well
as a $20,000 scholarship grant in their name to their school's alumni
association. Since 2006, the
Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award has celebrated the work of its 21 winners
by donating more than $1.5 million to over 90 charities and college alumni
scholarship funds. If Coach Stugart is named 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the
Year for the Football Championship Subdivision, he will join former winners in
the Division II, including: Tim Beck, Pittsburg State University (2011); Bob
Nielsen, University of Minnesota-Duluth (2010); Mel Tjeerdsma, Northwest
Missouri State (2009); Chuck Broyles, Pittsburg State University (2008) and Bill
O'Boyle, Chadron State College (2007).
USF Cougar fans can visit
coachoftheyear.com, and connect with
us on Facebook at Facebook.com/LMCoachoftheYear, Tumblr at LMcoachofyear.tumblr.com or Twitter at @lmcoachofyear.
About
Liberty Mutual Insurance
"Helping
people live safer, more secure lives" since 1912, Boston-based Liberty
Mutual Insurance is a diversified global insurer and the third largest property
and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2011 direct premiums written as
reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Liberty
Mutual Insurance also ranks 84th on the Fortune 100 list of largest
U.S. corporations, based on 2011 revenue. The company employs over 50,000
people in more than 900 offices throughout the world.
The sixth-largest
auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual (libertymutual.com) sells full lines
of coverage for automobile, homeowners, valuable possessions, personal
liability, and individual life insurance. The company is an industry
leader in affinity partnerships, offering car and home insurance to employees
and members of more than 14,000 companies, credit unions, professional
associations and alumni groups.
About the
National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947
with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl
"Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National
Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational
organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football
in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young
people. With 121 chapters and
12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of
Fame, the NFF Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments, Play
It Smart, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete
Alumni Association, and scholarships of more than $1.3 million for college and
high school scholar-athletes. The
NFF presents the MacArthur Bowl, the William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by
HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. For more information, please visit www.footballfoundation.org
