New Mexico Military Institute’s Kurt Taufa’asau Selected as 2021 ACCFCA Coach of the Year
December 22, 2021
New Mexico Military Institute Head Coach Kurt Taufa’asau has been named the 2021 American Community College Football Coaches Association (ACCFCA) Coach of the Year. The award will be presented to Taufa’asau during the 2022 American Football Coaches Association Convention on Tuesday, January 10, in San Antonio, Texas.
RELATED ARTICLE: Luke Fickell Headlines 2021 Werner Ladder AFCA FBS Regional Coach of the Year Winners
Taufa’asau earned his first ACCFCA Coach of the Year honor after leading New Mexico Military to a 12-1 record and the program’s first National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I national championship. The Broncos, who were ranked No. 2 going into the title game, beat No. 1 Iowa Western, 31-13, to claim the crown. This was Taufa’asau’s first season as head coach. He was named interim head coach prior to the start of the 2021 season, then the interim tag was removed after the final regular season game on November 7.
Taufa’asau has been at New Mexico Military since 2016 when returned to his alma mater as the defensive line coach. He helped guide the Broncos to the Southwestern Junior College Football Conference championship game in 2019.
Taufa’asau played at New Mexico Military in 2009, earning All-Western States Football League first team honors as a defensive lineman. He went on to play at the University of Wyoming, earning a degree in sociology in 2012. Taufa’asau went on to the NFL, spending time with the Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans in 2013, and the Indianapolis Colts from 2014 to 2015. He spent one season as the defensive line coach at Westlake (Utah) High School before returning to New Mexico Military Institute. Taufa’asau is married to Shanice and the couple have two sons, King who is 6 years old and Zion who is 1, and a daughter, Larei, who is 2 years old.
About the ACCFCA: Before 2000, the two junior college associations, the California Community College Football Coaches Association, and the National Junior College Football Coaches Association, each had its own Coach of the Year. In 2000, the AFCA invited the organizations to meet at the AFCA Convention.
Three national goals were set: to form a national community college football coaches’ association, to study the possibility of a national championship game between the two organizations and to select a yearly National Coach of the Year who would be recognized by the AFCA. Their initial goal, to create an umbrella coaches association, has been accomplished.
In 2002, the American Community College Football Coaches Association selected its first national coach of the year, Michael White of Reedley College. Past winners of the ACCFCA Coach of the Year are: Troy Morrell, Butler Community College, 2003; Tim Hatten, Pearl River Community College, 2004; Don Dillon, American River College, 2005; John Featherstone, El Camino College, 2006; Jeff Chudy, Bakersfield College, 2007; Jeff Jordan, Butte College, 2008; Brad Franchione, Blinn College, 2009; Bob Jastrab, Mt. San Antonio College, 2010; Bert Williams, Georgia Military College, 2013; Buddy Stephens, East Mississippi Community College, 2011 and 2014; Mark McElroy, Saddleback College, 2015; Jeff Sims, Garden City Community College, 2016; Scott Strohmeier, Iowa Western Community College, 2012 and 2017; Steve Mooshagian, Ventura College, 2018 and Tom Craft, Riverside City College, 2019.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out insider.afca.com and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
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New Mexico Military Institute Head Coach Kurt Taufa’asau has been named the 2021 American Community College Football Coaches Association (ACCFCA) Coach of the Year. The award will be presented to Taufa’asau during the 2022 American Football Coaches Association Convention on Tuesday, January 10, in San Antonio, Texas.
RELATED ARTICLE: Luke Fickell Headlines 2021 Werner Ladder AFCA FBS Regional Coach of the Year Winners
Taufa’asau earned his first ACCFCA Coach of the Year honor after leading New Mexico Military to a 12-1 record and the program’s first National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I national championship. The Broncos, who were ranked No. 2 going into the title game, beat No. 1 Iowa Western, 31-13, to claim the crown. This was Taufa’asau’s first season as head coach. He was named interim head coach prior to the start of the 2021 season, then the interim tag was removed after the final regular season game on November 7.
Taufa’asau has been at New Mexico Military since 2016 when returned to his alma mater as the defensive line coach. He helped guide the Broncos to the Southwestern Junior College Football Conference championship game in 2019.
Taufa’asau played at New Mexico Military in 2009, earning All-Western States Football League first team honors as a defensive lineman. He went on to play at the University of Wyoming, earning a degree in sociology in 2012. Taufa’asau went on to the NFL, spending time with the Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans in 2013, and the Indianapolis Colts from 2014 to 2015. He spent one season as the defensive line coach at Westlake (Utah) High School before returning to New Mexico Military Institute. Taufa’asau is married to Shanice and the couple have two sons, King who is 6 years old and Zion who is 1, and a daughter, Larei, who is 2 years old.
About the ACCFCA: Before 2000, the two junior college associations, the California Community College Football Coaches Association, and the National Junior College Football Coaches Association, each had its own Coach of the Year. In 2000, the AFCA invited the organizations to meet at the AFCA Convention.
Three national goals were set: to form a national community college football coaches’ association, to study the possibility of a national championship game between the two organizations and to select a yearly National Coach of the Year who would be recognized by the AFCA. Their initial goal, to create an umbrella coaches association, has been accomplished.
In 2002, the American Community College Football Coaches Association selected its first national coach of the year, Michael White of Reedley College. Past winners of the ACCFCA Coach of the Year are: Troy Morrell, Butler Community College, 2003; Tim Hatten, Pearl River Community College, 2004; Don Dillon, American River College, 2005; John Featherstone, El Camino College, 2006; Jeff Chudy, Bakersfield College, 2007; Jeff Jordan, Butte College, 2008; Brad Franchione, Blinn College, 2009; Bob Jastrab, Mt. San Antonio College, 2010; Bert Williams, Georgia Military College, 2013; Buddy Stephens, East Mississippi Community College, 2011 and 2014; Mark McElroy, Saddleback College, 2015; Jeff Sims, Garden City Community College, 2016; Scott Strohmeier, Iowa Western Community College, 2012 and 2017; Steve Mooshagian, Ventura College, 2018 and Tom Craft, Riverside City College, 2019.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out insider.afca.com and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
