The
AFCA National Championship Trophy (Coaches' Trophy) is the trophy awarded by the
American Football Coaches AssociationThe American Football Coaches Association is an association of football coaches on all levels and is responsible for the Coaches Poll that determines the national champion each year...
(AFCA) to the winner of
college footballCollege football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
's
BCS National Championship GameThe BCS National Championship Game is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
, which determines the national champion for purposes of the
Coaches PollThe USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and Division I college basketball teams....
. The trophy has been awarded since 1986 and has been tied to the winner of the BCS National Championship Game since 1998.
The trophy consists of a
Waterford CrystalWaterford Crystal is a trademark brand of crystal glassware, previously produced in Waterford, Ireland, though the factory there was shut down after the receivership of Waterford Wedgwood plc in early 2009...
football affixed to an ebony base, and carries a value of over $30,000.
The
AFCA National Championship Trophy (Coaches' Trophy) is the trophy awarded by the
American Football Coaches AssociationThe American Football Coaches Association is an association of football coaches on all levels and is responsible for the Coaches Poll that determines the national champion each year...
(AFCA) to the winner of
college footballCollege football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
's
BCS National Championship GameThe BCS National Championship Game is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
, which determines the national champion for purposes of the
Coaches PollThe USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and Division I college basketball teams....
. The trophy has been awarded since 1986 and has been tied to the winner of the BCS National Championship Game since 1998.
The trophy consists of a
Waterford CrystalWaterford Crystal is a trademark brand of crystal glassware, previously produced in Waterford, Ireland, though the factory there was shut down after the receivership of Waterford Wedgwood plc in early 2009...
football affixed to an ebony base, and carries a value of over $30,000. The winning school retains permanent possession of the trophy, as a new one is awarded every year. The football portion of the trophy weighs approximately 8 pounds and together with the stand, it weights about 45 pounds and stands 34 inches tall. It is handmade by an artist in
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
and takes nearly 3 months to complete.
The trophy has undergone several sponsorship changes over the years. It was sponsored by the Gerrits Foundation during the initial 1986 and 1987 seasons.
PepsiPepsi is a carbonated soft drink produced and manufactured by PepsiCo. It is sold in many places such as retail stores, restaurants, schools, cinemas and from vending machines. The drink was first made in the 1890s by pharmacist Caleb Bradham in New Bern, North Carolina. The brand was trademarked...
came aboard as a co-sponsor in 1988 and 1989.
McDonald'sMcDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving nearly 47 million customers daily. At one time it was the largest global restaurant chain, but it has since been surpassed by multi-brand operator Yum! and sandwich chain Subway.In addition to its...
was the sole sponsor from 1990 until 1992.
SearsSears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American mid-range chain of international department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Roebuck in the late 19th century...
became the trophy's sponsor in 1993 and remained so until 2001.
Circuit CityCircuit City Stores, Inc. was an American retailer in brand-name consumer electronics, personal computers, entertainment software, and large appliances. The company opened its first store in 1949 and liquidated its final American retail stores in 2009 following a bankruptcy filing and subsequent...
assumed sponsorship duties for the 2002 season.
ADT Security ServicesADT Security Services, originally American District Telegraph now also known as ADT Fire and Security or simply ADT, is a division of Tyco International and a worldwide supplier of electronic security systems, fire alarm systems, communication systems, and integrated building management...
, was the title sponsor from 2003 to 2005.
Its current name is actually the "The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Championship Trophy (or The Coaches' Trophy)," which was given this permanent name by the association in 2006.
- The trophy has attended 135 games since 1986
- The trophy has traveled to 49 different stadiums
- 15 different teams have won the trophy in 23 years
Past winners of the AFCA National Championship Trophy
| Season |
School |
Head Coach |
| 1986 |
Penn State |
Joe Paterno Joseph Vincent "Joe" Paterno , is an American football coach and the current head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions, a position he has held since 1966...
|
| 1987 |
Miami (FL) |
Jimmy Johnson James William "Jimmy" Johnson is a former American football coach who currently appears on Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a Super Bowl. In 1993, Johnson wrote Turning The Thing...
|
| 1988 |
Notre Dame |
Lou HoltzLouis Leo "Lou" Holtz is a former football head coach. Currently an author, television commentator, and motivational speaker, Holtz is the only coach in NCAA history to lead six different programs to bowl games and the only coach to guide four different programs to the final top 20 rankings...
|
| 1989 |
Miami (FL) |
Dennis EricksonDennis Erickson is an American football coach, currently the head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils. He has been the head coach of six college football programs and two NFL franchises.-Early life:...
|
| 1990 |
Georgia Tech |
Bobby RossRobert Joseph Ross is a retired college and NFL football coach. His career as a college head coach included stints at The Citadel, the University of Maryland, Georgia Tech, and Army...
