USF’s Donley doubles pleasure as NAIA Coach of the Year
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – University of Saint Francis Head Coach Kevin Donley has been named American Football Coaches Association NAIA Coach of the Year going back-to-back thanks to his 14-0 Cougars, who won their second consecutive NAIA FCS Championship in 2017.
The winners were announced today at the AFCA Victory Luncheon during the 2018 AFCA Convention. They were also honored at the inaugural American Football Coaches Awards show, to be televised live tonight on CBS Sports Network at 9 PM EST.
“It’s a great thing to be voted National Coach of the Year by your peers,” Donley said. “I’m quite honored by it, but we are all about team. It’s about building a team. This is a tribute to our players and our coaches.”
Donley’s 20th USF team was ranked No. 1 the entire 2017 season and the Cougars finished the programs’ as well as Donley’s first perfect season with a 24-13 win over previously unbeaten, second-ranked Reinhardt University (Ga.) on Dec. 16, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Fla. It was Donley’s 316th career win, which ranks ninth on the career collegiate coaching wins list and the most wins by any active collegiate coach. USF senior quarterback Nick Ferrer led the Cougars to back-to-back titles, a USF and Mid-States Football Association record 23 consecutive wins and was named NAIA Player of the Year under Donley’s guidance.
USF set a record for wins in a season by an Indiana collegiate program and posted the first undefeated season by a collegiate team from Indiana since the University of Notre Dame finished 12-0 in 1988 when the Fighting Irish were NCAA Champions.
USF will have a community-wide celebration honoring Donley and the national champion Cougars at Hutzell Athletic Center on Tues., Jan. 16, starting at noon.
USF and Donley notes . . .
202-44 . . . Overall record at USF
.821 . . . . . .Winning % at USF
- 19 consecutive winning seasons at USF
106-17 . . . . Record in MSFA MEL
.862 . . . . . Conference winning %
33-20 . . . . NAIA FCS record @ USF
.623 . . . . . Winning % in NAIA FCS
316-129-1 Career record
.710 . . . . . . Winning % overall
USF NAIA Player of the Year: 3 – Cory Jacquay 2004, Brian Kurtz 2006, Nick Ferrer 2017
Developed first and still only collegiate football program in Fort Wayne starting in 1997
MSFA Mideast League Championships: (13) 1998-99-00-01-02-03-04-05-06-08-12-13-15-17
MSFA Mideast League Coach-of-the-Year: (10) 1999-00-02-03-04-06-08-12-13-15
NAIA FCS Appearances @ USF: (17) 1999-00-01-02-03-04-05-06-07-08-10-11-12-13-15-16-17
NAIA Championship Series Appearances: 23
NAIA Championship Series Semifinals: 10
NAIA Championship Game Appearances: 6
NAIA CS Record: 33-20 (.623) 1/7/18
Winning Seasons: 31
Most Wins, Season: 14 – 2017
13 (1991 – 2004 – 2005 – 2006 – 2016)
9 or more wins in a season: 20
8 or more wins in a season: 24
Double figure wins in a season: 13 . . . 12 at USF
Consecutive double-win seasons: 7
NAIA National Coach-of-the-Year: 3 (1991, 2004, 2016)
AFCA Region Coach-of-the-Year: 4 / 2008-15-16-17
NAIA All-Americans for Donley: 91
Note: includes VSN All-American selections starting with 2006 team
Conference Championships. . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Conference Coach-of-the-Year . . . . . . . . . 18
(Anderson 2, Georgetown 6, USF 10)
All Coach of the Year winners are selected by a vote of the Active I AFCA members (coaches at four-year schools) in their respective divisions. The AFCA has named a Coach of the Year since 1935. The AFCA Coach of the Year award is the oldest and most prestigious of all the Coach of the Year awards and is the only one chosen exclusively by coaches.
