ANAHEIM, Calif., Jan. 8, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- FieldTurf and Howie Long announced the winners of its inaugural Football Awards for the 2007 season yesterday during the American Football Coaches Convention in Anaheim. Award winners were named in 11 different categories, with FieldTurf announcing 2 of the award categories on its own. These awards, with the exception of the NFL Coach of the Year award and the NFL Team of the Year award, are based on tabulated votes from Howie Long and FieldTurf Tarkett executives, which includes a group of former NFL stars. This year's winners are:
-- NFL Coach of the Year - Bill Belichick (New England Patriots)
-- NFL Team of the Year - New England Patriots
-- NCAA Division 1-A Coach of the Year - Gary Pinkel (Missouri)
-- NCAA Division 1-A Team of the Year - Ohio State University
-- NCAA Division 1-AA Coach of the Year - Jerry Moore
(Appalachian State)
-- NCAA Division 2 Coach of the Year - Mel Tjeerdsma (Northwest
Missouri State)
-- NCAA Division 3 Coach of the Year - Lance Leipold (UW-Whitewater)
-- CFL Team of the Year - Saskatchewan Roughriders
-- NAIA Team of the Year - Carroll College
-- High School Team of the Year - Northwestern (Miami, FL)
-- Junior College Team of the Year - Butler Community College (KS)
The NFL Coach of the Year award and the NFL Team of the Year award were announced solely by FieldTurf. This year's winners are:
BILL BELICHICK, New England Patriots (NFL Coach of the Year):
The 2007 season has brought nothing but more wins to coach Belichick's repertoire along with a perfect 16-0 record -- the first perfect regular-season record since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. His uncanny ability to keep his players motivated and disciplined has greatly contributed to one of the most successful seasons in NFL history. Under Belichick, the Patriots have gone 75-37 in seven seasons. The team has also gone 12-2 in the playoffs, and 3-0 in Super Bowls -- and are in great shape to make a run at the 2007 title and keep their perfect record intact.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, (NFL Team of the Year):
Football's modern day dynasty was an easy choice for this award. With many victories by convincing margins, the Patriots have once again struck fear into their opponents with the league's most potent offense and their ability to make the big plays on defense. They are being called the best team in NFL history by many throughout the world of football. And that argument is warranted given the amount of all-star contributors on their roster and the fact that they went 16-0, a perfect undefeated season -- the first since the 1972 Miami Dolphins.
The following award winners were announced by FieldTurf and Howie Long:
GARY PINKEL, University of Missouri (NCAA Division 1-A Coach of the Year):
In six years directing the Missouri Tiger football program, Head Coach Gary Pinkel has built a solid foundation that has Mizzou pointed toward an exciting future. Ranked at #7 nationally in 2007, the Tigers will participate in the Cotton Bowl for the first time since 1946 after Gary Pinkel led them to an 11-2 record and a Big 12 North Division Championship.
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, (NCAA Division 1-A Team of the Year):
The Buckeyes are back in the BCS National Championship game for the second-consecutive year and will take on SEC champion LSU Jan. 7 at the Superdome in New Orleans. This is the third BCS title game appearance for the Buckeyes overall. Ranked #1 overall in 2007, the Buckeyes compiled an impressive 11-1 record to yet again dominate the college ranks. Ohio State has become a staple of success in the NCAA.
JERRY MOORE, Appalachian State (NCAA Division 1-AA Coach of the Year):
Over the past two decades, Jerry Moore has become the face of Appalachian football. But over the past two seasons, Moore has also become the model for coaching success on a national level. Jerry led his team to a 13-2 record in 2007. Capping a memorable season, the Appalachian State Mountaineers defeated Delaware 49-21 on Dec. 14 to win their third straight Football Championship Subdivision national title. Moore is the winningest coach in Southern Conference history and has compiled a 167-70 record over the past 19 years at ASU
MEL TJEERDSMA, Northwest Missouri State (NCAA Division 2 Coach of the Year):
Since 1994, the Northwest Missouri State University football program has evolved from a winless team to a national powerhouse, winning NCAA Division II National Championships in both 1998 and 1999. Much of the credit for this turnaround belongs to Bearcat head coach Mel Tjeerdsma. Mel coached the Bearcats to a 12-2 record in 2007 and came up just short in the Championship game against Valdosta State, losing that contest 25-20. Under Mel's mentoring, 4 Bearcats were named to the AP All-America Team.
