LSU's John Chavis Captures the 2011 Broyles Award

December 6, 2011; Little Rock, Ark. - The nation's top team now officially has the nation's top assistant coach. Louisiana State University Defensive coordinator John Chavis is the 16th recipient of the Broyles Award, given annually to the top assistant coach in college football. Chavis was honored, along with his fellow finalists, at a Tuesday luncheon at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock. The winner receives a large Broyles Award plaque, a watch, a custom-made sport coat and a personalized Broyles Award Trophy valued at more than $5,000. Afterwards, the winner and his spouse are flown to Orlando to represent the award at The Home Depot College Football Awards Show broadcast on ESPN.

Complete list of the 2011 Broyles Awards finalists:

• John Chavis, Louisiana State University, Defensive Coordinator
• Paul Chryst, University of Wisconsin, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
• Greg Mattison, Michigan, Defensive Coordinator
• Garrick McGee, University of Arkansas, Offensive Coordinator/QBs
• Sal Sunseri, Alabama, Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers

About the Broyles Award

There are few coaches whose efforts have forever impacted the game of college football. Bear Bryant, Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy and Eddie Robinson have set the standard for victories and championships on the gridiron. However when it comes to selecting, developing and producing great assistant coaches, the legacy of Frank Broyles stands alone. Former Broyles assistant coaches who have become head coaches have gone on to coach in 20 percent of all Super Bowls and win almost 15 percent of all Super Bowl titles plus five national collegiate championships, more than 40 conference titles and more than 2,000 games. More than 25 Broyles assistants went on to become head coaches at the college or professional level, including: Joe Gibbs, Hayden Fry, Raymond Berry, Jimmy Johnson, Johnny Majors, Jackie Sherrill and Barry Switzer. In 1996, the Broyles Award was established to recognize the dedicated, hard-working assistants like those who worked for Broyles, and to date, seventy plus finalists and fifteen winners have been honored. Like many of Broyles' assistants who went on to do great things, numerous coaches recognized by the Broyles Award have since remained in the spotlight, with 20 percent of finalists and winners going on to become head coaches. The finalists are chosen by a 10 person panel that may be the most prestigious of any awards panel, representing 10 national championships, more than 2,000 victories, over 70 conference titles, 154 bowl game appearances and 13 national head coach of the year honors. Broyles Award Panelists: Former Arkansas Athletic Director and Coach Frank Broyles, former Georgia Coach Vince Dooley, former Washington Coach Don James, former Syracuse Coach Dick MacPherson, former Baylor Coach Grant Teaff, former Brigham Young Coach LaVell Edwards, former Iowa Coach Hayden Fry, former Oklahoma Coach Barry Switzer, former Tennessee and Pittsburgh Coach Johnny Majors, and former Florida State University Coach Bobby Bowden.

The Selection Process

Each NCAA Division I head coach may nominate one of his assistants for the Broyles Award. Every assistant that is nominated, but not selected as a finalist, receives a personalized wall plaque recognizing his efforts. The finalists are chosen by a nine-man panel that may be the most prestigious of any awards panel, representing eight national championships, more than 1,600 victories, over 60 conference titles, 124 bowl game appearances and nine national head coach of the year honors.

Broyles Award Panelists

• Former Arkansas Athletic Director and Coach Frank Broyles
• Former Georgia Coach Vince Dooley
• Former Washington Coach Don James
• Former Syracuse Coach Dick MacPherson
• Former Baylor Coach Grant Teaff
• Former Brigham Young Coach LaVell Edwards
• Former Iowa Coach Hayden Fry
• Former Oklahoma Coach Barry Switzer
• Former Tennessee and Pittsburgh Coach Johnny Majors
• Former Florida State University Coach Bobby Bowden

Previous Broyles Award Winners

• Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews (1996)
• Former Michigan defensive coordinator Jim Herrmann (1997)
• Former Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe (1998)
• Former Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen (1999)
• Former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Mark Mangino (2000)
• Former Miami defensive coordinator Randy Shannon (2001)
• Former Southern California offensive coordinator Norm Chow (2002)
• Former Georgia defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder (2003)
• Former Auburn defensive coordinator Gene Chizik (2004)
• Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis (2005)
• Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster (2006)
• Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Heacock (2007)
• Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson (2008)
• Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart (2009)
• Auburn University offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn (2010)

Broyles assistant coaches and their head-coaching jobs:

• Joe Gibbs: Washington Redskins
• Hayden Fry: Iowa, SMU, North Texas
• Johnny Majors: Pittsburgh, Tennessee
• Barry Switzer: Oklahoma, Dallas Cowboys
• Jimmy Johnson: Miami, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Oklahoma State
• Jackie Sherrill: Pittsburgh, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Washington State
• Raymond Berry: New England Patriots
• Doug Dickey: Florida, Tennessee
• Pepper Rogers: UCLA, Georgia Tech, Kansas
• Hootie Ingram: Clemson
• Bo Rein: LSU, North Carolina State
• Jim Mackenzie: Oklahoma
• Jerry Claiborne: Maryland, Kentucky
• Jim Carlen: South Carolina, Texas Tech
• Pat Jones: Oklahoma State
• Bill Lewis: Georgia Tech, East Carolina, Wyoming
• Richard Williamson: Tampa Bay, Memphis State
• Richard Bell: South Carolina
• Bill Pace: Vanderbilt
• Charley Coffey: Virginia Tech
• Harold Horton: Central Arkansas
• Ken Turner: Henderson State
• Ken Stephens: Central Arkansas, Lamar
• Jesse Branch: Southwest Missouri State, Henderson State
• * Fred Akers: Texas, Purdue, Wyoming
• * Ken Hatfield: Arkansas, Clemson, Air Force, Rice
• * Houston Nutt: Mississippi, Arkansas, Boise State, Murray State

*Denotes players under Broyles, not assistants

National College Football Awards Association

The Broyles Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game's predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association's official Web site, www.NCFAA.org.