The Coaches' Trophy

Last updated

The Coaches' Trophy
1990 upi cropped.jpg
Trophy awarded to the 1990 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Sport College football
League Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
Awarded forNational champion per final Coaches Poll each season
NicknameCrystal football
Country United States
Presented by American Football Coaches Association
History
First award1986 (retroactively available to earlier top-ranked teams per Coaches Poll)
Most wins Alabama Crimson Tide (11)
Most recent 2023 Michigan Wolverines
Website www.afca.com

The Coaches' Trophy (officially known as the AFCA National Championship Trophy and popularly as the "crystal football") is the trophy awarded annually by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) to the NCAA Division I FBS college football national champion as determined by the Coaches Poll. The trophy has been presented since 1986 and was contractually given to the winner of the BCS National Championship Game and its predecessors from 1992 to 2013. Since then, it continues to be awarded to the top-ranked team in the final Coaches Poll of the season. [1]

Contents

History

Patrick and Michael Gerrits came up with the idea for a college football trophy to be awarded to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) national champions along with an academic scholarship award to a non-athlete. The intent was to honor the memory of the patriarch of the Gerrits family, Edward J. Gerrits. The trophy consists of a Waterford Crystal football [2] affixed to an ebony base, and carries a value of over $30,000. The winning school retains permanent possession of the trophy, as a new one is awarded every year. The football portion of the trophy weighs approximately eight pounds and together with the stand, it weighs about 45 pounds (20 kg) and stands 34 inches (86 cm) tall. It is handmade by master craftspeople at Waterford Crystal and reportedly takes nearly three months to complete. [2] [3]

The official name is the American Football Coaches Association National Championship Trophy; it was given this permanent name by the association in 2006. In 2009, the AFCA allowed universities to buy replica trophies for any year a school finished first in the Coaches Poll, from the 1950 to 1985 seasons, prior to the trophy's creation in 1986. Around this time, the AFCA also began the process of awarding retroactive titles for the 1922 to 1949 seasons. The AFCA asked schools who felt they had a legitimate bid for the title to submit their reasons why so that their committee could hear the case and decide. [4] Since then, TCU (1935, 1938), [5] [6] Texas A&M (1939), [7] and Oklahoma State (1945) [8] have received AFCA national championship selections and been awarded The Coaches’ Trophy.

Through the 1973 season, the final Coaches Poll was released in early December, after the regular season, but before postseason bowl games. Beginning with the 1974 season, the final poll has been conducted after the bowl games.

Throughout the eras of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and its predecessors (1992–2013), no separate national championship trophy was commissioned by those bodies, with the AFCA trophy serving that role. During the BCS era, the trophy was presented to the winning team in an on-field ceremony after the title game. [9] With the end of the BCS, its successor playoff system, the College Football Playoff (CFP), commissioned a new trophy for its champion; officials wanted a new trophy that was unconnected with the previous championship system. [10] However, coaches were "adamant" that the AFCA trophy continue to be awarded. [9] Since the 2014 season, the trophy has been awarded to the team ranked No. 1 in the final Coaches Poll of the season in a celebration at that team's stadium sometime after the College Football Playoff National Championship. [1]

Sponsorship

The trophy has undergone several sponsorship changes over the years. It was sponsored by the Gerrits Foundation during the initial 1986 and 1987 seasons and, through the Gerrits' family Pepsi bottling business, Pepsi became a co-sponsor with the Gerrits Foundation in 1988 and 1989. Due to the poll's affiliation with the United Press International wire service, it was known as the Gerrits Foundation-UPI Coaches Trophy, the UPI Coaches Trophy or UPI Trophy during that time. [11] [12] McDonald's was the sole sponsor from 1990 to 1992. Sears began its sponsorship in 1993 and remained until 2001. Circuit City assumed the sponsorship for the 2002 season. ADT Security Services was the title sponsor from 2003 to 2005; and from 2009 to 2013, Dr Pepper sponsored the trophy. [2] Since 2014, Amway has been the trophy sponsor. [13]

