Steve Ryan Headlines 2021 Spring AFCA NAIA Regional Coach of the Year Winners
April 14, 2021
Morningside’s Steve Ryan highlights today’s announcement of the 2021 Spring AFCA NAIA Regional Coach of the Year winners. The AFCA recognizes five regional Coach of the Year winners in each of the Association’s five divisions: Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and NAIA. The winners are selected by active members of the Association who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions. The 2021 Spring AFCA NAIA Regional Coach of the Year winners are:
Region 1: Chris Oliver, Lindsey Wilson
Region 2: Joshua Schumacher, Concordia (Mich.)
Region 3: Joe Woodley, Grand View
Region 4: Steve Ryan, Morningside
Region 5: Jeff Bowen, Arizona Christian
Ryan earned his seventh straight AFCA Regional honor by leading No. 1 Morningside to an 8-0 regular season played last fall, the program’s 11th Great Plains Athletic Conference title under his watch and a berth in the NAIA playoffs where the Mustangs are the two-time defending national champions. He has an overall record of 192-40 in his 19 years as head coach and is tied for third all-time with 10 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honors.
Chris Oliver earned his sixth AFCA Regional honor by guiding Lindsey Wilson to a 7-0 regular season and the Mid-South Conference Bluegrass Division title. The Blue Raiders also earned a trip to the NAIA playoffs where they will host a first-round game. Oliver started the Lindsey Wilson program in 2010 and owns an overall record of 89-33 with six NAIA playoff appearances.
Joshua Schumacher earned his first AFCA Regional honor by leading Concordia (Mich.) to the program’s first undefeated regular season, the Mid-States Football Association Mideast League title and a fourth consecutive trip to the playoffs. Schumacher has led the Cardinals to the playoffs in all four years he has been head coach. He has an overall record of 32-8.
Joe Woodley joins his father, Mike, as an AFCA Regional winner. Joe earned his first honor by leading Grand View to a 6-0 regular season record, the Heart of America Athletic Conference North Division title, and a No. 2 seed in the NAIA playoffs. He is in his second year as head coach and has an overall record of 19-1. In his first season, Woodley guided the Vikings to a 13-1 record and a trip the semifinals of the NAIA playoffs in 2019.
Another first-time winner is Jeff Bowen from Arizona Christian. Bowen led the Firestorm to a 9-1 record, the Sooner Athletic Conference championship and a trip to the NAIA playoffs. He has been the head coach at Arizona Christian for five years and has an overall record of 37-14. Bowen was associate head coach for two seasons and helped start the program in 2014.
RELATED CONTENT: [NAIA POLL] Morningside Ends 2021 Regular Spring Season at No. 1
AFCA NAIA National Coach of the Year: The AFCA will announce the 2021 Spring AFCA NAIA National Coach of the Year during the week leading up to the NAIA National Championship. The Regional winners are finalists for National Coach of the Year.
Award History: The AFCA began recognizing district coaches of the year following the 1960 season. The awards were established the same year Eastman Kodak agreed to sponsor the AFCA Coach of the Year award. Prior to 1960, the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain had sponsored the program, which recognized one national Coach of the Year.
The AFCA first recognized eight district winners in each of two divisions: university and college. In 1972, a ninth district was added in each division. In 1983, the award was changed to recognize regional winners instead of district winners. The number of divisions was also increased from two to four and five regional winners were selected in each division. This resulted in a more equitable selection process and better represented the make-up of the membership. At the same time, the new system increased the number of honorees from 18 to 20. In 2006, the AFCA Division II Award was split into separate Division II and NAIA divisions, giving us the 25 winners we now recognize.
Repeat Winners: Morningside’s Steve Ryan is the only repeat winner from 2019. Ryan has won seven Regional honors in a row, from 2014-21, and 10 total when you add his 2005, 2011 and 2012 honors.
Multiple Winners: Lindsey Wilson’s Chris Oliver is the only other multiple winner in 2021. He now has six total from 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021.
