Thomsen honored by AFCA
12/4/2006 5:00:00 AM | Football
WACO -- Abilene Christian University second-year head football coach Chris Thomsen on Monday was named the American Football Coaches' Association NCAA Division Region IV Coach of the Year after leading the Wildcats to an 8-3 record in 2006.
Thomsen's Wildcats were picked to finish sixth in the Lone Star Conference South Division in 2006, but instead finished tied for second in the LSC and posted an 8-2 regular-season record that netted the Wildcats their first berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs. ACU's post-season berth was the football program's first since 1977 when the Wildcats won the NAIA Division I national championship.
The AFCA recognizes five regional Coach of the Year winners in each of the association's five divisions: NCAA I, NCAA I-AA, NCAA II, NCAA III and NAIA. The winners are selected by active members of the association who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions.
"This means a lot because it recognizes our coaching staff as a whole," said Thomsen, a native of Vernon, Texas. "I'm excited for our coaching staff because they've done a great job. It's also a great reflection on our players. We've got players who are committed to winning, and you can't win games without players who are committed to winning."
Thomsen -- 12-9 in two seasons as the Wildcats' head coach -- is the fourth ACU coach to earn the AFCA regional honor, joining Les Wheeler (1963), Wally Bullington (1973) and Dewitt Jones (1977) on the exclusive list. Wheeler led the Wildcats to an 8-1 mark in 1963, while Bullington and Jones each won an NAIA Division I national championship in their respective Coach-of-the-Year seasons.
Thomsen was named the Lone Star Conference South Division Coach of the Year last month, the first ACU coach to earn the honor since Dr. Bob Strader in 1993. Thomsen is only the fourth head coach in school history to win Coach of the Year honors in football, joining Bullington (1973), Ted Sitton (1981) and Strader on the list.
2006 AFCA REGIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR WINNERS
NCAA Division I
Region 1 -- Jim Grobe, Wake Forest
Region 2 -- Houston Nutt, Arkansas
Region 3 -- Lloyd Carr, Michigan
Region 4 -- Chris Petersen, Boise State
Region 5 -- Bronco Mendenhall, BYU
NCAA Division I-AA
Region 1 -- Don Brown, Massachusetts
Region 2 -- Jerry Moore, Appalachian State
Region 3 -- Jason Simpson, Tennessee-Martin
Region 4 -- Jon Heacock, Youngstown State
Region 5 -- Bobby Hauck, Montana
NCAA Division II
Region 1 -- Danny Hale, Bloomsburg
Region 2 -- Mark Hudspeth, North Alabama
Region 3 -- Mel Tjeerdsma, Northwest Missouri State
Region 4 -- Chris Thomsen, Abilene Christian
Region 5 -- Bill O'Boyle, Chadron State
NCAA Division III
Region 1 -- Mike DeLong, Springfield
Region 2 -- Frank Sheptock, Wilkes
Region 3 -- Frank Miriello, Washington & Lee
Region 4 -- Larry Kehres, Mount Union
Region 5 -- Bob Berezowitz, Wisconsin-Whitewater
NAIA
Region 1 -- Dino Kaklis, Bethel College
Region 2 -- Todd Sturdy, St. Ambrose
Region 3 -- Paul Troth, Missouri Valley College
Region 4 -- Kalen DeBoer, Sioux Falls
Region 5 -- Mark Samson Montana State-Northern
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