25 Finalists Announced for the 2010 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award – Fans Can Vote for Winners Through December 28 at www.CoachoftheYear.com

BOSTON, Dec. 13, 2010 /PRNewswire/ --Hundreds of college football coaches have spent the season reviewing tape, logging extra hours preparing for the opposition, and orchestrating game plans to produce victories.  And for 25 premier college football coaches, their inspirational efforts both on and off the field now sets them apart from the rest.  Liberty Mutual Insurance today named the 25 finalists for the 2010 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award, the leading college football-coaching honor that celebrates coaches for their sportsmanship, integrity, responsibility and excellence, and for giving back to their teams, schools and communities, on and off field.

The finalists (10 from the Football Bowl Subdivision and five each from the Football Championship Subdivision, Division II and Division III) were determined as a result of online fan voting at www.CoachoftheYear.com and through an objective scoring model endorsed by the College Football Hall of Fame. Each coach was among the top 15 in fan votes in his division to qualify for the model, which considers, among other criteria: wins, team penalties, on-field sportsmanship, academic achievement by the student-athletes, and civic and philanthropic endeavors.

"These 25 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year finalists demonstrate that it's more than passion for the game or knowledge of x's and o's that makes them great coaches," said Archie Manning, Chairman of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame, a partner in presenting the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year.  "They embody the spirit of the sport by inspiring excellence and leadership in their players, whether in the stadium, the classroom, or in their communities."

2010 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Finalists (listed in alphabetical order)
Football Bowl Subdivision:
Gene Chizik, Auburn University
Mark Dantonio, Michigan State University
Rich Ellerson, U.S. Military Academy (Army)
Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State University
Chip Kelly, University of Oregon
Doug Marrone, Syracuse University
Tom O'Brien, North Carolina State University
Nick Saban, University of Alabama
Mike Sherman, Texas A&M University
Jim Tressel, Ohio State University
Football Championship Subdivision:
Rob Ash, Montana State University
Beau Baldwin, Eastern Washington University
K.C. Keeler, University of Delaware
Danny Rocco, Liberty University
Andy Talley, Villanova University
Division II:
Mike Aldrich, Augustana College (S.D.)
Bob Nielson, University of Minnesota Duluth
Tom Sawyer, Winona State University (Minn.)
Marty Schaetzle, Mercyhurst College (Pa.)
Mel Tjeerdsma, Northwest Missouri State University
Division III:
John Auer, Crown College (Minn.)
Glenn Caruso, University of St. Thomas (Minn.)
Steve Johnson, Bethel (Minn.)University
Clayton Kendrick-Homes, SUNY Maritime College
Matt Land, Trine University (Ind.)

"The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award allows college football fans to trumpet their support for their teams, alma maters and coaches, with their votes and with the anecdotes they share online about the tremendous contributions these leaders make every day, both on and off the field," said Greg Gordon, Liberty Mutual senior vice president, Consumer Marketing.  "Each of these 25 coaches has shown excellence on the field, inspired their teams to play with great passion and sportsmanship, and has had an immeasurable impact on shaping the lives of their student-athletes and improving their communities."

Voting for the Winners

Now through December 28 fans can visit www.CoachoftheYear.com to vote daily among the finalists. To ensure candidates are evaluated fairly and measured against the specific values of responsibility and integrity, selection committees of more than 50 College Football Hall of Fame players and coaches – including Archie Manning, Lou Holtz, Vince Dooley, Ronnie Lott, Archie Griffin – and the national college football media, such as Kirk Herbstreit, Stewart Mandel and Tim Brando, will also cast votes for the winners.  

Fan votes constitute 20 percent of a coach's final score, with the College Football Hall of Fame panel comprising 55 percent, and the media committee adding the final 25 percent.

Liberty Mutual will announce the four winners, one from each division, January 10 in Scottsdale, Ariz., in advance of the BCS Championship Game.  Each will receive $50,000 to donate to the charities of his choice and a $20,000 scholarship grant to his school's alumni association, providing further positive impact on their school and local community.  Now in its fifth year, the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award will surpass $1 million in support to dozens of national and local charities and college scholarship funds on behalf of its 2010 and past winners.  Former winners, including TCU's Gary Patterson (2009), Alabama's Nick Saban (2008) and Northern Illinois' Jerry Kill (2007) have used their Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award money to help build homes in local communities, support children in need and even fight terminal diseases.

About Liberty Mutual Group

"Helping people live safer, more secure lives" since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group (Libertymutualgroup.com) is a diversified global insurer and fifth-largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2009 direct written premium.  Liberty Mutual Group ranks 71st on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2009 revenue.  The company has over 45,000 employees located in more than 900 offices throughout the world.

The eighth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual (libertymutual.com) sells full lines of coverage for automobile, homeowners, valuable possessions, personal liability, and individual life insurance.  The company is an industry leader in affinity partnerships, offering car and home insurance to employees and members of more than 12,000 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.

About the National Football Foundation & the College Football Hall of Fame

Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 121 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame, Play It Smart, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association, the NFF Gridiron Clubs of New York City, Dallas, and Los Angeles, and annual scholarships of more than $1.3 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF presents the MacArthur Bowl, the Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings.

SOURCE Liberty Mutual Insurance