Willie Fritz Named a 2022 Finalist for the 2022 Dodd Trophy
Dec 16, 2022 | Football
ATLANTA – Tulane University head football coach Willie Fritz has been named as one of the finalists for the 2022 Dodd Trophy presented by PNC on Friday, by officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. Finalists include five of the nation's top coaches in college football who embody the award's three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, both on and off the field.
The other candidates for the Dodd Trophy this year are Jim Harbaugh (Michigan), Chris Klieman (Kansas State), Kirby Smart (Georgia) and Kyle Whittingham (Utah).
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This year's finalists represent five different conferences, including the AAC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC and Pac-12. These coaches have combined for a 57-8 record so far this season and have collectively won 410 games and eight FBS conference championships throughout their careers.
Of all the coaches that are candidates this year, Fritz and the Tulane football team have the second-highest 2021 Academic Progress Rate (APR) at 987.
"These five coaches have found a way to set themselves apart by guiding their programs to historic seasons during another exhilarating year of college football," said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. "Each of these men have left a significant mark on their respective universities, football programs and players, both on and off the gridiron, and truly embody all that this award stands for."
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"The Dodd Trophy is the sport's most coveted coach of the year award because it fully takes into account what it means to be a coach, aside from just wins and losses," said Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO & President. "These five finalists not only succeeded on the football field this year, but also in the classroom and throughout their communities. It's this mindset that sets our award apart, and why we only consider coaches who have been at their current programs long enough to truly establish their own foundation of success, as it relates to academics and community involvement."
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Finalists were selected by a panel consisting of all previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member. The winner of the 2022 Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during bowl week at this year's College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
This is the fourth Coach of the Year honor that Fritz has been named as a finalist for the last two weeks. He is also a candidate for the 2022 Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach the Year Award, the 2022 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award and the AFCA's 2022 National Coach of the Year Award.
Fritz has had a truly historic and magical 2022 season. He defeated then No. 22 CFP ranked UCF on Dec. 3 by a 45-28 score to capture the school's first-ever American Athletic Conference (AAC) title and earn Tulane its first appearance in a major bowl game since 1940 with the upcoming trip to Arlington, Texas to play in the 87th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against USC. The school's last appearance in a major bowl game was the Sugar Bowl. The win over UCF was his second straight win over a fellow ranked opponent. Overall, this year will be the school's 15th bowl appearance and the fourth time in the last five years that Fritz has led the program to a bowl game. The four bowl appearances under his watch make him the most successful in school history by that metric. Individually he moved into second all-time at Tulane this season in career victories and is up to 42 in his Green Wave career. His program had both the Most Outstanding Offensive Player (Michael Pratt) and the Most Outstanding Defensive Player (Nick Anderson) of the AAC Championship game. He also set a school-record and had the most All-AAC selections in the conference this season this season with 15 plus the league's Offensive Player of the Year (Tyjae Spears).
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Fritz was named the 2022 AAC Coach of the Year for the first time in his career at the end of the regular season. It is also the first time that a Tulane coach ever been named the AAC Coach of the Year and only the second time overall that a Tulane coach has taken home the honor from a conference as Tommy Bowden was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year in 1998. Fritz has led Tulane to an overall 11-2 record including a mark of 7-1 in AAC play. The 11 wins this season is the second time in school history that the program has won 11 or more games and the first time since 1998. His seven wins in league play are the most for the program since 1934 and mark only the second time in the school's history that a Tulane team has won seven or more conference games in a single campaign. Tulane's first nationally ranking this year, 10 weeks ago, was a first for the program since 1998. The program also received its first-ever College Football Playoff Ranking this year and are currently placed 16th nationally in that metric. Tulane's AAC regular season title earned with the victory over Cincinnati on Nov. 25 was only the third in the history of the program and was the first since the Conference USA Championship title in 1998. Fritz led Tulane to its first win over a fellow ranked opponent since 1956 with the victory over then No. 23 ranked Cincinnati. The win over the Bearcats ended their then 32-game home winning streak.
The nine-game win total improvement this over last year is tied for the best-ever in a single season in FBS history along with Stanford (1940), Hawaii (1999) and Miami of Ohio (2010).
There is a fan voting component for the Bear Bryant Award that will close on Friday, December 16, at 11:59 p.m. The Fan Vote is a popular vote for fans all over the country and will be announced during the live televised broadcast of the award on January 11. The link to vote for Coach Fritz is https://bryantawards.org/willie-fritz/.
The winner of the 2022 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award will be officially announced on Jan. 7, 2023 at a reception in Los Angeles.
Fritz was named the winner in Region 1 by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). As one of the regional winners, Fritz will be honored on Monday, Jan. 9, during the 2023 AFCA Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. As a regional winner, he is also now finalist for National Coach of the Year honors. 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 the NAIA. The winners are selected by active members of the association who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions.
