University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: Matthew A. Smith
Mike Norvell named to Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Watch List
Oct 24, 2019 | Football
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis football coach Mike Norvell is one of 22 coaches on the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Watch List.
Norvell, in his fourth season at Memphis, has led the Tigers to back-to-back AAC West Division titles and four consecutive bowl bids. With a mark of 32-15 at Memphis, Norvell has guided his 2019 Tigers to a 6-1 mark with a road contest on Tulsa on tap for Saturday. He has the most wins in the first four seasons as a head coach in Memphis history and has led some of the highest-octane offenses in his time at Memphis.
In 2018, the Memphis offense broke the 7,000-yard barrier for the first time in school history (7,343 yards) and also broke the single-season rushing touchdown mark with 80 trips to the endzone.
In three seasons, Norvell has seen a pair of Tigers earn NCAA Consensus All-America honors (Anthony Miller and Darrell Henderson) and saw former Tiger Tony Pollard tie the NCAA career record for kickoff returns with seven before Pollard became one of two Memphis running backs selected in the 2018 NFL Draft. Both Pollard and Henderson were also named Walter Camp All-Americans and Henderson was a finalist for the 2018 Doak Walker Award while Miller was a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy.
In December, the list of coaches will be cut down to 10 finalists. The winner of this year's American Heart Association Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award will be announced live on FOX Sports Southwest on Wednesday, Jan. 15 during the awards dinner and ceremony.
Norvell, in his fourth season at Memphis, has led the Tigers to back-to-back AAC West Division titles and four consecutive bowl bids. With a mark of 32-15 at Memphis, Norvell has guided his 2019 Tigers to a 6-1 mark with a road contest on Tulsa on tap for Saturday. He has the most wins in the first four seasons as a head coach in Memphis history and has led some of the highest-octane offenses in his time at Memphis.
In 2018, the Memphis offense broke the 7,000-yard barrier for the first time in school history (7,343 yards) and also broke the single-season rushing touchdown mark with 80 trips to the endzone.
In three seasons, Norvell has seen a pair of Tigers earn NCAA Consensus All-America honors (Anthony Miller and Darrell Henderson) and saw former Tiger Tony Pollard tie the NCAA career record for kickoff returns with seven before Pollard became one of two Memphis running backs selected in the 2018 NFL Draft. Both Pollard and Henderson were also named Walter Camp All-Americans and Henderson was a finalist for the 2018 Doak Walker Award while Miller was a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy.
In December, the list of coaches will be cut down to 10 finalists. The winner of this year's American Heart Association Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award will be announced live on FOX Sports Southwest on Wednesday, Jan. 15 during the awards dinner and ceremony.
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