Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald has earned some recognition after leading the Wildcats to a 6-2 season, a B1G West title and an appearance in the conference championship game to close out the 2020 season.

On Thursday, it was announced that Fitzgerald has been named the winner of the 2020 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award. He is the first B1G head coach to be presented with the honor since Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz won the award in 2015. Last year’s winner was Utah’s Kyle Whittingham.

The Dodd Award is presented to a head coach who excels with “scholarship, leadership and integrity, while also having success on the playing field.

Northwestern finished the regular season with a 6-1 record, with the lone loss coming to Michigan State. The Wildcats then fell 22-10 to Ohio State in the B1G Championship Game. It was the second appearance at Lucas Oil Stadium for the team in the last three seasons.

Northwestern finished the season ranked No. 14 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Wildcats are set to close out the season on Friday, Jan. 1 when they play Auburn (6-4) in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl.