WAVERLY, Iowa—University of Minnesota-Duluth head football coach, Bob Nielson, an 1982 Wartburg alum, has been named the 2011 John Kurtt Alumni Coach of the Year.
This marks the second time he has earned this award as he previously received this honor in 1995.
Last year, in his eighth season at the helm of the Bulldogs program, his team finished 15-0 for the second time to tie the NCAA Division II mark which they previously set in 2008. No other DII school has ever recorded two undefeated seasons.
The Bulldogs have won four NSIC crowns, made four NCAA playoff appearances, tallied three perfect 11-0 regular seasons, recorded 79 victories and a .790 winning percentage under Nielson.
In the 2010 season, UMD won the school’s second National Division II Championship title, third consecutive NSIC (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) title and amassed a 10-0 league mark for the third time in as many years. For his efforts, Nielson was honored with two of the most prestigious national coaching honors in Division II football – the American Football Coaches Association DII Coach of the Year and the Liberty Mutual DII Coach of the Year awards – in addition to being selected for that same honor by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette and the NSIC.
Ten Bulldogs (the most in team history) received some form of All-American recognition and 19 were All-NSIC North Division selections (another all-time best). That included Isaac Odim, who was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Year for a second successive year and became the school’s first three-time All-American, but was also one of just 16 recipients -- from all NCAA and NAIA divisions -- of the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award as well as Capital One’s Academic All-America Player of the Year for football (college division).
Nielson also serves as the Athletic Director for the UMD Athletic Department.
The John Kurtt Alumni Coach of the Year award has been given to a college alumni involved in coaching in either the high school or collegiate ranks each year since 1962. A formal presentation of this award will be given at a later date.
