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Angelo State's Girsch named AFCA DII Region Four Coach of the Year

charles bryce, san angelo standard-times
·3 min read
Angelo State University head football coach Jeff Girsch watches from the sidelines during a game against Midwestern State at LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021.
Angelo State University head football coach Jeff Girsch watches from the sidelines during a game against Midwestern State at LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021.

After leading the Angelo State University football team to the NCAA Division II quarterfinals, Rams head coach Jeff Girsch has been named the American Football Coaches Association's (AFCA) 2021 NCAA Division II Region Four Coach of the Year.

The announcement came Monday, two days after ASU ended the season in a 34-26 loss against Colorado School of Mines in the quarters Saturday in Golden, Colorado. The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak.

ASU finished 11-3 overall and the Rams reached the quarterfinals of the D-II national tourney for the second time in program history and the first time since 1989.

Five regional Coach of the Year winners are recognized by the AFCA in each of the five divisions -- Football Bowl Subdivision, FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA.

The 2021 National Coach of the Year winners in FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA will be announced on Monday, Jan. 10. The regional winners in each division are finalists for National COY.

When Girsch took over as ASU's head coach in 2019, he transformed a team that was coming off a 6-6 finish in 2018 and quickly built the Rams into one of the top teams in the Lone Star Conference and the country.

Angelo State University head football coach Jeff Girsch talks to the officiating crew during an NCAA Division II first-round playoff game against Minnesota-Duluth at LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021.
Angelo State University head football coach Jeff Girsch talks to the officiating crew during an NCAA Division II first-round playoff game against Minnesota-Duluth at LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021.

Former Rams head coach Will Wagner hired Girsch as his defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2014. ASU won the Lone Star Conference Playoff Championships against Texas A&M-Commerce that season and advanced to the second round of the playoffs, finishing 9-3 overall and 5-2 in the LSC.

Girsch helped groom some of the best defensive players in Rams history, including Rush Seaver, Clayton Calicutt, Justin Jackson, Fred Lawrence, Bright Ihegworo and Markus Jones, the LSC Defensive Player of the Year in 2017. Calicutt was a two-time LSC Defensive Lineman of the Year honoree.

When Wagner was fired with one game left in the 2018 season, Girsch took over as head coach. He coached the regular-season finale against defending national champion Texas A&M-Commerce. Girsch also got to coach the Rams in the Heart of Texas Bowl against Central Oklahoma. The Rams dropped both of those games to finish with a .500 record.

Angelo State University head football coach Jeff Girsch walks back to the sidelines after a timeout during an NCAA Division II first-round playoff game against Minnesota-Duluth at LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021.
Angelo State University head football coach Jeff Girsch walks back to the sidelines after a timeout during an NCAA Division II first-round playoff game against Minnesota-Duluth at LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021.

The 2019 campaign was Girsch's first full season as head coach and he quickly turned things around, guiding the Rams to an 8-3 overall mark and a 5-3 record in conference.

Due to COVID, the 2020 season was a four-game abbreviated schedule. The Rams went 2-2, splitting a pair of games against West Texas A&M and pulling off an upset against Division-I Abilene Christian. ASU's other D-I game was against Stephen F. Austin.

Before coming to ASU, Girsch had an 18-year coaching stint at his alma mater, St. Ambrose University. His last six seasons were as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach.

He played wide receiver in college and is one of the top receivers in St. Ambrose history.

Charles Bryce is a journalist covering sports in West Texas. Send him a news tip at cbryce@gannett.com. Consider supporting West Texas journalism with a subscription to GoSanAngelo.com.

This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Angelo State's Girsch named AFCA DII Region Four Coach of the Year