FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Nov. 11, 2009 - North Central College head football coach John Thorne has been nominated for the 2009 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award.

The award, which was instituted by the Liberty Mututal Insurance Company in 2006, honors one coach in each division of the NCAA each season for excellence in four categories: Coaching Excellence, Sportsmanship and Integrity, Academic Excellence, and Community Commitment. The winner in each division receives the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Trophy, $50,000 to donate to the charity of his choice, and a $20,000 scholarship endowment for his institution's alumni association.

College football fans across the country are able to visit www.coachoftheyear.com and vote as often as once per day for their favorite coach. The top 15 vote-getters in each division qualify for the evaulation phase of the selection process, during which five finalists in each division will be determined.

Fans will be able to vote once again when the finalists have been determined. Members of the College Football Hall of Fame and the national sports media will contribute to the final vote as well. Each division's winner will be announced Jan. 6.

The deadline for the first round of fan voting is Dec. 6. A link to the Liberty Mutual voting page is also available on the Football page at northcentralcardinals.com.