COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State’s Urban Meyer and Ohio Dominican’s Bill Conley are among the finalists for the 2013 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award.
The award is given to football coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision, Championship Division, Division II and Division III who “best exemplify responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and excellence both on and off the field.”
Meyer is among the 10 FBS finalists the company announced yesterday. In his second year as head coach, he guided the Buckeyes to a 12-1 record, a school-record 24-game winning streak and a berth in the Orange Bowl
Conley was named the AFCA Region Three Coach of the Year and is one of five finalists for the Liberty Mutual Division II award.
He guided Ohio Dominican to a 10-1 record and what was the longest winning streak in Division II at 15 consecutive games before falling 34-27 in the second round of the playoffs.
Fans have some control over the outcome of the balloting: The winners will be determined by a weighted voting system, with fan votes accounting for 20 percent of each coach’s final score. Votes from two committees of college football media and College Football Hall of Fame players and coaches account for the rest.
The winning coach receives $50,000 from Liberty Mutual to donate to his favorite charities and a $20,000 contribution to his university for scholarships.
The winners will be announced prior to the BCS Championship game on Jan. 6.