White Tabbed For AFCA Honor
November 30, 2004 | Football
Brian White, offensive coordinator and running backs coach for the Wisconsin football team, has been named NCAA Division I-A Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association, the organization announced Tuesday.
One assistant coach in each of college football's five different divisions of was selected for their dedication to their teams and communities. Each year, staff representatives from NCAA and NAIA football-playing schools are asked to nominate an assistant for consideration. Those nominations are narrowed down to three finalists in each division and a winner is selected by the AFCAPublic Relations Committee.
The Assistant Coach of the Year award was first presented in 1997 and was created to honor assistant coaches who excel in community service, commitment to the student-athlete, onfield coaching success and AFCA professional organization involvement.
The 2004 honorees are: Division I-A-Brian White, Offensive Coordinator & Runningbacks Coach, University of Wisconsin; Division I-AA-Tony Pierce, Defensive Coordinator, Alabama State University; Division II-Brian Hughes, Offensive Coordinator, Long Island University, C.W. Post; Division III-Keith Emery, Defensive Coordinator & Linebackers Coach, Johns Hopkins University; and NAIA-Nick Howlett, Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks Coach, Carroll College (Mont.).
'Once again, five outstanding assistant coaches have been selected for their dedication, not only to their teams, but to their communities,' said Executive Director Grant Teaff. 'Often times, the head coach receives much of the credit for his team's success. Any head coach is only as good as his assistants. Much of an assistant coach's work is done behind the scenes. It is our pleasure to bring it to the forefront.'
The criteria for the award is not limited to on-field coaching ability and the success of the team and players that these assistant coaches have worked with. Service to the community through charitable work and other volunteer activities, participation in AFCA activities and events, participation in other professional organizations and impact on student athletes are all taken into account in the selection process.
Winners of the Assistant Coach of the Year award will receive a plaque to commemorate the award and an educational stipend to the 2005 AFCA Convention or any other professional development clinic/convention of their choice. They will be honored at the AFCA Kickoff Luncheon, Monday, January 10 at the 2005 AFCA Convention in Louisville, Ky.
The AFCA was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 10,000 members around the world, ranging from the high school level to the professional ranks. According to its constitution, the AFCA was formed, in part, to 'maintain the highest possible standards in football and the coaching profession' and to 'provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football and coaching.'
