Dec. 9, 2004

Hardin-Simmons' head football coach Jimmie Keeling has been named the Division III South Region Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association.

The 15th-year HSU coach led the Cowboys to their 10th league title this past season and a 10-0 regular season mark and a first round bye and No. 1 seed in the South region.

For his career it is his second time to win the award, following being honored in 2001. Keeling has posted a 127-37 mark at HSU.

"What makes this award so special is that this is the only coach of the year award voted on exclusively by the coaches themselves," AFCA Executive Director Grant Teaff said. "The winners are selected by the coaches they compete with and against on a daily basis."

The AFCA recognizes five regional Coach of the Year winners in each of the Association's four divisions: I-A, I-AA, Division II (NCAA Division II and NAIA schools) and Division III. The winners are selected by Active members of the Association who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions.

The 2004 Regional Coach of the Year winners will be recognized at the AFCA Coach of the Year Dinner at the 2005 AFCA Convention in Louisville, Ky. The dinner is scheduled for January 11.

AFCA National Coach of the Year Winners to Be Announced January 11, 2005 in Louisville The AFCA will announce its four National Coach of the Year winners at the 2005 AFCA Convention in Louisville. All head coaches who were eligible for regional honors are eligible for national honors as well.

AFCA National Coach of the Year Winners to Earn Rewards for Their Assistants The full-time assistants at the four schools represented by the AFCA National Coach of the Year winners will each receive a $1,000 grant from the American Football Coaches Foundation to assist in the education or professional development of each assistant.

AFCA National Coach of the Year Winners Headed to Hula Bowl The four AFCA National Coach of the Year winners will be announced on Tuesday, January 11 at the 2005 AFCA Convention in Louisville.

Winning AFCA National Coach of the Year will earn all four coaches a trip to Hawaii to coach in the Hula Bowl All-Star Football Classic. The National Coach of the Year winners in Divisions I-AA, II and III will be invited to serve as assistant coaches at the 2005 game on January 22 in Maui. The I-A winner will be invited to serve as a head coach for one of the teams in the 2006 Hula Bowl.