University of Mary Hardin-Baylor head football coach Pete Fredenburg has been named NCAA Division III Region III Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association for the ninth time in his career. Fredenburg has led the Cru to a 13-0 record this season and he has UMHB in the NCAA Division III Semifinals for the sixth time in his career. The Cru won the American Southwest Conference championship with a 6-0 league mark this season and has advanced to at least the second round of the postseason for 13 consecutive years.
“Winning Regional Coach of the Year honors from the AFCA is such an honor because it is voted on by other coaches,” Fredenburg said. “Our players, assistant coaches and staff members have worked so hard to take this program to this point and this award is really a credit to them for all of their efforts. I am very humbled to be recognized this way and I am very grateful to everyone involved.”
Fredenburg is the only head coach the Cru has had in the 19-year history of the program. He has guided UMHB to a 194-38 record and 15 NCAA Division III National Championships appearances during his tenure. The Cru has won or shared 14 ASC championships in that time. This is the ninth AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honor for Fredenburg. He was also named Region III Coach of the Year following the 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons. Fredenburg is now fourth on the all-time list of AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honorees with those nine selections. Mount Union’s Larry Kehres is the all-time leader with 17 selections, Penn State’s Joe Paterno was honored 11 times and Danny Hale of West Chester and Bloomsburg State has ten AFCA Regional Coach of the Year awards. Fredenburg is also a nine-time ASC Coach of the Year.
The American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year honors are voted on by active members of the AFCA. The AFCA recognizes five regional Coach of the Year winners in each of the Association’s five divisions: Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and NAIA. The winners are selected by active members of the Association who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions.