|
| 1991 |
Washington |
Don James |
| 1992 |
Alabama |
Gene Stallings Eugene Clifton Stallings, Jr. is a former college and professional football coach. He is currently a member of the Board of Regents of the Texas A&M University System.-Early years:...
|
| 1993 |
Florida State |
Bobby BowdenRobert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is the current head college football coach of the Florida State Seminoles football team...
|
| 1994 |
Nebraska |
Tom Osborne |
| 1995 |
Nebraska |
Tom Osborne |
| 1996 |
Florida |
Steve SpurrierStephen "Steve" Orr Spurrier is a former college and professional football player, and is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks football team. He was a two-time All-American quarterback, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player...
|
| 1997 |
Nebraska |
Tom Osborne |
| 1998 |
Tennessee |
Phil Fulmer |
| 1999 |
Florida State |
Bobby BowdenRobert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is the current head college football coach of the Florida State Seminoles football team...
|
| 2000 |
Oklahoma |
Bob StoopsRobert Anthony Stoops is the head coach of the University of Oklahoma football team. During the 2000 season, Stoops led the Sooners to an Orange Bowl victory and a National Championship....
|
| 2001 |
Miami (FL) |
Larry Coker Larry Edward Coker is the head coach of the University of Texas at San Antonio football team. Prior to his career at UTSA, Coker was head coach at the University of Miami from 2001 to 2006. He was fired by the University of Miami on November 24, 2006 following a 6-loss season...
|
| 2002 |
Ohio State |
Jim TresselJames Patrick Tressel is the head football coach at The Ohio State University. He was hired in 2001 to replace John Cooper. Since becoming Ohio State's 22nd head football coach, his team has played for three National Championships , achieving the first 14–0 season record in major college football...
|
| 2003 |
LSULSU IS #1 BABY WE R GOIN TO THE SHIP Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005...
|
Nick SabanNicholas Lou "Nick" Saban is the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide college football team. Saban has previously served as head coach of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins and three other NCAA universities: LSU, Michigan State and Toledo...
|
| 2004 |
USC |
Pete CarrollPeter Clay Carroll is an American football coach, former National Football League head coach, and the current head coach of the University of Southern California Trojans football team, having held that position since 2001...
|
| 2005 |
TexasThe Texas Longhorns football team is the intercollegiate football team at The University of Texas in Austin, Texas. On November 27, 2008, the Longhorns passed Notre Dame as the second winningest college football team, having won 832 games to Notre Dame's 831. However, another source that takes into...
|
Mack BrownWilliam Mack Brown is head coach of The University of Texas at Austin Longhorn football team.Prior to coaching at Texas, Brown coached at Appalachian State, Tulane, and North Carolina. Brown is credited with revitalizing the Texas and North Carolina football programs...
|
| 2006 |
Florida |
Urban MeyerUrban Meyer III is the head football coach of the Florida Gators football team that represents the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida; he previously coached the Bowling Green Falcons football team from 2001 to 2002, and the Utah Utes football team from 2003 to 2004...
|
| 2007 |
LSU |
Les MilesLeslie Edwin "Les" Miles is an American college football coach and the current head coach of the Louisiana State University football team. Prior to holding that position, he was head coach at Oklahoma State...
|
| 2008 |
Florida |
Urban MeyerUrban Meyer III is the head football coach of the Florida Gators football team that represents the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida; he previously coached the Bowling Green Falcons football team from 2001 to 2002, and the Utah Utes football team from 2003 to 2004...
|
By school
| School |
Number |
Seasons |
| Miami (FL) |
3 |
1987, 1989, 2001 |
| Nebraska |
3 |
1994, 1995, 1997 |
| Florida |
3 |
1996, 2006, 2008 |
| LSU |
2 |
2003, 2007 |
| Florida State |
2 |
1993, 1999 |
| Penn State |
1 |
1986 |
| Notre Dame |
1 |
1988 |
| Georgia Tech |
1 |
1990 |
| Washington |
1 |
1991 |
| Alabama |
1 |
1992 |
| Tennessee |
1 |
1998 |
| Oklahoma |
1 |
2000 |
| Ohio State |
1 |
2002 |
| USC |
1 |
2004 |
| Texas |
1 |
2005 |
See also
- AP National Championship Trophy
The AP National Championship Trophy is the trophy awarded annually by the Associated Press to the team who finishes the season at the number one spot in the AP Poll....
- MacArthur Trophy
The MacArthur Trophy is a trophy awarded annually by the National Football Foundation to the NCAA Division I-FBS college football team or teams determined to be the national champion. There is only one trophy itself, much like the Stanley Cup, and it is kept by the winning institution for one year...
- Grantland Rice Award
The Grantland Rice Award has been presented annually since 1954 to thecollegiate American football team adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America to be national champion. Named for the legendary sportswriter, the Grantland Rice Trophy was the first national championship award to be...
- BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
- NCAA Division I FBS national football championship
The NCAA Division I FBS national football championship is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best college football team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
External links