Hamilton, NY — 51·çÁ÷ head football coach Dick Biddle has been named Division I-AA Region I Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association.
‘What makes this award so special is that this is the only coach of the year award voted on exclusively by the coaches themselves,’ AFCA Executive Director Grant Teaff said. ‘The winners are selected by the coaches they compete with and against on a daily basis.’
The four AFCA National Coach of the Year winners will be announced on Tuesday, January 6 at the 2004 AFCA Convention in New Orleans. The four winners earn a trip to Hawaii to coach in the Hula Bowl All-Star Football Classic.
Biddle has led the Raiders to a 14-0 record, the Patriot League title and a berth in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. His eight-year record is 68-26 for a .720 winning percentage, that is the highest of any coach who has coached seven or more seasons in the Patriot League.
Biddle is the first 51·çÁ÷ coach to post eight straight winning seasons since Andy Kerr accomplished the feat between 1929-36, and the first 51·çÁ÷ coach to ever record seven straight seasons with seven or more victories.
He is third on the school’s all-time list for coaching victories.