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The watch list for the 2020 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award has been released.
Twenty-four college football coaches are named in the announcement for the highly coveted, final award of the season, and a trio of B1G coaches are among this year’s candidates.
Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Indiana’s Tom Allen, Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst and Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald represent the league.
Presented each January, the Coach of the Year award is the only college coaching honor that is selected after all the postseason games have concluded. A live announcement of this year’s winner will be made on Wednesday, January 13, 2020. A virtual awards ceremony to benefit the American Heart Association will be held, per the release.
The award is a result of a joint effort between the Bryant family and the American Heart Association. Started in 1986, the award built on the Association’s Coach of the Year Award to create the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award.
Bryant died of a heart attack in 1983.
The award honors Bryant’s legacy by recognizing coaching excellence to raise critical funds for research to eradicate cardiovascular disease through event sponsorships, an auction and individual donations.
Congratulations to Coach Paul Chryst of the @UWBadgers –he was just named to the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards Coach of the Year Watch List. We heart our Badgers! #bryantawards #onwisconsin #gobadgers pic.twitter.com/5O5lEFl0TU
— American Heart Association – Wisconsin (@AHAWisconsin) November 17, 2020
Our leader of men.#BryantAwards | #IUFB pic.twitter.com/OPDnj3dlxg
— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) November 17, 2020
Scott Schultz covers Michigan State Football, along with Breaking News for B1G Football & Basketball for Saturday Tradition. He also serves as an Automotive News Editor & Writer, and Softball Writer elsewhere on the web. Follow him on Twitter @SRSchultz.