Friedgen Earns Yet Another Award
1/4/2002 7:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 4, 2002
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Ralph Friedgen, the first-year head coach of University of Maryland Terrapins, has been selected as the Walter Camp Football Foundation's 2001 "Coach of the Year."
After being picked to finish seventh by most preseason college football publications, Friedgen's Maryland squad captured the Atlantic Coast Conference championship (7-1) for the first time since 1985. The Terrapins' 23-19 win over North Carolina State on November 17 sealed the league title and gave the team their 10th win, the most by a Maryland team since 1976. Friedgen also become the first ACC head coach to win the title in his first year at the helm.
Friedgen started his first head coaching stint with a bang, becoming the first mentor in the 109-year history of Maryland football to win his first seven games. Under Friedgen's guidance, the Terrapins (10-2) scored a school-record 390 points (35.5 ppg) and were one of just nine Division I-A teams to average over 200 yards per game passing (219.0) and rushing (220.7).
The Terrapins, who finished the season ranked 10th (ESPN/USA Today) and 11th (AP) nationally, earned their highest national ranking since the 1978 season when making it as high as sixth this season. The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) invitation to the Orange Bowl is Maryland's first bowl appearance since 1990.
A 1969 Maryland graduate, the 54-year old Friedgen is a former Terrapin offensive lineman.
A former assistant coach on the Maryland staff (1969-1972 and 1982-86), Friedgen also made coaching stops at The Citadel, William & Mary, Murray State, and Georgia Tech. He served as an assistant for the San Diego Chargers from 1993-1996.
Led by President Bernard Pellegrino, the Walter Camp Football Foundation annually honors the name of Walter Camp by selecting the premier player in college football along with selecting the nation's most time-honored All-America team dating back to 1889. Walter Camp, recognized as "The Father of American Football," introduced many innovations that brought about the evolution of the American style of football.
The Walter Camp "Player of the Year" award recipient - Eric Crouch (Nebraska) - and all of the members of the 2001 Walter Camp All-America team will be honored at the organization's national awards banquet on Saturday, February 9, 2002 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven.
