Twenty-Five College Football Coaches Recognized for Achievements in Responsibility On and Off the Field

Twenty-Five College Football Coaches Recognized for Achievements in Responsibility On and Off the Field

Fan Votes through December 15 to help determine winners of Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award; Prize includes recognition at College Football Hall of Fame, and ability to direct share of $280,000 for charity and scholarship

BOSTON, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty-five college gridiron leaders today are finalists for the 2007 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award, which honors the college football coaches who best exemplify responsibility and excellence on and off the field of play. Expanded from the inaugural 2006 award given to one winner (Greg Schiano, Rutgers), Liberty Mutual will present its 2007 award to a coach from all four NCAA divisions.

"More than a half-million fan votes were cast for 597 college football coaches this season, a tremendous and passionate outpouring of support from college football fans across the nation," said Greg Gordon, Liberty Mutual vice president, Consumer Marketing. "Each finalist embodies what makes this award different from any other: responsibility -- not only to his own team and players, but also to his school and his community."

The Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) candidates are, in alphabetical order: Rich Brooks, Kentucky; Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State; Paul Johnson, Navy; Mark Mangino, Kansas; Joe Paterno, Penn State; Mark Richt, Georgia; Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia; Jim Tressel, Ohio State; Tommy Tuberville, Auburn; and Ron Zook, Illinois.

The Football Championship Subdivision (Division I-AA) finalists are, in alphabetical order: Matt Ballard, Morehead (Ky.) State; Mark Farley, Northern Iowa; Kevin Higgins, The Citadel; Jerry Kill, Southern Illinois; and John Stiegelmeier, South Dakota State. The Division II finalists are, in alphabetical order: Pat Behrns, Nebraska-Omaha; Chuck Broyles, Pittsburg (Kan.) State; Dale Lennon, North Dakota; Dr. George Mihalik, Slippery Rock; and Bill O'Boyle, Chadron (Neb.) State. The Division III finalists are, in alphabetical order: Greg Debeljak, Case Western Reserve; John Gagliardi, Saint John's (Minn.); Eric Hamilton, College of New Jersey; Joe King, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; and Mike Swider, Wheaton College.

Each winner receives $50,000 from Liberty Mutual to support his civic and charitable activities, $20,000 in scholarship to his school's alumni association, and is recognized in the permanent Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year display at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.

During the initial fan-voting phase at www.coachoftheyear.com (September 6 - November 27), the top 25 vote getters in each division qualified to be evaluated by an objective model designed exclusively for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award and reviewed and endorsed by the College Football Hall of Fame. The model arrived at the finalists by scoring each of these qualifying coaches in four areas: coaching excellence, sportsmanship and integrity, academic excellence, and community commitment. Data used in the evaluation process include won/loss records, penalties and personal fouls, academic progress rates and academic All-Americans, charitable and civic activities and contributions, and more.

Between December 5 and December 15, the public can visit www.coachoftheyear.com to review bios and fan testimonials supporting each candidate and vote for their selection. Fan votes in this second phase account for 20 percent of each coach's final score, with a voting committee of college football media (25 percent) and College Football Hall of Fame coaches and players (55 percent) contributing the remainder.

The winners will be announced December 29, 2007, on an ABC special presentation hosted by Hall of Fame Sportscaster Keith Jackson and ESPN Analyst Kirk Herbstreit at 5:30 p.m. (ET). The special award presentation will re-air January 8, 2008, on ESPN2 at 2:00 p.m. (ET).

"From my vantage point in covering college football games across the country, I have the opportunity to watch these coaches execute their game plans, interact with referees and players, and meet the people they influence in their communities," said Herbstreit. "This award shines a well-deserved light on the lives of some truly remarkable men who use their mentoring role to make a positive impact on so many, both on and off the field."

About Liberty Mutual Group

"Helping people live safer, more secure lives" since 1912, Liberty Mutual Group (www.libertymutual.com) is a leading multi-line insurer in the U.S. whose largest line of business is personal auto based on 2006 direct written premium. A top ten provider of auto and home insurance to individuals, Liberty Mutual is an industry leader in affinity partnerships, offering its personal lines products to employees and members of more than 10,000 companies, credit unions, and alumni and professional associations. Liberty Mutual Group ranks 95th on the Fortune 500 list of largest corporations in the United States. The company, headquartered in Boston, Mass., employs over 40,000 people in more than 900 offices throughout the world.

About the National Football Foundation & the College Football Hall of Fame

With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. The NFF presents the MacArthur Trophy, the Draddy Trophy presented by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., Play It Smart, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. For more information, please visit www.footballfoundation.org or www.collegefootball.org.

Press Contacts:
Lynne Cavanaugh Glenn Greenberg
Weber Shandwick Liberty Mutual
(617) 520-7046 (617) 574-5874
lcavanaugh@webershandwick.comglenn.greenberg@libertymutual.com

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Liberty Mutual Group

CONTACT: Lynne Cavanaugh of Weber Shandwick, +1-617-520-7046,
lcavanaugh@webershandwick.com; Glenn Greenberg of Liberty Mutual,
+1-617-574-5874, glenn.greenberg@libertymutual.com

Web site:

http://www.libertymutual.com/
http://www.coachoftheyear.com/
http://www.footballfoundation.org/
http://www.collegefootball.org/

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