Indiana’s Tom Allen named 2020 Big Ten Coach of the Year
After taking the Hoosiers to a 6-1 Big Ten finish, Indiana head coach Tom Allen has been named the Big Ten’s 2020 Coach of the Year in both votes by the media and coaches. The Big Ten announced on Thursday that the 50-year old won the Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year award (coaches vote) and Dave McClain Coach of the Year award (media vote).
He joins only Bill Mallory, won won the award between 1986 and 1987, as the only Indiana head coaches to earn these honors.
Earlier, Tom Allen was named the AFCA Region 3 Coach of the Year and it was announced that he is also a candidate for the Dodd Trophy and the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards.
Notable accomplishment’s from Indiana University Athletics statement:
IU is ranked for the eighth-consecutive week, its longest streak since 1945 (9), coming in at No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 and at No. 7 in the Amway Coaches Poll presented by USA Today Sports.
The Hoosiers have been ranked in the Top 10 five times in 2020, the most for the program since 1967 (5 weeks) and tied for the second-most in school history (9 weeks in 1945).
Indiana collected its first Top-10 ranking in the Nov. 8 AP Poll (No. 10) since Sept. 22, 1969 (No. 10), and its No.7 rating is its best in the AP Poll since Nov. 27, 1967 (No. 4).
IU entered the CFP rankings for the first time in program history on Nov. 24, and currently sits at No. 12.
The Hoosiers are one of three teams in the country (Alabama, North Carolina) with three Top-25 victories.
Their three Top-25 wins also match the 1945 team’s program record.
Indiana’s 6-1 record is its best overall start since 1993 (7-1) and its best conference start since 1967 (6-1).
IU is 14-6 overall and 11-5 in league play since the beginning of the 2019 campaign. Its 14 victories share third and its 11 Big Ten wins rank third among all B1G teams during that span.
With their victory over Maryland, the Hoosiers clinched a winning league record in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1987-88 and for the sixth time overall (1967-68, 1944-46 and 1936-37).
Indiana’s six conference wins are tied for the most in school history (1967, 1987)
IU’s 11 Big Ten victories are tied for the most in program history over a two-year span (1987-88).
The Hoosiers collected their first win over No. 16 Wisconsin (14-6) since defeating the Badgers in back-to-back seasons on Oct. 6, 2001 (63-32) and on Oct. 12, 2002 (32-29), the former coming at Camp Randall Stadium.
Indiana recorded its first road victory over a ranked opponent since No. 18 Missouri on Sept. 20, 2014 (31-27), and its first B1G road win over a ranked opponent since No. 22 Michigan State on Nov. 10, 2001 (37-28).
Wisconsin’s six points marked its lowest total against IU since Oct. 24,1992 (3), and it was U-W’s first game without a touchdown since Oct. 3, 2015, against Iowa.
The Hoosiers matched a school record with five-straight league victories (1967) before losing at No. 3 Ohio State and have won 11 of their last 14, their most successful stretch in conference games in program history.
Indiana defeated Michigan State, 24-0, to reclaim the Old Brass Spittoon for the first time since 2016 and earn its first win in East Lansing since 2001.
IU’s 38-21 victory over No. 23 Michigan was its first over the Wolverines since Oct. 24, 1987 (14-10).
The Hoosiers 36-35, overtime win against No. 8 Penn State in the season opener was the sixth against a Top-10 opponent in school history, with the last coming at No. 9 Ohio State (31-10) on Oct. 10, 1987.
It marked Indiana’s first Top-10 victory at Memorial Stadium since Nov. 25, 1967 (No. 3 Purdue, 19-14).
IU has defeated PSU, U-M, MSU and UW in the same season for the first time in program history and beaten the Wolverines and Spartans in the same year for the first time since 1967.