ABOUT THE AFCA
Since its establishment in 1922, the American Football Coaches Association has provided a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football and coaching. It also works to maintain the highest possible standards in football and the coaching profession. These objectives--first declared by founders Major Charles Daly, Alonzo Stagg, John Heisman, and others--have been instrumental to the AFCA's becoming the effective and highly respected organization it is today.
The AFCA is the professional organization for coaches at all levels, from high school to the NFL. Its international membership includes coaches from Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Through annual publications and several newsletters, the association keeps members informed of the most current rule changes and proposals, proper coaching methods, innovations in techniques, insights on coaching philosophy, and business conducted by the board of trustees and AFCA committees.
The AFCA works closely with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the National Football League, the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame, Pop Warner, and other organizations involved in the game of football. Indeed, one of the goals of the association is to build a strong coalition of football coaches--Team AFCA--who speak out with a unified voice on issues that affect the sport and profession.
For more information about becoming a member of the AFCA, please visit the AFCA Web site (www.afca.com) or write to the following address:
American Football Coaches Association
100 Legends Lane
Waco, TX 76706
254-754-9900
ABOUT THE PROJECT COORDINATORS
Bill Mallory ranks first on Indiana University's all-time victories list, having amassed a 69-77-3 record in his 13-year tenure as head coach. While compiling a 165-121-4 record at Miami (Ohio), Colorado, Northern Illinois, and Indiana, Mallory became one of only a handful of coaches in history to guide three different programs to top 20 finishes in national polls. He was twice named both Mid-American Coach of the Year and AFCA District Coach of the Year, and in 1987 he became the first coach to be awarded back-to-back Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. While at Indiana, Mallory led the Hoosiers to six bowl games, including victories in the 1998 Liberty Bowl and the 1991 Copper Bowl. He also led IU to a top 20 ranking in 1988. Mallory is a Hall of Fame member at Miami University, Northern Illinois University, and Indiana University. He holds a bachelor's degree from Miami University and a master's degree from Bowling Green State University. Mallory and his wife, Ellie, have four children—three of whom coach college football—and 10 grandchildren.
Don Nehlen, who achieved the most wins in West Virginia University's history, served as the Mountaineers' head coach from 1980 to 2000 and posted a 149-93-4 record. Nehlen's career record of 202-138-8 (including nine seasons as head coach at Bowling Green from 1968 to 1976) made him one of only 17 coaches in NCAA history to record 200 wins. Taking WVU to 13 bowl games and 17 winning seasons, Nehlen coached 15 first team All-Americans, 82 all-conference players, six first team Academic All-Americans, and 80 players who went on to professional football. He received Coach of the Year honors from numerous groups and was the unanimous choice as the 1993 Big East Coach of the Year. A member of the Mid-American Conference, Bowling Green, and Gator Bowl halls of fame, Nehlen has a bachelor's degree from Bowling Green and a master's degree from Kent State. A native of Canton, Ohio, Nehlen and his wife, Merry Ann, have two children and five grandchildren.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS
John Bond has been the Northern Illinois University offensive coordinator since 2003, when he steered the Huskies to single-season school records in points (421), touchdowns (53), first downs (261), and total offense yards (5,265). Bond boasts 22 seasons of experience, including three years as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Army (2000-2003), where he installed a one-back system that set 35 records, and at Illinois State University (1996-99), where he helped lead teams to the NCAA 1-AA playoffs twice (1998-99) and the Gateway Athletic Conference title (1999).
Al Borges, regarded as one of football's top offensive minds, has more than 31 years of coaching experience. The offensive coordinator for Auburn University since 2004, Borges helped his team finish first in the SEC in scoring offense in his first year. During his previous two years at Indiana, he helped the Hoosier offense set a school record for passing yards and take a third-place ranking in Big Ten passing offense. In five seasons as UCLA's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 1996 to 2000, Borges helped guide the Bruins to three consecutive NCAA bowl games and two Pac-10 championships (1997, 1998). Borges is a two-time finalist for the Frank Broyles Assistant Coach of the Year Award (1997, 1998), and he received Football Coach Quarterly's Offensive Coordinator of the Year in 1997.
