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The University of Alabama’s Nick Saban was named the winner of the Dodd Trophy for coach of the year on Tuesday.
It’s one of the few coach of the year awards that Saban had not previously won, and just Alabama’s second. Bill Curry won in 1989.
“On behalf of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation, we congratulate Coach Saban,” Jim Terry, chairman of the Dodd Foundation, said in a release. “His success on and off the field this season made our decision an easy one. He represents the pinnacle of coaching achievement. At Alabama, he has not only built an exceptional football program, but has prepared a community of young men to be leaders in the world, ensuring that Coach Dodd’s legacy will continue for generations to come.”
“We’re proud to present college football’s most prestigious coaching award, and strongly believe in the tenets it represents,” said Gary Stokan, president and CEO of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. “Coach Saban has long exhibited the ideals that are emblematic of Coach Dodd – leadership, scholarship and integrity – so we are honored to recognize him and the impact he has had on his student-athletes and on the Alabama community.”
This season Saban led the No. Crimson Tide to a 12-1 record, the SEC championship and the top seeding for the inaugural College Football Playoffs.
His Nick’s Kids Fund has distributed more than $4 million to 150-plus state and local charities since 2007, including more than $600,000 this year. Academically, the team has a graduation rate of 80 percent, with seven members of this year’s team having recently finished their master’s degrees and 22 players already having already graduated.
Christopher Walsh has covered Alabama football since 2004 and is the author of 19 books. In his free time, he writes about college football.
