JMU's Mickey Matthews wins second Eddie Robinson Award

[dbackjon]

James Madison coach Mickey Matthews was named the 22nd winner of the Eddie Robinson Award Thursday night at The Sports Network's Football Championship Subdivision Awards Banquet, held at the Chattanooga Marriott on the eve of the NCAA Division I Football Championship title game.

Matthews is the first two-time winner of the Robinson Award, which is presented annually to the top coach in FCS. Matthews also won the Robinson Award in 1999, his first season at James Madison.

"Coaching is all I ever wanted to do," said Matthews. "Everyone, growing up in the south, knows who Eddie Robinson is. To be linked to that name is truly an honor and it is a humbling experience."

Matthews' JMU squad finished 10-1 in the regular season and was ranked No. 1 for the final eight weeks of the regular season in the Sports Network FCS top-25 poll. The Dukes also won the championship of the Colonial Athletic Association and were seeded No. 1 in the NCAA playoffs. It marked the best regular-season record in school history.

James Madison beat nine teams ranked at one point in the TSN poll on its way to the NCAA semifinals, including two No. 1 teams, Appalachian State and Richmond. The Dukes suffered their first loss since the opening game of the season, a 35-27 setback to Montana on Dec. 12, finishing the 2008 campaign at 12-2.

In 10 years at the helm of JMU, Matthews has become the winningest coach in school history, with a record of 76-46. He led the Dukes to the 2004 national championship with a 13-2 mark and was also the defensive architect of the great Jim Donnan-coached Marshall teams that were national finalists in 1991-93 and 1995, and won the 1992 national championship.

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnf ... id=4198283

[dbackjon]

Congrats to Mickey!!

[dbackjon]

2008 EDDIE ROBINSON AWARD VOTING

NAME (SCHOOL) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Total

Mickey Matthews, James Madison 26 12 12 5 5 229

Rich Ellerson, Cal Poly 16 13 8 7 4 174

Ron McBride, Weber State 13 17 5 5 12 170

Jerry Moore, Appalachian State 11 9 17 7 4 160

Henry Frazier, Prairie View 10 7 13 11 4 143

Andy Talley, Villanova 4 4 4 11 13 83

Clint Conque, Central Arkansas 2 4 5 9 7 70

Dale Lennon, Southern Illinois 3 4 5 7 4 64

Joe Taylor, Florida A&M 4 6 3 3 2 61

Jack Cosgrove, Maine 1 5 8 1 4 55

Buddy Pough, South Carolina State 3 2 4 4 4 47

Mark Farley, Northern Iowa 2 2 4 5 4 44

Kerwin Bell, Jacksonville 2 2 3 6 3 42

Bobby Hauck, Montana 1 1 4 7 3 38

Danny Rocco, Liberty 1 0 2 7 6 31

Dick Biddle, Colgate 0 3 1 4 6 29

Mike Ayers, Wofford 2 3 0 1 2 26

Dean Hood, Eastern Kentucky 1 2 1 1 3 21

Phil Estes, Brown 0 3 2 0 2 20

Bob Ford, Albany 0 2 0 1 8 18

[dbackjon]

I would have voted:

McBride
Ellison
Frazier
Talley
Matthews

[happyappy99]

Wonder if there will be muich demand when he tries to sell it in 6 years?



just kidding! Go easy!

[AZGrizFan]

The voters of this award apparently have no idea that this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Montana. Probably BH's best coaching job in 6 years there...

[Appaholic]

The voters of this award apparently have no idea that this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Montana. Probably BH's best coaching job in 6 years there...

My thoughts exacly....not that Matthews didn't deserve it, but for Hauck not to even get a mention after losing 1 regular season game and to lead his team, in a rebuilding year, to the NC game....figured he would have gotten in the top 10....

[houndawg]

The voters of this award apparently have no idea that this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Montana. Probably BH's best coaching job in 6 years there...

My thoughts exacly....not that Matthews didn't deserve it, but for Hauck not to even get a mention after losing 1 regular season game and to lead his team, in a rebuilding year, to the NC game....figured he would have gotten in the top 10....

Hauck should have been in the top 5; Dale Lennon should have been at least top 3 after taking a team picked fifth in the MVC to the playoffs while changing to a different offense and defense and starting a total of five seniors on both sides of the ball.