SDSU's John Stiegelmeier wins Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year honors
Dec. 8—BROOKINGS, S.D. — South Dakota State football coach John Stiegelmeier was named the 2022 recipient of the Stats Perform Eddie Robinson Award, which honors the national coach of the year in college football's Division I subdivision.
A 54-member panel voted on the 36th annual award — named for the legendary Grambling State mentor — after the regular season. Stiegelmeier was a close winner (123 points to 119) over Sacramento State's Troy Taylor, who was the 2019 Eddie Robinson Award recipient, with Samford's Chris Hatcher finishing third (108 points).
The Jackrabbits (11-1) were the top-ranked team through the regular season, finishing 8-0 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference to earn their first outright championship. As the No. 1 seed in the FCS playoffs, they are on a program-record 11-game winning streak heading into a quarterfinal on Saturday, when they face Holy Cross.
The 65-year-old Stiegelmeier, who has a 196-112 career record in 26 seasons at SDSU, is guiding the Jackrabbits' 11th consecutive playoff appearance and 12th overall since 2009. They have reached at least the semifinals in four of the past five postseasons, including a late-minute loss in the spring 2021 national championship game.
It marks the 10th time a Missouri Valley Football Coach has earned a national Coach of the Year honor, including Matt Entz of North Dakota State (American Football Coaches Association) last year. Stiegelmeier is the first MVFC coach to earn the Robinson Award from Stats Perform since Craig Bohl of NDSU in 2013.
Stiegelmeier will be honored at the FCS National Awards banquet on Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas — on the eve of the national championship game.
Stats Perform also will present the following awards:
* Walter Payton Award (FCS offensive player of the year) — Finalists: Quarterbacks Tim DeMorat of Fordham and Lindsey Scott Jr. of Incarnate Word and running back Jaden Shirden of Monmouth.
* Buck Buchanan Award (FCS defensive player of the year) — Finalists: Linebackers John Pius of William & Mary, Zeke Vandenburgh of Illinois State and David Walker of Central Arkansas.
* Jerry Rice Award (FCS freshman player of the year) — won by Idaho quarterback Gevani McCoy over Albany quarterback Reese Poffenbarger finishing second and Saint Francis wide receiver Makai Jackson
* Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year — 15 finalists, including the Missouri Valley's representative North Dakota tight end Adam Zavalney.
