Terry Horan Named AFCA Region Coach of the Year!
After having six of his players cash in on All-Region honors earlier in the week, Concordia head coach Terry Horan has been selected as the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region Coach of the Year. It is the first time that Horan has earned regional Coach of the Year honors. The award continues a streak of postseason awards for the Cobbers. Last month Horan was named the MIAC Coach of the Year for the second time in three years. 

Horan was the mastermind behind the Cobbers' record-breaking 11-1 season. The team tied the school record for most wins in a season and also most consecutive wins in a season. He guided Concordia to a perfect 8-0 record in the MIAC, capturing the program's first outright conference championship since the 1986 season. Horan also helped the Cobbers win their first postseason game since the '86 campaign as well, as Concordia advanced to the region semifinals before losing to Occidental 42-40.

In his four seasons as head coach of the Cobbers, Horan has posted a 30-12-0 overall record and a 25-8-0 mark in the MIAC. The 25 conference wins in his first four years is the most by any coach in the history of the Cobber football program during that same time frame. The 30 overall wins ties legendary coach Jim Christopherson for the most overall wins in the first four years. 
 

2004 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award Winners:

Division I-A
Region 1: Al Groh, University of Virginia
Region 2: Tommy Tuberville, Auburn University
Region 3: Barry Alvarez, University of Wisconsin
Region 4: Mike Price, University of Texas-El Paso
Region 5: Urban Meyer, University of Utah

Division I-AA
Region 1: Sean McDonnell, University of New Hampshire
Region 2: David Bennett, Coastal Carolina University
Region 3: Jack Crowe, Jacksonville State University
Region 4: Jerry Kill, Southern Illinois University
Region 5: Rich Ellerson, California Polytechnic State University

Division II (NCAA Division II and NAIA schools)
Region 1: Rocky Rees, Shippensburg University
Region 2: Steve Mullins, Arkansas Tech University
Region 3: Bernie Anderson, Michigan Tech University
Region 4: Pat Ross, Lindenwood University
Region 5: Bob Stitt, Colorado School of Mines

Division III (NCAA Division III schools)
Region 1: Chuck Priore, Trinity College (Conn.)
Region 2: G.A. Mangus, Delaware Valley College
Region 3: Jimmie Keeling, Hardin-Simmons University
Region 4: Tim Rucks, Carthage College
Region 5: Terry Horan, Concordia-Moorhead College (Minn.) 

Repeat Winner:  Southern Illinois’ Jerry Kill (second overall) is the only repeat winners from 2003.

Multiple Winners: Other multiple winners in the 2004 class are Texas-El Paso’s Mike Price (fifth), Coastal Carolina’s David Bennett (fourth), Shippensburg’s Rocky Rees (second) and Hardin-Simmons’ Jimmie Keeling (second).

First Time Schools: Eight coaches earned the first AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award for their school in 2004: Mike Price, Urban Meyer, David Bennett, Steve Mullins, Bernie Anderson, Pat Ross, G.A. Mangus and Tim Rucks.

Most Awards: Mount Union’s Larry Kehres (1986-90-92-93-96-97-99-2000-01-02) and Penn State’s Joe Paterno (District 2: 1967-68-71-72-73-77-78-82; Region 1: 1985; Region 3: 1994) are the only 10-time district/regional AFCA Coach of the Year winners. Seven coaches have won the award seven times: Jim Butterfield, Ithaca; Carmen Cozza, Yale; Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne, Nebraska; Danny Hale, West Chester, Bloomsburg; Tubby Raymond, Delaware and Bo Schembechler, Miami (Ohio), Michigan.

Winners by School: Nebraska-15 (Bob Devaney-7, Tom Osborne-7, Frank Solich-1); Penn State-11 (Rip Engle-1, Joe Paterno-10); Mount Union-11 (Ken Wable-1, Larry Kehres-10); North Dakota State-10 (Darrell Mudra-1, Ron Erhardt-4, Jim Wacker-1, Don Morton-3, Earle Solomonson-1); Southern California-9 (John McKay-6, John Robinson-2, Pete Carroll-1); Texas-9 (Darrell Royal-6, Fred Akers-2, David McWilliams-1); Wittenberg-9 (Bill Edwards-3, Dave Maurer-4, Ron Murphy-1, Joe Fincham-1); Michigan-8 (Bump Elliott-2, Bo Schembechler-6); Oklahoma-8 (Chuck Fairbanks-3, Barry Switzer-2, Bob Stoops-3); Yale-8 (Jordan Olivar-1, Carmen Cozza-7).

Most Schools: South Carolina’s Lou Holtz is the only coach to earn AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honors at four different schools. Holtz has earned the honor at North Carolina State (1972), Arkansas (1979), Notre Dame (1988) and South Carolina (2000). Texas-El Paso’s Mike Price (Washington State, Weber State) is the fifth coach to win district or regional honors at three different schools. He joins Jerry Claiborne (Virginia Tech, Maryland, Kentucky), Darrell Mudra (North Dakota State, Western Illinois, Northern Iowa), Jim Sweeney (Montana State, Washington State and Fresno State) and Jim Wacker (North Dakota State, Southwest Texas State and TCU) on that list.

Consecutive Years: Northwest Missouri State’s Mel Tjeerdsma and Nebraska’s Bob Devaney are the only coaches to win district/regional honors in five consecutive years. Tjeerdsma earned the honor in Division II from 1996-2000. Devaney earned the honor in the AFCA’s old University Division (1962-63-64-65-66). Trinity (Texas)’s Steve Mohr, North Dakota State’s Ron Erhardt and Mount Union’s Larry Kehres are the only men to win the award four years in a row. Erhardt earned district honors in the AFCA’s old College Division (1967-68-69-70) while Mohr earned the honor in Division III (1996-97-98-99). Kehres has earned the honor in 1999-2000-01-02. Thirteen coaches have earned district or regional honors three years in a row. One of the 13, former Ithaca College coach Jim Butterfield, earned the award in three consecutive years on two different occasions (1978-79-80 and 1984-85-86).

Two Years, Two Schools: Five coaches have earned AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honors at two schools in consecutive years: Fred Akers: Wyoming, 1976 & Texas 1977 Dick Sheridan: Furman, 1985 & North Carolina State, 1986 Dennis Franchione: Pittsburg State, 1989 & Southwest Texas State, 1990 Joe Tiller: Wyoming, 1996 & Purdue, 1997 Hal Mumme: Valdosta State, 1996 & Kentucky, 1997

AFCA National Coach of the Year Winners to Be Announced January 11, 2005 in Louisville
The AFCA will announce its four National Coach of the Year winners at the 2005 AFCA Convention in Louisville. All head coaches who were eligible for regional honors are eligible for national honors as well.

AFCA National Coach of the Year Winners Headed to Hula Bowl
Winning AFCA National Coach of the Year will earn all four coaches a trip to Hawaii to coach in the Hula Bowl All-Star Football Classic. The National Coach of the Year winners in Divisions I-AA, II and III will be invited to serve as assistant coaches at the 2005 game on January 22 in Maui. The I-A winner will be invited to serve as a head coach for one of the teams in the 2006 Hula Bowl.