Brian Kelly has received his second major coaching award for the 2012 college football season. The Notre Dame football coached was named the 2012 FWAA (Football Writers Association of America)/Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year.
“It is with great pleasure the FWAA presents the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award to Brian Kelly,” said FWAA President Lenn Robbins. “Notre Dame, under coach Kelly, has returned to national prominence in the college football ranks. This award recognizes that accomplishment for the 2012 season – a season that began with 124 teams vying for an elusive undefeated campaign. Notre Dame is the only bowl-eligible school to accomplish that impressive feat.”
Kelly has led the Fighting Irish to the program’s first undefeated regular season (12-0) for the first time since 1988 – the program’s last national championship season. Kelly is the fourth Notre Dame head coach to receive the Eddie Robinson Award. The others are Ara Parseghian, Lou Holtz and Charlie Weis. Kelly will receive the award at a Jan. 6 ceremony the day before Notre Dame plays Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game.
This is Kelly’s second coach of the year honor in the last week. Last week he became the first two-time winner of the Home Depot Coach of the Year Award. He received that honor at the ESPN College Football Awards Show in Orlando.
The Eddie Robinson Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of candidates and recipients.
