| NAIA Football Coach of the Year Award | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Best college football coach in the NAIA |
| Country | United States |
| First awarded | 1956 |
| Currently held by | Mark Henninger, Marian |
The NAIA Football Coach of the Year is awarded annually to the best college football coach in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. From 1979 to 1996, a separate award was given to the best coach in each of the NAIA's two football divisions. [1]
Winners
Single award (1956–1978)
- Note: Even though the NAIA split its football championship into two divisions in 1970, only a single Coach of the Year award was given out until 1979.
| Season(s) | Winner | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Dewey Halford | Morningside |
| 1957 | Muddy Waters | Hillsdale |
| 1958 | Volney Ashford | Missouri Valley |
| 1959 | Clarence Stasavich | Lenoir–Rhyne |
| 1960 | Phil Sarboe | Humboldt State |
| 1961 | Carnie Smith | Pittsburg State |
| 1962 | Paul Durham | Linfield |
| 1963 | Billy Nicks | Prairie View A&M |
| 1964 | Jake Christiansen | Concordia–Moorhead |
| 1965 | John Gagliardi | Saint John's (MN) |
| 1966 | Forrest Perkins | Wisconsin State–Whitewater |
| 1967 | Harold "Deacon" Duvall | Fairmont State |
| 1968 | Billy Atkins | Troy State |
| 1969 | Jake Gaither | Florida A&M |
| 1970 ( DI & DII) | Gil Steinke | Texas A&I |
| 1971 ( DI & DII) | Bob Shoup | Cal Lutheran |
| 1972 ( DI & DII) | Jim Frazier | Missouri Southern State |
| 1973 ( DI & DII) | Larry Korver | Northwestern (IA) |
| 1974 ( DI & DII) | Gil Steinke (2) | Texas A&I |
| 1975 ( DI & DII) | Gil Steinke (3) | Texas A&I |
| 1976 ( DI & DII) | Gil Steinke (4) | Texas A&I |
| 1977 ( DI & DII) | DeWitt Jones | Abilene Christian |
| 1978 ( DI & DII) | Jim Hess | Angelo State |
Separate awards (1979–1996)
Single award (1997–present)
| Year | Winner | Team | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Dick Strahm (3) | Findlay | |
| 1998 | Vic Shealy | Azusa Pacific | |
| 1999 | Tim Albin | Northwestern Oklahoma State | |
| 2000 | Bill Cronin | Georgetown (KY) | |
| 2001 | Bill Cronin (2) | Georgetown (KY) | |
| 2002 | Carl Poelker | McKendree | |
| 2003 | Mike Van Diest | Carroll (MT) | |
| 2004 | Kevin Donley (2) | Saint Francis (IN) | |
| 2005 | Mike Van Diest (2) | Carroll (MT) | |
| 2006 | Kalen DeBoer | Sioux Falls | |
| 2007 | Mike Van Diest (3) | Carroll (MT) | |
| 2008 | Kalen DeBoer (2) | Sioux Falls | |
| 2009 | Kalen DeBoer (3) | Sioux Falls | |
| 2010 | Mike Van Diest (4) | Carroll (MT) | |
| 2011 | Mike Feminis | Saint Xavier (IL) | |
| 2012 | Steve Ryan | Morningside | |
| 2013 | Mike Woodley | Grand View | |
| 2014 | Mark Henninger | Marian | |
| 2015 | Mark Henninger (2) | Marian | |
| 2016 | Kevin Donley (3) | Saint Francis (IN) | |
| 2017 | Kevin Donley (4) | Saint Francis (IN) | [2] |
| 2018 | Steve Ryan (2) | Morningside | [3] |
| 2019 | Steve Ryan (3) | Morningside | [4] |
| 2020–21 | Chris Oliver | Lindsey Wilson | |
| 2021 | Steve Ryan (4) | Morningside | |
| 2022 | Matt McCarty | Northwestern (IA) | [5] |
| 2023 |
Coaches with multiple wins
| Coach | School | Total | Winning Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gil Steinke |
|
4 | 1970, 1974, 1975, 1976 |
| Mike Van Diest | Carroll (MT) | 4 | 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010 |
| Kevin Donley | 4 | 1991, 2004, 2016, 2017 | |
| Steve Ryan | Morningside | 4 | 2012, 2018, 2019, 2021 |
| Ad Rutschman | Linfield | 3 | 1982, 1984, 1986 |
| Dick Strahm | Findlay | 3 | 1992, 1995, 1997 |
| Kalen DeBoer | Sioux Falls | 3 | 2006, 2008, 2009 |
| Larry Korver | Northwestern (IA) | 2 | 1973, 1985 |
| Dennis Franchione | Pittsburg State | 2 | 1986, 1987 |
| Joe Fusco | Westminster (PA) | 2 | 1988, 1989 |
| Frosty Westering | Pacific Lutheran | 2 | 1983, 1993 |
| Bill Cronin | Georgetown (KY) | 2 | 2000, 2001 |
| Mark Henninger | Marian (IN) | 2 | 2014, 2015 |
Schools with multiple wins
| School | Total | Winning Years |
|---|---|---|
|
5 | 1970, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979 |
| Morningside (IA) | 5 | 1956, 2012, 2018, 2019, 2021 |
| Linfield | 4 | 1962, 1982, 1984, 1986 |
| Pittsburg State | 4 | 1961, 1981, 1986, 1987 |
| Findlay | 4 | 1979, 1992, 1995, 1997 |
| Sioux Falls | 4 | 1996, 2006, 2008, 2009 |
| Carroll (MT) | 4 | 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010 |
| Westminster (PA) | 3 | 1988, 1989, 1994 |
| Georgetown (KY) | 3 | 1991, 2000, 2001 |
| Northwestern (IA) | 3 | 1973, 1985, 2022 |
| Hillsdale | 2 | 1957, 1982 |
| Concordia–Moorhead | 2 | 1964, 1982 |
| Central Arkansas | 2 | 1983, 1990 |
| Pacific Lutheran | 2 | 1983, 1993 |
| Central State (OH) | 2 | 1992, 1995 |
| Marian (IN) | 2 | 2014, 2015 |
| Saint Francis (IN) | 2 | 2004, 2016 |
References
- ^ "NAIA Championship History" (PDF). NAIA. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
- ^ "Kevin Donley Named AFCA Coach of the Year". NAIA. 2018-01-10. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
- ^ "Steve Ryan Named NAIA Coach of the Year". NAIA. 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
- ^ "Matt Entz Headlines List of 2019 AFCA Coach Of The Year Award Winners". www.afca.com. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
- ^ "Inside the Headset - NAIA Regional Coach of the Year Panel - AFCA". www.afca.com. Retrieved 2023-11-21.