Most Awards: Mount Union’s Larry Kehres (1986, 1990, 1992-93, 1996-97, 1999-02, 2006-12) has the most district/regional honors in AFCA history, with 17. Penn State’s Joe Paterno (District 2: 1967-68, 1971-73, 1977-78, 1982; Region 1: 1985; Region 3: 1994, 2005) is second with 11 District/Regional Coach of the Year honors. Tied for third is Bloomsburg’s Danny Hale, Mary Hardin-Baylor’s Pete Fredenburg and Morningside’s Steve Ryan, each with 10 awards. Hale won his first three honors at West Chester and the rest at Bloomsburg (College Division I, Region 1 1986-88, 1994-95; Division II, Region 1, 2000-01, 2005-06, 2008). Fredenburg won his 10 in 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012-14, 2016 and 2018. Ryan won his 10 in 2005, 2011, 2012 and 2014-21. Seven coaches have won the award seven times: Tubby Raymond, Delaware; Jim Butterfield, Ithaca; Bo Schembechler, Miami (Ohio), Michigan; Bob Devaney, Nebraska; Tom Osborne, Nebraska; Mel Tjeerdsma, Northwest Missouri State; and Carmen Cozza, Yale. Eight coaches have won Regional honors six times: Vince Dooley, Georgia; Brian Kelly, Grand Valley State, Cincinnati, Notre Dame; Roy Kidd, Eastern Kentucky; John McKay, USC; Jerry Moore, Appalachian State; Darrell Royal, Texas; Mike Van Diest, Carroll (Mont.) and Chris Oliver, Lindsey Wilson.
Most Winners by School: Mount Union-18 (Ken Wable-1, Larry Kehres-17); Nebraska-15 (Bob Devaney-7, Tom Osborne-7, Frank Solich-1); North Dakota State-14 (Darrell Mudra-1, Ron Erhardt-4, Jim Wacker-1, Don Morton-3, Earle Solomonson-1, Craig Bohl-2, Klieman-1, Entz-1); Penn State-12 (Rip Engle-1, Joe Paterno-11); Alabama-11 (Bear Bryant-4, Bill Curry-1, Gene Stallings-2, Mike Shula-1, Nick Saban-3); Texas-11 (Darrell Royal-6, Fred Akers-2, David McWilliams-1, Mack Brown-2); Mary Hardin-Baylor-10 (Pete Fredenburg-10); Morningside-10 (Steve Ryan-10); USC-10 (John McKay-6, John Robinson-2, Pete Carroll-2); Wittenberg-10 (Bill Edwards-3, Dave Maurer-4, Ron Murphy-1, Joe Fincham-2); Bloomsburg-9 (George Landis-1, Danny Hale-7, Paul Darragh-1); Ithaca-9 (Jim Butterfield-7, Mike Welch-2); Michigan-9 (Bump Elliott-2, Bo Schembechler-6, Lloyd Carr-1); New Hampshire-9 (Clarence Boston-1, Jim Root-1, Bill Bowes-3, Sean McDonnell-4); Arkansas-8 (Frank Broyles-4, Lou Holtz-1, Ken Hatfield-1, Houston Nutt-2); Dartmouth-8 (Bob Blackman-4, Jake Crouthamel-1, Joe Yukica-1, Buddy Teveens-2); Georgia-8 (Vince Dooley-6, Mark Richt-1, Kirby Smart-1); Lenoir-Rhyne-8 (Clarence Stasavich-2, Hanley Painter-2, John Perry-1, Charles Forbes-1, Drew Cronic-2); Northwest Missouri State-8 (Mel Tjeerdsma-7, Adam Dorrel-1); Ohio State-8 (Woody Hayes-4, Earle Bruce-1, John Cooper-3); Oklahoma-8 (Chuck Fairbanks-3, Barry Switzer-2, Bob Stoops-3); Texas A&M-Kingsville-8 (Gil Steinke-2, Ron Harms-5, Bo Atterberry-1); Yale-8 (Jordan Olivar-1, Carmen Cozza-7).
Consecutive Years: Morningside’s Steve Ryan joins Mount Union’s Larry Kehres as the only coaches to win district/regional honors in seven consecutive years. Kehres won his in Division III from 2006-12 while Ryan won his in NAIA from 2014-21. Jacksonville State’s John Grass, Northwest Missouri State’s Mel Tjeerdsma and Nebraska’s Bob Devaney are the only coaches to win district/regional honors in five consecutive years. Tjeerdsma earned the honor in Division II from 1996-2000. Devaney earned the honor in the AFCA’s old University Division (1962-66). Grass earned his five straight in FCS from 2014-18. Carroll’s Mike Van Diest, Trinity’s (Texas) Steve Mohr, North Dakota State’s Ron Erhardt and Kehres are the only men to win the award four years in a row. Van Diest earned the honor in NAIA from 2007-10, while Kehres won his four in a row from 1999-2002 in Division III. Erhardt earned district honors in the AFCA’s old College Division (1967-68-69-70) while Mohr earned the honor in Division III (1996-97-98-99). Fifteen coaches have earned district or regional honors three years in a row. Ithaca’s Jim Butterfield (1978-79-80 and 1984-85-86) earned the award in three consecutive years on two different occasions.
About AFCA
The AFCA was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 10,000 members around the world ranging from the high school level to the professional ranks. According to its constitution, the AFCA was formed, in part, to “maintain the highest possible standards in football and in the coaching profession” and to “provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football.”
