Craig Bohl, who will now assume head football coaching duties at Wyoming after staying to lead North Dakota State to an unbeaten season and the Bison's third consecutive Division I Football Championship Subdivision title, and Minnesota Duluth coach Curt Wiese were among the winners of the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year award.
The Bison have compiled a 42-2 record over the past three seasons under Bohl, including a 15-0 mark concluding with a 35-7 trouncing of Towson State in the FCS title game Saturday. They allowed only 11.5 points per game this season and are riding a 24-game winning streak, equaling the FCS record.
Wiese, in his first year as head coach at UMD after being the team's offensive coordinator for five seasons, won the NCAA Division II honor after leading the Bulldogs to a 11-2 record. Since Wiese's arrival at UMD in Feb. 2008, the Bulldogs have gone 63-8 and captured two Division II national titles (in 2008 and 2010) and four Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference crowns.
Auburn's Gus Malzahn won the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision award and Mary Hardin-Baylor's Pete Fredenburg received the Division III honor.
Each winning coach receives $50,000 for their favorite charities, $20,000 for his school's alumni association for scholarship and a trophy.
Freshman honor for Gophers lineman
Ben Lauer, who just completed his redshirt freshman season with the Gophers, was one of five offensive linemen named to the Freshman All-America team by the Football Writers Association of America. The freshman team includes both true and redshirt freshmen.
Lauer, an offensive tackle from Wayzata, was one of four Big Ten players named to the team, joining offensive lineman Jack Conklin and placekicker Michael Geiger of Michigan State and defensive lineman Joey Bosa of Ohio State.
The quarterback of the team is Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston of Florida State.
