Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award Kicks Off 2011 College Football Season With Call to Vote

BOSTON, Sept. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- College football fans know there are plenty of ways to celebrate your team on the field – spirit chants, face paint, banners, thunder sticks... and the list goes on.  Liberty Mutual Insurance knows the important role leaders of these college football teams play both on, and off, the field, which is why it continues to offer fans a way to celebrate coaches for their results on the field and impact in the community.  Today, Liberty Mutual kicks off its sixth year of fan voting for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award, the only college football award that supports both charity and scholarship through its winners.

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Liberty Mutual, in partnership with the College Football Hall of Fame, provides fans an opportunity to show their support for their teams' leaders by voting online daily through December 3 at coachoftheyear.com.  The award celebrates college football coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II and Division III for their success on the field, achievements by their student-athletes in the classroom and continued devotion to their communities and charities, and remains the leading college football honor recognizing coaches for their sportsmanship, integrity, responsibility and excellence, on and off field.  

Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year winners each receive a $50,000 donation from Liberty Mutual to the charity or charities of his choice, as well as a $20,000 scholarship grant in their name to their school's alumni association.  Since its inaugural season in 2006, the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award has donated more than $1.2 million to over 80 charities and colleges.  This year's finalists will be announced December 6 and the winners will be announced January 9, 2012, in New Orleans, in advance of the BCS championship game.

"The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award shines a light on great coaching and leadership – both on and off the field – which is so vital at the college level," said Archie Manning, Chairman of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.  "As a former college football player and father of football-playing sons, I know first-hand the influence these coaches have on a student-athlete, even after a player's final days on the field."

The 2011 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year voting and selection process is a unique process involving fans, College Football Hall of Fame players and coaches, and college football media:

• September 1 – December 3: Voting open to all fans at coachoftheyear.com.  The top 15 coaches with the most fan votes in each of the four college football divisions – FBS, FCS, Division II, and Division III – advance to an evaluation process using an objective scoring model endorsed by the College Football Hall of Fame to measure coaching excellence, sportsmanship, integrity, academic success and community commitment.
• December 6:  Finalists are announced – 10 coaches from the FBS and five coaches each from the FCS, Division II, and Division III.
• December 6-22:  Finalist voting open to all fans at coachoftheyear.com.  Votes are also cast by two select panels – one representing the College Football Hall of Fame and one comprised of select members of the media.  Members of these panels include: Archie Manning, Lou Holtz, Vince Dooley, Ronnie Lott, Archie Griffin; and famed sports analysts including, Kirk Herbstreit, Stewart Mandel and Tim Brando.  Winners are ultimately determined using the following voting weight:  Fans 20%, College Football Hall of Fame 55%, and Media 25%.
• January 9:  The 2011 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award winners will be announced in advance of the BCS championship game in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Fans also will have new and enhanced ways to show their support their favorite coach and engage with the college football community:

• Daily voting by division – New in 2011, fans can vote for one coach in each division per day
• Coach of the Year goes mobile – Fans can now vote for their favorite coaches anywhere and anytime by visiting a mobile-enabled version of coachoftheyear.com on their smart phones
• Join the conversation – Fans can join the growing communities on Facebook by visiting www.Facebook.com/LMCoachofYear or on Twitter, @LMCoachofYear
• Enhanced website – In 2011, coachoftheyear.com will feature more unique content to enjoy and share.  Fans are encouraged to check back regularly for fresh, new content, including:
  • Ask Archie – opportunity for fans to submit their college football questions to be answered by Archie Manning
  • Enhanced leaderboard feature – features trending, up-to-the-minute vote tally, allowing fans to see their coach's vote ranking in real-time
  • Sharable Coach cards – sharable electronic trading cards with exclusive content for fans to pass along via their social media channels
  • Promote Your Coach Banners – downloadable site banners to promote voting for your favorite coach
  • "Sound Off" section – forum area for fans to show support for their coaches and interact with other fans

"For the past five years, the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award has celebrated coaches who embody responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and excellence through their work on and off the field," said Greg Gordon, Liberty Mutual senior vice president, Consumer Marketing.  "These are the coaches who are natural leaders and who make an impact not just on the scoreboard but also within their communities.  With the support of their fans, who play a significant role in honoring them with their votes, we are proud to recognize them for their continued dedication to be the best in college football."

About Liberty Mutual Insurance

"Helping people live safer, more secure lives" since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group is a diversified global insurer and the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on A.M. Best Company's report of 2010 net written premium.  The Group also ranks 82nd on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2010 revenue.  The company has over 45,000 employees located in more than 900 offices throughout the world.

The eighth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual Insurance (libertymutual.com) sells full lines of coverage for automobile, homeowners, valuable possessions, personal liability, and individual life insurance.  The company is an industry leader in affinity partnerships, offering car and home insurance to employees and members of more than 13,000 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.

About the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame

Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people.  With 121 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity, Play It Smart, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association, the NFF Gridiron Clubs of New York City, Dallas, and Los Angeles, and scholarships of more than $1.3 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF presents the MacArthur Bowl, the Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings.  For more information, visit www.footballfoundation.org.

SOURCE Liberty Mutual Insurance