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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Morningside’s Steve Ryan highlights today’s announcement of the 2021 Spring AFCA NAIA Regional Coach of the Year winners. The AFCA recognizes five regional Coach of the Year winners in each of the Association’s five divisions: Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and NAIA. The winners are selected by active members of the Association who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions. The 2021 Spring AFCA NAIA Regional Coach of the Year winners are:
Region 1: Chris Oliver, Lindsey Wilson
Region 2: Joshua Schumacher, Concordia (Mich.)
Region 3: Joe Woodley, Grand View
Region 4: Steve Ryan, Morningside
Region 5: Jeff Bowen, Arizona Christian
Ryan earned his seventh straight AFCA Regional honor by leading No. 1 Morningside to an 8-0 regular season played last fall, the program’s 11th Great Plains Athletic Conference title under his watch and a berth in the NAIA playoffs where the Mustangs are the two-time defending national champions. He has an overall record of 192-40 in his 19 years as head coach and is tied for third all-time with 10 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honors.
Chris Oliver earned his sixth AFCA Regional honor by guiding Lindsey Wilson to a 7-0 regular season and the Mid-South Conference Bluegrass Division title. The Blue Raiders also earned a trip to the NAIA playoffs where they will host a first-round game. Oliver started the Lindsey Wilson program in 2010 and owns an overall record of 89-33 with six NAIA playoff appearances.
Joshua Schumacher earned his first AFCA Regional honor by leading Concordia (Mich.) to the program’s first undefeated regular season, the Mid-States Football Association Mideast League title and a fourth consecutive trip to the playoffs. Schumacher has led the Cardinals to the playoffs in all four years he has been head coach. He has an overall record of 32-8.
Joe Woodley joins his father, Mike, as an AFCA Regional winner. Joe earned his first honor by leading Grand View to a 6-0 regular season record, the Heart of America Athletic Conference North Division title, and a No. 2 seed in the NAIA playoffs. He is in his second year as head coach and has an overall record of 19-1. In his first season, Woodley guided the Vikings to a 13-1 record and a trip the semifinals of the NAIA playoffs in 2019.
Another first-time winner is Jeff Bowen from Arizona Christian. Bowen led the Firestorm to a 9-1 record, the Sooner Athletic Conference championship and a trip to the NAIA playoffs. He has been the head coach at Arizona Christian for five years and has an overall record of 37-14. Bowen was associate head coach for two seasons and helped start the program in 2014.
RELATED CONTENT: [NAIA POLL] Morningside Ends 2021 Regular Spring Season at No. 1
AFCA NAIA National Coach of the Year: The AFCA will announce the 2021 Spring AFCA NAIA National Coach of the Year during the week leading up to the NAIA National Championship. The Regional winners are finalists for National Coach of the Year.
Award History: The AFCA began recognizing district coaches of the year following the 1960 season. The awards were established the same year Eastman Kodak agreed to sponsor the AFCA Coach of the Year award. Prior to 1960, the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain had sponsored the program, which recognized one national Coach of the Year.
The AFCA first recognized eight district winners in each of two divisions: university and college. In 1972, a ninth district was added in each division. In 1983, the award was changed to recognize regional winners instead of district winners. The number of divisions was also increased from two to four and five regional winners were selected in each division. This resulted in a more equitable selection process and better represented the make-up of the membership. At the same time, the new system increased the number of honorees from 18 to 20. In 2006, the AFCA Division II Award was split into separate Division II and NAIA divisions, giving us the 25 winners we now recognize.
Repeat Winners: Morningside’s Steve Ryan is the only repeat winner from 2019. Ryan has won seven Regional honors in a row, from 2014-21, and 10 total when you add his 2005, 2011 and 2012 honors.
Multiple Winners: Lindsey Wilson’s Chris Oliver is the only other multiple winner in 2021. He now has six total from 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021.
