Mullen Named Maxwell Coach Of The Year

(Courtesy: MSU Athletics)

PHILADELPHIA (MSU Athletics) – After guiding Mississippi State to its first 10-win regular season and first appearance in the Orange Bowl since 1941, head coach Dan Mullen has been recognized as the Maxwell Football Club’s Collegiate Coach of the Year, the organization announced Monday.

Mullen is the first coach in the 115-year history of MSU football to claim a National Coach of the Year award. He beat out two other finalists in Oregon’s Mark Helfrich and Ohio State’s Urban Meyer.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be recognized as the Maxwell Football Club’s Coach of the Year,” said Mullen. “It’s a testament to our players and staff for everything we have accomplished this year. We are proud of the program we have built at Mississippi State. I want to thank the Maxwell Football Club and its members.”

The Maxwell Football Club Collegiate Coach of the Year Award has been presented every year since 1989. Eligible voters include Maxwell Football Club members, NCAA head football coaches, sports information directors and selected national media.

Mullen will be formally presented with the award at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala on Friday, March 13 at the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, N.J.

Mullen led Mississippi State to its best overall regular season finish in the national polls with a No. 7 ranking in the College Football Playoff. The Bulldogs reached the top of the polls for the first time in program history and remained there for five weeks, following three consecutive wins over top-10 teams, a first in college football since 1983.

Mullen guided MSU from unranked to No. 1 quicker than any coach in college football history. The Bulldogs also shattered 22 statistical records in the process.

Off the field, Mullen’s squad recorded the highest team grade point average in program history with a 2.76 this semester, surpassing the 2.72 earned in the spring of 2008. Nineteen of Mullen’s players will appear at the Capital One Orange Bowl as collegiate graduates, including National Player of the Year finalist Dak Prescott and All-America offensive lineman Ben Beckwith.

Dan Mullen Awards This Season
Maxwell Football Club Coach of the Year
AFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year
Associated Press SEC Coach of the Year