Coaches Poll national champions

SeasonSchoolHead coach AP poll champion
(if different)
1950 Oklahoma Bud Wilkinson
1951 Tennessee Robert Neyland
1952 Michigan State Biggie Munn
1953 Maryland Jim Tatum
1954 UCLA Red Sanders Ohio State
1955 Oklahoma Bud Wilkinson
1956 Oklahoma
1957 Ohio State Woody Hayes Auburn
1958 LSU Paul Dietzel
1959 Syracuse Ben Schwartzwalder
1960 Minnesota Murray Warmath
1961 Alabama Bear Bryant
1962 USC John McKay
1963 Texas Darrell Royal
1964 Alabama Bear Bryant
1965 Michigan State Duffy Daugherty Alabama
1966 Notre Dame Ara Parseghian
1967 USC John McKay
1968 Ohio State Woody Hayes
1969 Texas Darrell Royal
1970 Texas Nebraska
1971 Nebraska Bob Devaney
1972 USC John McKay
1973 Alabama Bear Bryant Notre Dame
1974 USC John McKay Oklahoma
1975 Oklahoma Barry Switzer
1976 Pittsburgh Johnny Majors
1977 Notre Dame Dan Devine
1978 USC John Robinson Alabama
1979 Alabama Bear Bryant
1980 Georgia Vince Dooley
1981 Clemson Danny Ford
1982 Penn State Joe Paterno
1983 Miami (FL) Howard Schnellenberger
1984 BYU LaVell Edwards
1985 Oklahoma Barry Switzer
1986 Penn State Joe Paterno
1987 Miami (FL) Jimmy Johnson
1988 Notre Dame Lou Holtz
1989 Miami (FL) Dennis Erickson
1990 Georgia Tech Bobby Ross Colorado
1991 Washington Don James Miami (FL)
1992 Alabama Gene Stallings
1993 Florida State Bobby Bowden
1994 Nebraska Tom Osborne
1995 Nebraska
1996 Florida Steve Spurrier
1997 Nebraska Tom Osborne Michigan
1998 Tennessee Phillip Fulmer
1999 Florida State Bobby Bowden
2000 Oklahoma Bob Stoops
2001 Miami (FL) Larry Coker
2002 Ohio State Jim Tressel
2003 LSU Nick Saban USC
2004 vacated [a] USC
2005 Texas Mack Brown
2006 Florida Urban Meyer
2007 LSU Les Miles
2008 Florida Urban Meyer
2009 Alabama Nick Saban
2010 Auburn Gene Chizik
2011 Alabama Nick Saban
2012 Alabama
2013 Florida State Jimbo Fisher
2014 Ohio State Urban Meyer
2015 Alabama Nick Saban
2016 Clemson Dabo Swinney
2017 Alabama Nick Saban
2018 Clemson Dabo Swinney
2019 LSU Ed Orgeron
2020 Alabama Nick Saban
2021 Georgia Kirby Smart
2022 Georgia
2023 Michigan Jim Harbaugh
  1. ↑ USC was later stripped of its 2004 Coaches' Poll championship due to NCAA sanctions.

By school

SchoolNumberSeasons
Alabama 111961, 1964, 1973, 1979, 1992, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020
Oklahoma 61950, 1955, 1956, 1975, 1985, 2000
USC 51962, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1978
LSU 41958, 2003, 2007, 2019
Ohio State 41957, 1968, 2002, 2014
Nebraska 41971, 1994, 1995, 1997
Miami (FL) 41983, 1987, 1989, 2001
Texas 41963, 1969, 1970, 2005
Clemson 31981, 2016, 2018
Florida State 31993, 1999, 2013
Notre Dame 31966, 1977, 1988
Florida 31996, 2006, 2008
Georgia 31980, 2021, 2022
Michigan State 21952, 1965
Penn State 21982, 1986
TCU 21935,† 1938†
Tennessee 21951, 1998
Auburn 12010
BYU 11984
Georgia Tech 11990
Maryland 11953
Michigan 12023
Minnesota 11960
Oklahoma State 11945†
Pittsburgh 11976
Syracuse 11959
Texas A&M 11939†
UCLA 11954
Washington 11991

