From Pitt:
Officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl today announced that Pittsburgh Head Football Coach Pat Narduzzi has been selected as The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week.
The Dodd Coach of the Week Award honors the football coach whose program embodies the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, while also having success on the playing field during the previous week.
“Coach Narduzzi’s Panthers traveled to one of the toughest places to play in the country and came out with a stunning upset,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “To defeat the No. 2 team in the country in a stadium they have not lost in since 2013 is truly impressive. Coach Narduzzi is certainly deserving of this week’s honor.”
Unranked Pittsburgh traveled to Death Valley to take on the undefeated and No.2-ranked Clemson Tigers. In a back-and-forth game that featured six lead changes and record-setting offensive outputs, the Panthers were able to hang with a Tigers team that had not lost a regular-season game since 2014 and had not lost at home since 2013. After stuffing Clemson on what would have been a game-clinching fourth down conversion, Pittsburgh marched its way into field goal range where kicker Chris Blewitt drilled a 48-yard field goal with seconds remaining to clinch the 43-42 upset.
Coach Narduzzi has seen immediate success since taking over the Pittsburgh program in 2015. After winning eight games in his first campaign, Saturday’s upset win clinched bowl eligibility for the second straight season. The Pittsburgh team has seen success in the classroom as well under Narduzzi’s leadership, boasting a notable Academic Progress Rate score of 970 last year.
Since his arrival at Pittsburgh, Coach Narduzzi also started an annual “April Service Day” where student-athletes visit various local non-profit organizations with the goal of positively impacting the youth from the local Pittsburgh community. The organizations are typically youth-oriented, including the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh and the United Way.
“The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is proud to honor Coach Narduzzi after such an impressive upset win for his Panthers,” said Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Chairman Percy Vaughn. “Coach Narduzzi certainly earned this week’s accolades and we wish him and his team continued success this season.”
The Dodd Trophy presented by the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl – along with the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week Award – celebrates the head coach of a FBS team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity
2016 Dodd Coach of the Week Winners
1 - Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
2 - Bret Bielema, Arkansas
3 - Urban Meyer, Ohio State
4 - Gus Malzahn, Auburn
5 - Larry Fedora, North Carolina
6 - Ken Niumatalolo, Navy
7 - Nick Saban, Alabama
8 - James Franklin, Penn State
9 - Charlie Strong, Texas
10 - Dan Mullen, Mississippi State
The winner of the 2016 Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Week. A panel consisting of all previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2016 season.
About The Dodd Trophy
The Dodd Trophy was established in 1976 to honor the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division 1A) head football coach whose program represents the highest ideals on and off the field. The award honors the coach of a team which enjoys a successful football season, while also stressing the importance of academic excellence and character, as did Coach Dodd’s teams during his 22 years as head football coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Coach Dodd remains one of college football’s legendary figures, both as a coach and a player. Coach Dodd was a native of Galax, Virginia, and played his college ball at the University of Tennessee where his team had 27 wins, one loss and two ties during the three years he played. Coach Dodd was selected to the National College Football Hall of Fame both as a coach and as a player. Additional information about the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation can be found at www.TheDoddTrophy.com. For news, updates and insider information, follow us on Twitter at @DoddTrophy or find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DoddTrophy.
About the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and one of New Year’s Six Bowls selected to host the College Football Playoff. In 2014 and 2015, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl hosted top nationally ranked teams as assigned by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. In 2016, the Bowl will host its first College Football Playoff Semifinal (#1 vs. #4 or #2 vs. #3). The Bowl has earned a reputation as one of the most competitive bowls in the country, with 54 percent (26 of 48) of its games being decided by a touchdown or less. Peach Bowl, Inc. has disbursed $150 million in team payouts during its 48-year history and has increased team payout every year since 1996. The Bowl also leads all other bowl game organizations in charitable and scholarship contributions, giving more than $19.8 million to organizations in need since 2002. More information about the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and its events is available at www.Chick-fil-APeachBowl.com. For news, updates and insider information, follow us on Twitter at @CFAPeachBowl or find us on Facebook atwww.Facebook.com/ChickfilAPeachBowl.
Officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl today announced that Pittsburgh Head Football Coach Pat Narduzzi has been selected as The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week.
The Dodd Coach of the Week Award honors the football coach whose program embodies the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, while also having success on the playing field during the previous week.
“Coach Narduzzi’s Panthers traveled to one of the toughest places to play in the country and came out with a stunning upset,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “To defeat the No. 2 team in the country in a stadium they have not lost in since 2013 is truly impressive. Coach Narduzzi is certainly deserving of this week’s honor.”
Unranked Pittsburgh traveled to Death Valley to take on the undefeated and No.2-ranked Clemson Tigers. In a back-and-forth game that featured six lead changes and record-setting offensive outputs, the Panthers were able to hang with a Tigers team that had not lost a regular-season game since 2014 and had not lost at home since 2013. After stuffing Clemson on what would have been a game-clinching fourth down conversion, Pittsburgh marched its way into field goal range where kicker Chris Blewitt drilled a 48-yard field goal with seconds remaining to clinch the 43-42 upset.
Coach Narduzzi has seen immediate success since taking over the Pittsburgh program in 2015. After winning eight games in his first campaign, Saturday’s upset win clinched bowl eligibility for the second straight season. The Pittsburgh team has seen success in the classroom as well under Narduzzi’s leadership, boasting a notable Academic Progress Rate score of 970 last year.
Since his arrival at Pittsburgh, Coach Narduzzi also started an annual “April Service Day” where student-athletes visit various local non-profit organizations with the goal of positively impacting the youth from the local Pittsburgh community. The organizations are typically youth-oriented, including the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh and the United Way.
“The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is proud to honor Coach Narduzzi after such an impressive upset win for his Panthers,” said Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Chairman Percy Vaughn. “Coach Narduzzi certainly earned this week’s accolades and we wish him and his team continued success this season.”
The Dodd Trophy presented by the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl – along with the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week Award – celebrates the head coach of a FBS team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity
2016 Dodd Coach of the Week Winners
1 - Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
2 - Bret Bielema, Arkansas
3 - Urban Meyer, Ohio State
4 - Gus Malzahn, Auburn
5 - Larry Fedora, North Carolina
6 - Ken Niumatalolo, Navy
7 - Nick Saban, Alabama
8 - James Franklin, Penn State
9 - Charlie Strong, Texas
10 - Dan Mullen, Mississippi State
The winner of the 2016 Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Week. A panel consisting of all previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2016 season.
About The Dodd Trophy
The Dodd Trophy was established in 1976 to honor the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division 1A) head football coach whose program represents the highest ideals on and off the field. The award honors the coach of a team which enjoys a successful football season, while also stressing the importance of academic excellence and character, as did Coach Dodd’s teams during his 22 years as head football coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Coach Dodd remains one of college football’s legendary figures, both as a coach and a player. Coach Dodd was a native of Galax, Virginia, and played his college ball at the University of Tennessee where his team had 27 wins, one loss and two ties during the three years he played. Coach Dodd was selected to the National College Football Hall of Fame both as a coach and as a player. Additional information about the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation can be found at www.TheDoddTrophy.com. For news, updates and insider information, follow us on Twitter at @DoddTrophy or find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DoddTrophy.
About the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and one of New Year’s Six Bowls selected to host the College Football Playoff. In 2014 and 2015, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl hosted top nationally ranked teams as assigned by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. In 2016, the Bowl will host its first College Football Playoff Semifinal (#1 vs. #4 or #2 vs. #3). The Bowl has earned a reputation as one of the most competitive bowls in the country, with 54 percent (26 of 48) of its games being decided by a touchdown or less. Peach Bowl, Inc. has disbursed $150 million in team payouts during its 48-year history and has increased team payout every year since 1996. The Bowl also leads all other bowl game organizations in charitable and scholarship contributions, giving more than $19.8 million to organizations in need since 2002. More information about the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and its events is available at www.Chick-fil-APeachBowl.com. For news, updates and insider information, follow us on Twitter at @CFAPeachBowl or find us on Facebook atwww.Facebook.com/ChickfilAPeachBowl.
