University of Houston Athletics
Briles To Receive National Coach of the Year Trophy
2/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 13, 2007
HOUSTON - After leading the Houston Cougars to its finest season in 16 season, University of Houston head coach Art Briles will receive his Sportexe NCAA Division I-A Coach of the Year trophy on Wednesday afternoon at the UH Athletics/Alumni Center.
Finishin his fourth year with the Cougar Football program, Briles guided Houston to a 10-4 record and Conference USA Championship. Houston's conference title, its first since C-USA's inaugural season in 1996, is the crowning achievement of the rebuilding plan at Houston as the Cougars have come from a winless season in 2001, two years prior to Briles' arrival, to a 10-4 record with the league title at the helm of his alma mater.
Briles led the Cougars to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, where Houston fell 44-36 to South Carolina; a game that was rated the fourth-best postseason bowl game by Collegefootballnews.com.
Briles was named the C-USA Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award. Briles became just the second head coach in UH history to pick up Coach-of-the-Year honors.
As one of the global leaders in the synthetic turf system industry, Sportexe thoroughly reviewed candidates nationwide to find coaches from high school, collegiate and professional levels that demonstrate the same quality, integrity and performance that has become synonymous with the Sportexe brand.
Dedicated to providing proven, technology-rich synthetic field systems worldwide, Sportexe has developed a reputation for unsurpassed quality - from start to finish. Since its incorporation in 1989, Sportexe has been perfecting the finest details that go into making better, safer, and higher performing athletic surfaces.
This dedication to quality has led Sportexe to where is today - underfoot of many of the most prestigious teams and sports facilities from around the globe. Sportexe clients include the Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, LSU, University of Alabama, University of California at Berkeley, University of Southern Mississippi and De la Salle High School.
This year's winners included: Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints (NFL); David Bennett, Coastal Carolina Univ. (NCAA Division I-AA); . Billy O'Boyle, Chadron State College (NCAA Division II); Frank Miriello, Washington & Lee University (NCAA Division III); Dino Kaklis, Bethel College (NAIA); Brad Franchione, Blinn College (Junior College); and, Bill Redell, Westlake Village Oaks Christian High School (Calif.)
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