† Retroactively awarded. [14] [5] [6]

Blue Ribbon Commission

In 2016, the AFCA tasked a "Blue Ribbon Commission" to select AFCA national champions and Coaches' Trophy winners for 1922–1949, representing the years between the establishment of the AFCA and the inaugural Coaches Poll in 1950. [15]

The commission consisted of former college football coaches Grant Teaff, Vince Dooley, and R. C. Slocum. [15]

SeasonSchoolHead coach AP poll champion
(if different)
1935 † SMU [16] Matty Bell none
TCU [5] Dutch Meyer
1938 TCU [6]
1939 Texas A&M [7] Homer Norton
1945 Oklahoma A&M [8] Jim Lookabaugh Army

† Photos of the trophies retroactively awarded to the TCU and SMU teams of 1935 show that different wording was used. The 1935 TCU trophy reads (in part) "The National Football Champions" while the 1935 SMU trophy reads (in part) "For Their Championship Season". Different NCAA-recognized selectors have honored different teams as national champions for the 1935 college football season.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "FBS coaches' poll will continue every week despite BCS going away". Associated Press. January 13, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Trophy". Archived from the original on November 26, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  3. ↑ Trophy dimensions dimensionsguide.com [ dead link ]
  4. ↑ Fornelli, Tom (October 13, 2016). "Why Oklahoma State has been named college football's 1945 national champion". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 The Coaches' Trophy — 1935 Texas Christian University (Trophy). Schollmaier Arena: American Football Coaches Association. March 21, 2023. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. The American Football Coaches Association Honors The National Football Champion — Texas Christian University — 1935
  6. 1 2 3 The Coaches' Trophy — 1938 Texas Christian University (Trophy). Schollmaier Arena: American Football Coaches Association. March 21, 2023. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. The American Football Coaches Association Honors The National Football Champion — Texas Christian University — 1938
  7. 1 2 The Coaches' Trophy — 1939 Texas A&M University (Trophy). Hall of Champions at Kyle Field: American Football Coaches Association. April 8, 2017. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. The American Football Coaches Association Honors The National Football Champion — Texas A&M University — 1939{{cite sign}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. 1 2 The Coaches' Trophy — 1945 Oklahoma A&M (Trophy). Heritage Hall, Gallagher-Iba Arena: American Football Coaches Association. March 10, 2017. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. The American Football Coaches Association Honors The National Football Champion — Oklahoma A&M — 1945{{cite sign}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. 1 2 Dan Wolken (January 13, 2014). "In Playoff era, AFCA will continue to award Coaches Trophy". USA Today . Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  10. ↑ Dennis Dodd (July 23, 2013). "New College Football Playoff will reportedly feature a new trophy". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Football Central". United Press International. October 25, 1986. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  12. ↑ "SPORTS NEWS BRIEFS; New Trophy Set For No. 1 Team". The New York Times . September 25, 1986.
  13. ↑ Dennis Dodd (February 18, 2014). "Amway new sponsor of glass football national championship trophy". CBSsports.com. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  14. ↑ Culpepper, Chuck (October 13, 2016). "Oklahoma State just won the 1945 college football national championship". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  15. 1 2 Marshall, Kendrick (October 18, 2016). Written at Stillwater, Oklahoma. "AFCA member explains why OSU awarded 1945 national championship". Tulsa World. Tulsa, Oklahoma. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  16. ↑ The Coaches' Trophy — 1935 Southern Methodist University (Trophy). Gerald J. Ford Stadium Heritage Hall: American Football Coaches Association. June 17, 2024. The American Football Coaches Association Honors — Southern Methodist University 1935 — For Their Championship Season{{cite sign}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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