Ferentz named coach of the year

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz has been named the 2015 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year. The announcement was made Wednesday by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) in conjunction with the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

"It is rewarding to see the hard work of our entire coaching staff and every member of our football program being recognized on the national level," said Ferentz. "I appreciate the acknowledgement of our accomplishments. I am honored to share this recognition with our staff, our players, and our great fans, and I am grateful to the University of Iowa for providing the necessary support for our success."

The Coach of the Year is voted on by the entire FWAA membership. The official presentation reception will be held Jan. 9, 2016, in Scottsdale, Arizona, during a reception at the media hotel at the College Football Playoff National Championship.

The FWAA has presented a coaching award since 1957. In 1997, the national coach of the year award was named in honor of the late Eddie Robinson, a coaching legend at Grambling State University for 55 seasons. Ferentz was a finalist for the award in 2002 and 2004.

Ferentz has also been recognized as the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region 3 Coach of the Year, and is the recipient of the Woody Hayes Coach of the Year, presented by the Touchdown Club of Columbus. Ferentz was named both the Dave McClain and Hayes-Schembechler Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year on Dec. 1, marking the fourth season he has earned the league honor.

Ferentz is in his 17th season as Iowa's head coach. He guided the Hawkeyes to a perfect 12-0 regular season mark, the most wins ever for a Hawkeye football team. Iowa, ranked fifth in the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings, has earned a spot in the 2016 Rose Bowl against Stanford (Jan. 1, 4:10 p.m. CT, ESPN). The Hawkeyes lost to Michigan State in the Big Ten championship game, 16-13 after winning the West Division.

The Hawkeyes began the season unranked, before moving into the top 25 following a 10-6 win at Wisconsin. Iowa steadily climbed in the rankings and was ranked as high as fourth in the CFP rankings.

Ferentz ranks seventh in Big Ten conference wins (76) and eighth in total victories (127). He has led Iowa to 13 bowl games in the last 15 seasons, including eight January bowl events. Ferentz has led Iowa to nine first-division finishes in the Big Ten, including winning the conference in both 2002 and 2004.

Iowa has won seven or more games in seven of the last eight seasons, including eight wins in 2010 and 2013, nine wins in 2008, 11 wins in 2009, and a school-record 12 wins in 2015.

The FWAA, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,400 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters, and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game.

The Eddie Robinson Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 22 awards boast more than 700 years of tradition-selection excellence. To learn more, visit ncfaa.org.

Joining Ferentz as finalists were Mark Dantonio of Michigan State, Tom Herman of Houston, Brian Kelly of Notre Dame, Matt Ruhle of Temple, David Shaw of Stanford, Bob Stoops of Oklahoma, and Dabo Swinney of Clemson.