We are about to celebrate the 20th year of the Alabama Football Coaches Association at the annual convention in Montgomery. It will also be the 20th year of the ALFCA Coach of the Year Banquet and the annual Coach of the Year awards.
This is a great time to discuss with our membership the process of determining the winners of the awards each year. In the first year of the banquet, it was important to our first board that we honor not only the head coaches who had great seasons, but some of the great assistants as well. About four years later, we also added Lifetime Achievement Awards to honor the great high school football coaches of the past in our state. It was those coaches that established the great tradition of prep football in Alabama.
Each year when the winners are announced, there are a number of people - coaches, athletic directors, administrators, and supporters - that criticize the selections without understanding the process. So here is an attempt to explain that process as well as some encouragement for the future.
In order for a coach to be considered, that coach should be nominated by a member of the association. However, the ALFCA has never rejected a nomination by any coach in the state, whether that coach was a member or not. In order for a coach to be selected as the winner, he must be a member of the association as well. But that is not considered in the selection. If a non member is voted as the winner, all they have to do is join the association in order to receive their Coach of the Year award.
The ALFCA has committees of board members who study the nominations per classification, check out the nominees, and present the names to the rest of the board. The nominees are discussed and the board of directors vote on the winners. These committee members do a quality job, often calling other coaches in that class that have knowledge of the nominees. Occasionally there are discussions of coaches who have not be nominated, but the board generally chooses to stick to the nominations of the membership.
These selections are made during the ALFCA Super 7 board meeting. Winning a state championship is certainly a great honor for a coach, but is not a huge criteria for selection. Most years, those head coaches selected are nominees who have taken a program to new levels, or shown a great improvement since arriving at that school. For the assistants, the recommendation of the head coach certainly carries weight, not only for what that assistant did in the present season, but for his loyalty and hard work over a number of years.
What is most shocking to the board year after year is the small number of nominations in most classifications. This year, one of the winners was the ONLY coach nominated in that classification. When there are complaints about a coach not winning in their class, often that coach was not even nominated.
There is no limit to the nominations a member can make. A member could nominate a coach and assistant coach in each classification (14 in all) if they wish. We understand that coaches are busy people, but it doesn't take long to fill out a form.
The board is also surprised that often winners from the previous year never nominate any of their peers. Not only do they not nominate, but some don't even rejoin the association the next year.
We are all the Alabama Football Coaches Association. Next season, be aware of coaches on your staff and in your region that do a quality job and nominate them. We should have at least a dozen nominees for each award.
The ALFCA is committed to awarding our coaches for their great work and honoring them at a first class banquet. The most important step in the award process is the willingness of the membership to nominate their peers.
By the way, the banquet takes place at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Montgomery. It is a great event for not only the coach, but for his family as well. The winner receives a nice plaque as well as a Coach of the Year ring, donated by Balfour. We appreciate the sponsors of the ALFCA, who also are an important part of the banquet process.
Congratulations to this year's winners of the ALFCA Coach of the Year awards.