Liberty Mutual Coach Of The Year Kicks Off Another Season Of Celebrating College Football's Elite Leaders On And Off The Field

BOSTON, Sept. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile "check-in's" at college stadiums, photo uploads of the fan zone, and video posts of teams' marching bands performing their signature anthems on game day – these are just a few of the many ways college football fans harness the power of social media to celebrate their schools and alma maters.  Today, Liberty Mutual Insurance opens voting for the 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year campaign, and unveils the newest way for fans to support their teams and the leaders of their college football programs:  tweet your vote.

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Kicking off its seventh season, the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award is the only college football award that supports both charity and scholarship through its winners.  It honors one coach in each NCAA division who best exemplifies sportsmanship, integrity, responsibility and excellence on and off the field.

Now through December 1, fans can use their PC, tablet or mobile device to visit coachoftheyear.com and post a pre-populated tweet to cast their Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year vote.  Fans can then follow the Coach of the Year voting and discussion on Twitter using #COTY2012.  Fan votes and an objective scoring model endorsed by the National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame will determine the finalists, who will be announced December 4 at the National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner Press Conference in New York City.  The winners will be announced January 7, 2013, in South Florida, in advance of the BCS championship game.

"For the past six years, the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award has been leading the applause for good leadership, charitable spirit and on-field success of coaches across each of the four divisions," said Archie Manning, Chairman of the National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame, which recently announced an extension of its partnership with Liberty Mutual Insurance.  "In tandem with the Foundation, Liberty Mutual spotlights elite coaches that make this game so great.  These are special leaders who positively influence the lives of the young men they coach, the communities in which they live, and the academic health of their universities."

The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award celebrates college football coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II and Division III for their successful seasons, student-athletes' performance in the classroom, and charitable and civic support in their communities.  Each winner receives $50,000 from Liberty Mutual Insurance to support the charity or charities of their choice, and $20,000 to award to their school's alumni association to promote scholarship.  Since 2006, Liberty Mutual Insurance has awarded more than $1.5 million to over 90 charities and colleges across the country as part of its annual Coach of the Year Award. 

The 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year winners will join an elite group of notable leaders who have served their teams and communities, both on and off the field.  Last year's winners were Les Miles, LSU (FBS); Rob Ash, Montana State (FCS); Tim Beck, Pittsburg State (Division II); and Glenn Caruso, University of St. Thomas (Division III), the program's first and only two-time honoree.

"We are excited to again harness the passion of college football fans into votes for coaches that they feel exemplify the pillars of this award," said James MacPhee, senior vice president and Chief Marketing Officer at Liberty Mutual Insurance.  "We are proud to be joined by the National Football Foundation in this annual celebration of the game's best coaches and supporting their tireless efforts on behalf of their student-athletes, their universities and their communities."

The 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year voting and selection is a unique process involving fans, College Football Hall of Fame players and coaches, and college football media:

• September 12 – December 1: Fans can tweet their vote once daily at coachoftheyear.com from their PC, tablet or mobile device.  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 National Football Foundation to measure coaching excellence, sportsmanship, integrity, academic success and community commitment.
• December 4:  Finalists are announced – 10 coaches from the FBS and five coaches each from the FCS, Division II, and Division III.
• December 4-20:  Finalist voting open to all fans at coachoftheyear.com, and they can continue to follow the voting and conversation at #COTY2012.  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 Ivan Maisel, 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 7:  The 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award winners will be announced in advance of the BCS championship game in South Florida.

To support your coach's responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and excellence, visit coachoftheyear.com, and connect with us on Facebook at Facebook.com/LMCoachoftheYear, Tumblr at LMcoachofyear.tumblr.com or Twitter at @lmcoachofyear.

About Liberty Mutual Insurance

"Helping people live safer, more secure lives" since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance is a diversified global insurer and the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2011 direct premiums written as reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.  Liberty Mutual Insurance also ranks 84^th on the Fortune 100 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2011 revenue.  The company employs over 45,000 people in more than 900 offices throughout the world.

The sixth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual (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 14,000 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.

About the National Football Foundation & College Football 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 is a non-profit educational organization that 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 Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments, Play It Smart, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association, and scholarships of more than $1.3 million for college and high school scholar-athletes.  The NFF presents the MacArthur Bowl, the William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings.  For more information, please visit www.footballfoundation.org

SOURCE Liberty Mutual Insurance