CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Wisconsin defensive coordinator Mike Tressel earned the American Football Coaches Association's FBS Assistant Coach of the Year award and was honored at the AFCA Honors Luncheon in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, Jan. 9. Tressel officially joined the Badgers' staff on Jan. 3 after two seasons at Cincinnati.
According to the AFCA, Tressel was awarded for his "excellence in community service, commitment to the student-athlete, on-field coaching success and AFCA professional organizational involvement."
Tressel spent the 2022 season directing the Cincinnati defense to the nation's fifth-best yards per play mark (4.52) and four Bearcats earned first-team All-AAC honors. Cincinnati posted a 9-3 regular season record and earned a trip to the 2022 Wasabi Fenway Bowl.
As a unit in 2022, the Cincinnati defense ranked 11
th in the nation against the pass (182.2 ypg) and 20
th in scoring defense (20.6). The Bearcats led the AAC in total defense (335.5 ypg) and were No. 16 in the NCAA with 92.0 tackles for loss.
Tressel helped Cincinnati to its best season in school history in 2021, managing a defense that led the nation in pass efficiency defense and ranked fifth in scoring defense. Cincinnati appeared in the College Football Playoff, finishing with a 13-1 record and a top-5 ranking nationally.
Off the field, Tressel has prioritized efforts in the community, participating in a community clean-up of Cincinnati in 2021 and encouraging players to give back through mentorship at local elementary schools and reading programs.
Tressel has been involved with the AFCA as a long-time member, serving on several committees and speaking at the annual AFCA convention.
The AFCA was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 11,000 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."
