Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney was awarded the 2011 Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year at a banquet held at Littlejohn Coliseum Saturday evening.
The Tigers won the ACC Championship in 2011 for its first 10-win season since 1990. They also had four wins over top-25 ranked teams.
The Bobby Dodd award was established in 1976 to honor the Division 1A college football coach whose programs represent quality on and off the field. The award honors the coach of a team which enjoys a successful season on the gridiron while stressing the importance of academic excellence and sense of duty to return something back to the community.
Guest speakers at the banquet included Clemson University president Jim Barker, Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips, Chick-fil-A Bowl president Gary Stokan, former Alabama head coach Gene Stallings, football coach Bill Curry, former Clemson wide receiver Tyler Grisham, radio commentator Tony Barnhart and Dodd Foundation members Bob Somers and Jim Terry.
Past recipients of the award include Vince Dooley (Georgia), Bo Schembechler (Michigan), Tom Osborne (Nebraska), Bobby Bowden (Florida State), Joe Paterno (Penn State), Ken Hatfield (Air Force), Fisher DeBerry (Air Force), Dick Sheridan ( NC State), Don Nehlen (West Virginia), Bill Curry (Alabama), Bobby Ross ( Georgia Tech), George Welsh (Virginia), Eddie Robinson (Grambling State), Bill Snyder (Kansas State), Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech), George O’Leary (Georgia Tech), Ralph Friedgen (Maryland), Jim Tressel (Ohio State), Bob Stoops (Oklahoma), Paul Johnson (Navy), Jim Grobe (Wake Forest), Lloyd Carr (Michigan), Mack Brown (Texas), Gary Patterson (TCU), Chris Petersen ( Boise State).
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 1
scffoldman (Inactive) writes:
What? The Chicken Catcher(Spurrier) never won this?
How can that be with his success on the field and his players are always in the news for their "community activities", and some of his players graduate.
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