If you haven’t put in your vote for the 2008 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year award yet, you still have a few more weeks to do so.
Voting on the award continues until December 6, so if you haven’t cast your vote, I suggest you do so, because helping put your favorite coach over the top can help out your school as well.
If you, it’s not just about wins and losses, but about the impact that a coach has in molding and motivating his players on and off the field, keeping his program strong in the face of adversity, and on the whole, building a program that‘s as much of a positive light off of the field as it is on the field.
What coach comes to mind for you? For me, there’s a trio, in Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald, Ball State’s Brady Hoke, and Texas Tech’s Mike Leach.
Despite injuries to quarterback C.J. Bacher and RB Tyrell Sutton throughout the season, 8-3 Northwestern already has their most wins since an 8-4 season in 2000, and have a chance for their best year since the mid 90s.
As for Hoke and the Cardinals, they’ve stayed strong despite the loss of star receiver Dante Love to a frightening spinal injury early in the season. After knocking off two-time defending MAC champ Central Michigan on Wednesday night, Ball State is now 11-0 and on the verge of a MAC East title, and they still have a shot at a BCS bowl, if a few results go their way.
Leach has building the program up to this point since he arrived in Lubbock after the 1999 season, and all of his hard work is now paying off in the Red Raiders being in the national title hunt and sporting two leading Heisman candidates in QB Graham Harrell and his favorite receiver, Michael Crabtree. Leach has built his program the right way, and while this season still holds plenty of potential rewards, the future looks very bright as well.
What coach do you think deserves the award? Visit the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year site to check out current standings and to make your vote. Keep in mind that you can vote once per day, so getting a few dozen of your fellow alums to vote daily can make a difference.
