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Pete Adrian, Norfolk State
Adrian led the Spartans to a 9-2 regular-season record and their first outright Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship as well as their first FCS playoff bid. The Spartans were picked fifth in the MEAC's preseason poll.
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Rob Ambrose, Towson
After finishing 3-19 in his first two seasons at Towson, Ambrose led the Tigers to a 9-2 record and their first CAA Football title and FCS playoff bid. The Tigers were picked last in the CAA's preseason poll.
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Craig Bohl, North Dakota State
The Bison enter the FCS playoffs as Missouri Valley Football Conference co-champions and with the No. 2 seed. They went 10-1 in the regular season and spent time at No. 1.
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Watson Brown, Tennessee Tech
The Golden Eagles had losing records in five of the last six seasons, but Brown has led them to a 7-3 record, a share of their first Ohio Valley Conference title since 1975 and the conference's automatic playoff bid.
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Nigel Burton, Portland State
In Burton's second season, the Vikings improved by five wins to 7-4 while tying for third place in the Big Sky Conference. They were picked seventh in the conference's preseason poll. |
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Ron Caragher, San Diego
The Toreros overcame back-to-back losing seasons by finishing 9-2 for the third time in Caragher's five seasons. They shared the Pioneer Football League championship with Drake.
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Andy Coen, Lehigh
Coen guided the Mountain Hawks to their second straight perfect season in the Patriot League, finishing 10-1 overall in the regular season. They earned a first-round bye in the FCS playoffs.
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Clint Conque, Central Arkansas
The new purple and gray field at Central Arkansas didn't just dizzy opponents, Conque's 8-3 squad was up to the task as it qualified for the FCS playoffs. The Bears' only Southland Conference loss was to unbeaten Sam Houston State.
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Chris Creighton, Drake
Creighton took his squad from an offseason trip to Africa to a share of the Pioneer Football League championship with San Diego. The Bulldogs finished 9-2 for their best record in Creighton's four seasons.
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Bob Ford, Albany
Ford earned his 250th career win en route to the Great Danes going 8-3 and capturing a share of the Northeast Conference title and their first playoff bid. Ford has coached at Albany for 42 seasons.
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Willie Fritz, Sam Houston State
The Bearkats were the only unbeaten FCS team in the regular season, finishing 11-0 with a win over FBS New Mexico. In Fritz's second season, the Southland Conference champions are ranked No. 1 heading into the playoffs, where they are the top seed.
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Gary Harrell, Howard
The Bison improved from 1-10 to 5-6 in Harrell's first season, including a 4-4 mark in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. They had a 27-game conference losing streak entering the season.
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Anthony Jones, Alabama A&M
The Bulldogs reversed a 3-8 finish in 2010 by going 8-3, qualifying for the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game for the fifth time in Jones' 10 seasons. They had a seven-game winning streak after an 0-2 start.
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Kevin Kelly, Georgetown
Hoya Paranoia found its way to the gridiron as Kelly led his team to its first winning season (8-3) since 1999 despite playing only four home games. Their 3-2 Patriot record was their best since joining the league in 2001.
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Jeff Monken, Georgia Southern
The Eagles won the Southern Conference title with a 9-2 record and spent seven weeks as the FCS' top-ranked team. They earned the third seed for the playoffs.
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Tim Murphy, Harvard
Murphy won his sixth Ivy League title while guiding the Crimson to a 9-1 record. They went 7-0 in league games, finishing three games ahead of the four second-place teams.
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Chris Mussman, North Dakota
The Fighting Sioux captured a share of the final Great West Football Conference title, reversing a 3-8 record in 2010 with an 8-3 mark this season. Two of the losses were against FBS teams.
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Robin Pflugrad, Montana
After the Grizzlies' 17-year playoff run ended last year, Pflugrad has taken them back as the Big Sky Conference co-champion. They won their final seven games in the regular season to improve to 9-2.
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Chuck Priore, Stony Brook
The Seawolves overcame an 0-3 start (including losses to two FBS schools) to earn their first outright Big South Conference title and bid to the playoffs. They ended the regular season with an 8-3 mark.
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Bobby Wilder, Old Dominion
In the Monarchs' first season in the rugged CAA, they went 9-2 overall and tied for second place. They secured their first playoff bid in just their third season as a program.
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