LANCE LEIPOLD, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (NCAA Division 3 Coach of the Year):
UW-Whitewater made it all the way to the top of the Mount(ain), defeating Mount Union College 31-21 in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III championship game. Leipold, a quarterback for the Warhawks in the mid-1980s and former Warhawk assistant coach, directed his team to a 14-1 record including the playoffs and was instrumental in bringing the Warhawks to the big game.
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS, (CFL Team of the Year):
The Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23-19 in the 95th Grey Cup and became champions of the Canadian Football League in 2007. With a 12-6 record in 2007, the Roughriders overcame the favored BC Lions in the battle for the West Division and were a serious threat for the title since the beginning of the season.
CARROLL COLLEGE, (NAIA Team of the Year):
In 2007, Carroll College won its fifth National Championship in the last six years in the 52nd Annual NAIA Football National Championship at Jim Carroll Stadium. Carroll, the No. 2-ranked team in the NAIA, completed an undefeated season at 15-0 and were victorious in one of the most memorable finales in NAIA history.
NORTHWESTERN HIGH SCHOOL - Miami, FL, (High School Team of the Year):
Northwestern, No. 1 in the ESPN HIGH Elite 25, can lay claim to a national championship following a 41-0 lopsided victory over Boone (Orlando). The Bulls captured their second straight Florida Class 6A state championship before 21,235. Northwestern recorded its second straight 15-0 season, winning the nation's most difficult high school football tournament, and its 30 game winning streak is the longest current streak in Florida.
BUTLER COMMUNITY COLLEGE (KS), (Junior College Team of the Year):
The Butler Grizzlies were crowned the 2007 Top of the Mountains Bowl Champions. Butler finished the regular season with a 12-0 record while most wins came by a lopsided margin. The Grizzlies, ranked No. 2 in the final regular season poll, traveled to Salt Lake City for the Top of the Mountains Bowl, facing No. 1-ranked Snow College of Utah. Butler dominated the Badgers to win 56-27 to assume the national championship.
FieldTurf is far and away the industry leader with 21 of the NFL's 32 teams currently using FieldTurf at their stadiums and/or practice facilities. The latest NFLPA survey ranked the FieldTurf at Qwest Field 2nd overall -- ahead of 18 of the 19 grass surfaces in the NFL. For the third consecutive survey, the FieldTurf in Seattle ranked in the top five. Every single FieldTurf field gained positions over their rankings from the previous survey -- a true testament to the durability of the FieldTurf system and the reason why FieldTurf consistently outperforms all other synthetic turf brands. From FieldTurf's first high profile installation at Nebraska's Memorial Stadium in 1997, FieldTurf has become the #1 choice in Division 1 football -- with 38 stadiums and 32 practice fields. FieldTurf is also installed at 300 other universities and community colleges from coast-to-coast.
FieldTurf Tarkett is the largest entity in the sports surfacing industry and provides unparalleled leasing capabilities, engineering and manufacturing resources. In addition to its world-renowned FieldTurf and Prestige brands of artificial turf, FieldTurf Tarkett provides an equally impressive range of products that includes synthetic and hardwood basketball, volleyball and gymnasium flooring, squash and racquetball courts, floor protection and covering systems, and weight room flooring. Also in the range of FieldTurf Tarkett products are indoor and outdoor running tracks including the high performance 'Le Monde' track system, playground surfacing, and a complete range of tennis and golf surfaces. For more information, please visit www.fieldturftarkett.com