Alabama Football’s Nick Saban Named AFCA Regional Coach of Year
By David Wasson
The AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honor is the second regional award for Nick Saban. The Alabama football coach was previously recognized by the AFCA in 2009.
Alabama football head coach Nick Saban has received Regional Coach of the Year honors from the American Football Coaches Association, the organization announced on Tuesday.
Saban is one of five regional winners in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
The honor is the second regional award for Saban. He was previously recognized by the AFCA in 2009. Joining Saban on the regional list are Ken Niumatalolo of Navy (Region 1), P.J. Fleck of Western Michigan (Region 3), Dana Holgorsen of West Virginia (Region 4) and Mike MacIntyre of Colorado (Region 5).
Saban was voted the Region 2 winner, which consists of the Southeastern and Sun Belt conferences. Voting for AFCA regional and national coach of the year awards is done by AFCA-member coaches.
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As a regional winner, Saban is now a finalist for national AFCA Coach of the Year honors. The AFCA Coach of the Year award was established in 1935 and is the oldest national coach of the year award in college football. Previous national winners from Alabama include Paul “Bear” Bryant in 1961, 1971 and 1973 and Gene Stallings in 1992.
Alabama Crimson Tide
In his 10th season at Alabama, Saban has led the Crimson Tide to a 13-0 record, its 26th SEC championship and a No. 1 seed in the 2016 College Football Playoff. This is the ninth consecutive season the Tide has won 10 games under Saban and the sixth straight with 11 wins. Alabama will enter the 2016 postseason on a 25-game winning streak, the longest current streak in the nation.
The AFCA will announce the 2016 FBS National Coach of the Year winner at the inaugural American Football Coaches Awards show, broadcast live on CBS Sports Network on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. CST, during the 2017 AFCA Convention in Nashville, Tenn.
Alabama football faces Washington in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga., on Saturday, Dec. 31.
The Crimson Tide and Huskies have met four times previously, with the most recent contest coming in the 1986 Sun Bowl when the Crimson Tide defeated the Huskies, 28-6, to cap off a 9-3 season.
The winner of the matchup between the Crimson Tide and the Huskies will meet the winner of the game matching the No. 2 Clemson Tigers and the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes, who will play in the other CFP Semifinal Game at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz. The 2017 CFP National Championship Game is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 9, 2017, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
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Alabama, making its 65th appearance in a postseason game, has played in more bowl games and earned more postseason victories than any school in college football history. Alabama is making a postseason appearance for the 10th consecutive season under head coach Nick Saban and the 13th straight season overall for the school.