Gregg Brandon became the 16th head coach in the history of Bowling Green State University's football program in 2002 and guided the Falcons to back-to-back bowl wins for just the second time in school history after winning in the GMAC Bowl in 2004. The Falcons also boasted the most potent offense in MAC history, finishing second in the country at 506.3 yards per game and fourth nationally in scoring offense at 44.3 points per game. Both established new league records. Brandon was hired after more than 22 years of coaching experience at the Division I level, including two years as assistant head coach at BGSU.
Mitch Browning has worked as the assistant coach to Glen Mason for 20 seasons at three different institutions: Kent State, Kansas, and Minnesota. During Browning's reign at Minnesota, the Gophers have finished among the top 35 in total offense in the nation in five consecutive seasons. In 2003 he helped the Gophers set a Big Ten record for total offense (6,430) and finish with the fourth-highest rushing total (3,759) and sixth-highest point total (503) in Big Ten history. Browning was selected as a finalist for the Frank Broyles Award, given annually to the top assistant football coach at the NCAA Division I level.
Jim Chaney reached the NFL level in February 2006, when he was hired as the assistant offensive line coach for the St. Louis Rams. Chaney spent the previous nine seasons as the offensive coordinator for Purdue, during which time he helped the Boilermakers lead the Big Ten in passing offense for five of his last eight seasons (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004) and in total offense on three occasions (1997, 1999, 2002). He also worked as the Boilermakers' tight ends coach. Chaney is a native of Holden, Missouri, and played college football as a guard at Central Missouri State.
Fisher DeBerry has been the Air Force head coach since 1984 and served as the Academy's assistant coach from 1980 to 1983. He has led 17 of his 22 teams to winning records, and 12 have captured a bowl bid. His career record of 165-100-1 is the best in school history in terms of games won and winning percentage. DeBerry has coached the Falcons to three conference championships, and his team won a share of the Western Athletic Conference championship in both 1985 and 1995. In 1998 DeBerry guided the team to its first outright title with the WAC Mountain Division championship, and in 2003 he reached the 150-win mark.
Mike Dunbar assumed offensive coordinator duties for Northwestern University in 2002 and has since helped to bolster the Wildcat offense to elite status. Dunbar came to Evanston from Northern Iowa, where he compiled a 29-15 record as head coach from 1997 to 2000. He has an 83-24-1 career record as head coach, including a 54-9-1 mark in six seasons at NAIA Central Washington. While he was at CWU, his teams earned two number one national rankings, made the playoffs six times, and extended a regular-season winning streak to 40 games.
Dennis Franchione was named Texas A&M's 26th head coach in 2002. A 32-year coaching veteran, Franchione has a career record of 166-86-2 (a .657 winning percentage), which ranks him 13th among active head coaches. His 166 career victories rank him seventh among active head coaches. Franchione has won nine conference or division championships and 11 conference or regional Coach of the Year awards. He has also received two National Coach of the Year awards and is a two-time finalist for the Paul "Bear" Bryant National Coach of the Year Award (2000, 2002). Starting his head coaching career at Southwestern (Kansas) College in 1981, Franchione finished with a 14-4-2 record before moving to his alma mater, Pittsburg (Kansas) State, in 1984, where he was twice named NAIA Coach of the Year and led teams to five straight conference titles, five consecutive playoff appearances, and a regular-season winning streak of 45 consecutive games.
Ralph Friedgen became the winningest fourth-year coach in Atlantic Coast Conference history as he entered his fifth season at the University of Maryland in 2005. Friedgen continues to build his alma mater's football program, guiding the Terps to a 36-14 record and a trio of major bowl appearances—including two decisive wins—in his four seasons as a collegiate head coach. In his first three seasons at the helm of the Terrapin program, Friedgen also became the first coach in conference history to lead a team to three straight seasons of 10 wins or more. His 36 wins in four years rank him in the top 10 in NCAA history.
John Hayden Fry compiled a record of 232-178-10 during his 37-year career as a head coach. Best known ...