Most Awards: Mount Union’s Larry Kehres (1986, 1990, 1992-93, 1996-97, 1999-02, 2006-12) has the most district/regional honors in AFCA history, with 17. Penn State’s Joe Paterno (District 2: 1967-68, 1971-73, 1977-78, 1982; Region 1: 1985; Region 3: 1994, 2005) is second with 11 District/Regional Coach of the Year honors. Tied for third is Bloomsburg’s Danny Hale, Mary Hardin-Baylor’s Pete Fredenburg and Morningside’s Steve Ryan, each with 10 awards. Hale won his first three honors at West Chester and the rest at Bloomsburg (College Division I, Region 1 1986-88, 1994-95; Division II, Region 1, 2000-01, 2005-06, 2008). Fredenburg won his 10 in 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012-14, 2016 and 2018. Ryan won his 10 in 2005, 2011, 2012 and 2014-21. Seven coaches have won the award seven times: Tubby Raymond, Delaware; Jim Butterfield, Ithaca; Bo Schembechler, Miami (Ohio), Michigan; Bob Devaney, Nebraska; Tom Osborne, Nebraska; Mel Tjeerdsma, Northwest Missouri State; and Carmen Cozza, Yale. Eight coaches have won Regional honors six times: Vince Dooley, Georgia; Brian Kelly, Grand Valley State, Cincinnati, Notre Dame; Roy Kidd, Eastern Kentucky; John McKay, USC; Jerry Moore, Appalachian State; Darrell Royal, Texas; Mike Van Diest, Carroll (Mont.) and Chris Oliver, Lindsey Wilson.
Most Winners by School: Mount Union-18 (Ken Wable-1, Larry Kehres-17); Nebraska-15 (Bob Devaney-7, Tom Osborne-7, Frank Solich-1); North Dakota State-14 (Darrell Mudra-1, Ron Erhardt-4, Jim Wacker-1, Don Morton-3, Earle Solomonson-1, Craig Bohl-2, Klieman-1, Entz-1); Penn State-12 (Rip Engle-1, Joe Paterno-11); Alabama-11 (Bear Bryant-4, Bill Curry-1, Gene Stallings-2, Mike Shula-1, Nick Saban-3); Texas-11 (Darrell Royal-6, Fred Akers-2, David McWilliams-1, Mack Brown-2); Mary Hardin-Baylor-10 (Pete Fredenburg-10); Morningside-10 (Steve Ryan-10); USC-10 (John McKay-6, John Robinson-2, Pete Carroll-2); Wittenberg-10 (Bill Edwards-3, Dave Maurer-4, Ron Murphy-1, Joe Fincham-2); Bloomsburg-9 (George Landis-1, Danny Hale-7, Paul Darragh-1); Ithaca-9 (Jim Butterfield-7, Mike Welch-2); Michigan-9 (Bump Elliott-2, Bo Schembechler-6, Lloyd Carr-1); New Hampshire-9 (Clarence Boston-1, Jim Root-1, Bill Bowes-3, Sean McDonnell-4); Arkansas-8 (Frank Broyles-4, Lou Holtz-1, Ken Hatfield-1, Houston Nutt-2); Dartmouth-8 (Bob Blackman-4, Jake Crouthamel-1, Joe Yukica-1, Buddy Teveens-2); Georgia-8 (Vince Dooley-6, Mark Richt-1, Kirby Smart-1); Lenoir-Rhyne-8 (Clarence Stasavich-2, Hanley Painter-2, John Perry-1, Charles Forbes-1, Drew Cronic-2); Northwest Missouri State-8 (Mel Tjeerdsma-7, Adam Dorrel-1); Ohio State-8 (Woody Hayes-4, Earle Bruce-1, John Cooper-3); Oklahoma-8 (Chuck Fairbanks-3, Barry Switzer-2, Bob Stoops-3); Texas A&M-Kingsville-8 (Gil Steinke-2, Ron Harms-5, Bo Atterberry-1); Yale-8 (Jordan Olivar-1, Carmen Cozza-7).
Consecutive Years: Morningside’s Steve Ryan joins Mount Union’s Larry Kehres as the only coaches to win district/regional honors in seven consecutive years. Kehres won his in Division III from 2006-12 while Ryan won his in NAIA from 2014-21. Jacksonville State’s John Grass, Northwest Missouri State’s Mel Tjeerdsma and Nebraska’s Bob Devaney are the only coaches to win district/regional honors in five consecutive years. Tjeerdsma earned the honor in Division II from 1996-2000. Devaney earned the honor in the AFCA’s old University Division (1962-66). Grass earned his five straight in FCS from 2014-18. Carroll’s Mike Van Diest, Trinity’s (Texas) Steve Mohr, North Dakota State’s Ron Erhardt and Kehres are the only men to win the award four years in a row. Van Diest earned the honor in NAIA from 2007-10, while Kehres won his four in a row from 1999-2002 in Division III. Erhardt earned district honors in the AFCA’s old College Division (1967-68-69-70) while Mohr earned the honor in Division III (1996-97-98-99). Fifteen coaches have earned district or regional honors three years in a row. Ithaca’s Jim Butterfield (1978-79-80 and 1984-85-86) earned the award in three consecutive years on two different occasions.
About AFCA
The AFCA was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 10,000 members around the world ranging from the high school level to the professional ranks. According to its constitution, the AFCA was formed, in part, to “maintain the highest possible standards in football and in the coaching profession” and to “provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football.”
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.
