Coach Tom Allen was named the 2020 Werner Ladder AFCA FBS National Coach of the Year. He was selected as the winner after being selected by a vote from the active AFCA members at FBS schools. Last year’s winner was LSU’s Ed Orgeron and the last time it was won by a Big Ten coach was 2005 with Joe Paterno of Penn State.
He was selected as the Region 3 winner last month and faced tough competition against the other regional winners. Beside Tom Allen, this year’s FBS region winners include:
- Luke Fickell of Cincinnati (Region 1)
- Jamey Chadwell of Coastal Carolina (Region 2)
- Doc Holliday of Marshall (Region 4)
- Brent Brennan of San Jose State (Region 5)
Per Stacy Gardella, vice president of brand marketing at WernerCo, “Werner is once again excited to be the sponsor and associated with such a prestigious award…Coach Allen led Indiana to one of its greatest seasons in 2020 as the Hoosiers ‘stepped up’ to every challenge they faced.”
In a press release by Indiana Athletic Director Scott Dolson, “Tom is very deserving of this honor, which recognizes the remarkable job that he has done in propelling our football program to a level of success that we have not enjoyed in decades…I’m particularly pleased that this honor comes from the AFCA and his fellow coaches, who appreciate the outstanding job that Tom has done with our program. This is a great day for not only Tom and our players, but also our department and Indiana University.”
The historic season for the Hoosiers ended with a 6-2 record and an appearance in the Outback Bowl. This was the first time Indiana has had two consecutive winning seasons since 1987-1988 as they ended 8-5 last season with an appearance in the Gator Bowl against Tennessee. Indiana also was ranked in the top 10 for the first time since 1969.
This is the third time Indiana has won the Werner AFCA FBS National Coach of the Year with Bo McMillin (1945) and John Pont (1967) winning the awards as well.
With the award, Tom Allen gets a $100,000 bonus per his contract. He has picked up a total of $250,000 in bonuses and an automatic 1-year contract extension.
