Coleman and Morgan Named Eddie Robinson Award Finalists

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff head coach Monte Coleman and Mississippi Valley State University head coach Karl Malone were selected as one of the 20 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award, presented annually by the Sports Network to the top coach in FCS football.

The announcement was made Monday, November 19, 2012. The winner of the Eddie Robinson Award along with the other postseason honors will be announced at the FCS Awards Banquet and Presentation on Dec. 17 in Philadelphia. All 13 FCS conferences have at least one coach on the list.
Coach Coleman led the Golden Lions to the best regular-season record in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (9-2 overall and 8-1 conference). UAPB ran away with the West Division title and earned a spot in the conference championship game on December 8th in Birmingham, Ala. The Golden Lions will face Eastern Division champion, Jackson State. UAPB finished the regular season with six straight wins.

Under the direction of Morgan, the Delta Devils finished with a 5-6 record including a 5-4 record in Southwestern Athletic Conference play. The win total is one more than their combined total from 2009-11. In his third season as head coach, Morgan's squad ranked fourth in the FCS in total defense during the regular season.

A panel of about 160 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries will select the Robinson Award winner, which is presented by The Sports Network.

The Eddie Robinson Award is awarded annually to college football's top head coach in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). The award was established by The Sports Network in 1987 and is voted upon by the division's sports information directors and selected sports writers. The award is named for Eddie Robinson, the College Football Hall of Fame coach, who retired in 1997 after 56 years at Grambling State University.

Along with the Walter Payton Award and Buck Buchanan Award, it is presented the night before the annual NCAA Division I Football Championship. All three awards are named after former players and coach of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

COURTESY SWAC.ORG