Cincy's Fickell Wins Bryant Award

Luke Fickell, who led the Cincinnati Bearcats to a 13-1 record, including a berth in the College Football Playoff, was voted as the winner of the 2021 Paul "Bear" Bryant College Football Coach of the Year. The announcement was made on January 12 at the Bryant Awards dinner in Houston, by Bryant's grandson, Marc Bryant Tyson.

Fickell, who was unable to attend the dinner, appeared virtually to accept the award. He said, "Thank you to the American Heart Association for saving lives and to the Bryant Family. To be in the same realm as the guys nominated tonight, it’s an honor. To even be mentioned in the same sentence as ‘Bear’ Bryant is incredible. Football is the greatest team sport known to man. To us, ‘T-E-A-M’ means ‘Together, everyone achieves more.’ On behalf of the University of Cincinnati, an amazing coaching staff, this team, and the seniors who created the atmosphere, culture, style, and expectation, it is my honor to accept this award. Thank you to our team and the 32 seniors that made this season incredibly special. It’s truly humbling and an honor. It has been an amazing ride.”

The Coach of the Year award is voted on by the National Sports Media Association, current NCAA College football coaches, former Coach of the Year Award winners, the Bryant Awards’ Executive Leadership Team, and the Bryant family.

In 1983, football coaching legend, Paul “Bear” Bryant, died from a heart attack. Moved to amplify and drive education surrounding heart disease after his passing, the Bryant family teamed up with the American Heart Association in 1986, building on the Association’s Coach of the Year Award to create the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards program. Each year since then, the awards have celebrated “Bear’s” legacy by recognizing coaching excellence while raising critical funds for research to eradicate cardiovascular disease. Funds are raised through event sponsorships, an auction, and individual charitable donations.

Mel Edwards, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of American Heart Association in Houston said, “Congratulations to Coach Fickell! We are excited to use the platform of this award to reach new audiences for the American Heart Association’s mission, giving us the opportunity to educate and empower people about heart health on a bigger field. We are meeting people where they are and sharing a message that resonates about heart-healthy lifestyles that athletes follow to stay game day fit. Coach Fickell embodies that every day.”

Fans were able to participate in the awards with the second annual Coach of the Year Fan Vote, sponsored by KPMG. Starting in August 2021, fans cast votes for their favorite coach online at bryantawards.org/fan-vote/. In a hard-fought battle, Coach Sam Pittman, University of Arkansas, won the Fan Vote with over 30,000 votes. These dedicated fans can catch the program when it is re-aired on various Bally Sports affiliates in the coming weeks.

In addition to the Coach of the Year, the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards program presented the Conference Coach of the Year Awards to coaches from each of the “Power Five” collegiate athletic conferences (Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big XII, Pac 12 and Southeastern Conference) and one from the “Group of Five” conferences (American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference and Sun Belt Conference).

The 2021 Conference Coaches of the Year awardees are (in alphabetical order by finalist last name):

• Big XII - Dave Aranda - Baylor University
• ACC - Dave Clawson – Wake Forest University
• Group of 5 - Luke Fickell – University of Cincinnati, American Athletic Conference
• Big Ten - Jim Harbaugh – University of Michigan
• SEC - Kirby Smart - University of Georgia
• Pac 12 - Kyle Whittingham – University of Utah

As previously announced, college coaching legends John Robinson and David Shaw were recognized at the awards event. Coach Robinson received the 2022 Paul “Bear” Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, and Coach Shaw received the 2022 Heart of a Champion Award.