Dabo Swinney named to Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List

by Press Release - Thu Jul 25 11:58:52 GMT-04:00 2019

ATLANTA (July 25, 2019) – The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl today released the preseason watch list for the 2019 Dodd Trophy. This year’s list includes 23 of the nation’s top college football coaches representing all Power Five conferences, as well as the AAC, Mountain West and two independents.

The Dodd Trophy, college football’s most coveted national coaching award, celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd’s coaching philosophy.

The watch list was created through a selection process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, taking into consideration each program’s graduation rate, commitment to service and charity in the community, projected success for the 2019 season and Academic Progress Rate (APR). Coaches in the first year with their current team are ineligible to receive The Dodd Trophy.

“The Dodd Trophy is the most coveted coach of the year award because it looks beyond just the results on the field and measures the overall impact these coaches have had on their players, universities and communities,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “When determining candidates for the watch list, we carefully consider each coach’s commitment to the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity.”

“This impressive group of coaches has an unprecedented resume of nine National Championships, 50 conference titles and 2,012 career wins,” said Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl CEO & President Gary Stokan. “In what will be the sport’s 150th anniversary season, we couldn’t have asked for a more influential list of current coaches who have left their mark on college football.”

Of the 23 coaches on the watch list, six are previous winners of The Dodd Trophy, including Brian Kelly (2018), David Shaw (2017), Kirk Ferentz (2015), Nick Saban (2014), Dabo Swinney (2011) and Chris Petersen (2010). Additionally, all seven of the finalists for last year’s award are represented, including Pat Fitzgerald, Dabo Swinney, Dino Babers, Brian Kelly, Lincoln Riley, Nick Saban and Kirby Smart.

The Big Ten leads all conferences with six coaches making the list, followed closely by the SEC with five representatives. Last year’s winner Brian Kelly is joined by Jeff Monken as the two coaches on the list who represent independent institutions.

A midseason watch list – adding to or narrowing the field – will be released in the fall. A panel consisting of previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2019 season. The winner of the 2019 Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Starting in September, the Dodd Coach of the Week Award will also be presented weekly to the coach whose program embodies the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, while also having success on the playing field during the previous week.

??2019 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch list alert ?
This year's preseason watch list consists of 23 head coaches representing 8 different conferences and Army + Notre Dame.

The resume speaks for itself:
- 9 National Championships ?
- 50 Conference Titles ?
- 2,012 career wins ? pic.twitter.com/cOHEWy3LH9
— The Dodd Trophy (@DoddTrophy) July 25, 2019