The Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award is a college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 award given annually to the nation's best head coach

Head coach

A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

. Established in 2009, Nick Saban

Nick Saban

Nicholas Lou "Nick" Saban is the head coach of the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide 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...

 was the award's first recipient. The trophy commemorates former Florida State Seminoles football

Florida State Seminoles football

The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...

 coach Bobby Bowden

Bobby Bowden

Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...

.

Overview

The Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award (the Bowden Award) is presented by the Over the Mountain Touchdown Club of Birmingham, Alabama and the Alabama Sports Foundation. The Bowden Award commemorates Bobby Bowden

Bobby Bowden

Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...

 in recognition of his legendary coaching career and as a national symbol of recognition for the college football coach who has excelled on the football field while demonstrating perseverance, attitude, integrity, and determination, attributes that Bowden has exemplified throughout his coaching career and life.

Recipients

Nick Saban

Nick Saban

Nicholas Lou "Nick" Saban is the head coach of the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide 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...

 was the inaugural winner of the Bowden Award. Saban led the University of Alabama

University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....

 football team to the 2009 BCS National Championship and AP National Championship

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....

, making him the only coach to win a national championship with two different schools since 1950 and one of two coaches to win a Southeastern Conference

Southeastern Conference

The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...

 football championship at two different schools. Bowden presented the Bowden Award to Saban at a public ceremony on March 21, 2010 at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center in Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...

.

Year	Name	School
2009	Nick Saban Nick Saban Nicholas Lou "Nick" Saban is the head coach of the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide 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...	University of Alabama University of Alabama The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
2010	Gene Chizik Gene Chizik Eugene "Gene" Chizik is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Auburn University football team, a position he has held since the 2009 season. Chizik's 2010 Auburn Tigers football team completed a 14–0 season with a victory over Oregon in the BCS...	Auburn University Auburn University Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...

Future

Beginning in 2011, the Bowden Award will be presented annually after National Signing Day

National Signing Day

National Signing Day most commonly refers to a day in February, usually on the first Wednesday of that month, which is the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for college football with a school that is a member of the NCAA, the main governing body for...

and before the commencement of spring college football practice.