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About the Dodd Trophy presented by PNC
The Dodd Trophy presented by PNC was established in 1976 to honor the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division 1A) head football coach whose program represents the highest ideals on and off the field. The award honors the coach of a team which enjoys a successful football season, while also stressing the importance of academic excellence and character, as did Coach Dodd's teams during his 22 years as head football coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Coach Dodd remains one of college football's legendary figures, both as a coach and a player. Coach Dodd was a native of Galax, Virginia, and played his college ball at the University of Tennessee where his team had 27 wins, one loss and two ties during the three years he played. Coach Dodd was selected to the National College Football Hall of Fame both as a coach and as a player. Additional information about the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation can be found at www.TheDoddTrophy.com. For news, updates and insider information, follow us on Twitter at @DoddTrophy or find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DoddTrophy.
About Peach Bowl, Inc.:
Peach Bowl, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization that operates the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, the Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament, and manages The Dodd Trophy national coach of the year award. It is the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and is recognized as college football's most charitable bowl organization, having donated $60.9 million to organizations in need since 2002.
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TICKETS
Tickets for the 2022 season for the football team's bowl game, the men's and women's basketball team's games and the upcoming baseball season can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
Social Media
Follow Tulane football on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.
The other candidates for the Dodd Trophy this year are Jim Harbaugh (Michigan), Chris Klieman (Kansas State), Kirby Smart (Georgia) and Kyle Whittingham (Utah).
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This year's finalists represent five different conferences, including the AAC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC and Pac-12. These coaches have combined for a 57-8 record so far this season and have collectively won 410 games and eight FBS conference championships throughout their careers.
Of all the coaches that are candidates this year, Fritz and the Tulane football team have the second-highest 2021 Academic Progress Rate (APR) at 987.
"These five coaches have found a way to set themselves apart by guiding their programs to historic seasons during another exhilarating year of college football," said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. "Each of these men have left a significant mark on their respective universities, football programs and players, both on and off the gridiron, and truly embody all that this award stands for."
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"The Dodd Trophy is the sport's most coveted coach of the year award because it fully takes into account what it means to be a coach, aside from just wins and losses," said Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO & President. "These five finalists not only succeeded on the football field this year, but also in the classroom and throughout their communities. It's this mindset that sets our award apart, and why we only consider coaches who have been at their current programs long enough to truly establish their own foundation of success, as it relates to academics and community involvement."
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Finalists were selected by a panel consisting of all previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member. The winner of the 2022 Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during bowl week at this year's College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
This is the fourth Coach of the Year honor that Fritz has been named as a finalist for the last two weeks. He is also a candidate for the 2022 Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach the Year Award, the 2022 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award and the AFCA's 2022 National Coach of the Year Award.
Fritz has had a truly historic and magical 2022 season. He defeated then No. 22 CFP ranked UCF on Dec. 3 by a 45-28 score to capture the school's first-ever American Athletic Conference (AAC) title and earn Tulane its first appearance in a major bowl game since 1940 with the upcoming trip to Arlington, Texas to play in the 87th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against USC. The school's last appearance in a major bowl game was the Sugar Bowl. The win over UCF was his second straight win over a fellow ranked opponent. Overall, this year will be the school's 15th bowl appearance and the fourth time in the last five years that Fritz has led the program to a bowl game. The four bowl appearances under his watch make him the most successful in school history by that metric. Individually he moved into second all-time at Tulane this season in career victories and is up to 42 in his Green Wave career. His program had both the Most Outstanding Offensive Player (Michael Pratt) and the Most Outstanding Defensive Player (Nick Anderson) of the AAC Championship game. He also set a school-record and had the most All-AAC selections in the conference this season this season with 15 plus the league's Offensive Player of the Year (Tyjae Spears).
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Fritz was named the 2022 AAC Coach of the Year for the first time in his career at the end of the regular season. It is also the first time that a Tulane coach ever been named the AAC Coach of the Year and only the second time overall that a Tulane coach has taken home the honor from a conference as Tommy Bowden was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year in 1998. Fritz has led Tulane to an overall 11-2 record including a mark of 7-1 in AAC play. The 11 wins this season is the second time in school history that the program has won 11 or more games and the first time since 1998. His seven wins in league play are the most for the program since 1934 and mark only the second time in the school's history that a Tulane team has won seven or more conference games in a single campaign. Tulane's first nationally ranking this year, 10 weeks ago, was a first for the program since 1998. The program also received its first-ever College Football Playoff Ranking this year and are currently placed 16th nationally in that metric. Tulane's AAC regular season title earned with the victory over Cincinnati on Nov. 25 was only the third in the history of the program and was the first since the Conference USA Championship title in 1998. Fritz led Tulane to its first win over a fellow ranked opponent since 1956 with the victory over then No. 23 ranked Cincinnati. The win over the Bearcats ended their then 32-game home winning streak.
The nine-game win total improvement this over last year is tied for the best-ever in a single season in FBS history along with Stanford (1940), Hawaii (1999) and Miami of Ohio (2010).
There is a fan voting component for the Bear Bryant Award that will close on Friday, December 16, at 11:59 p.m. The Fan Vote is a popular vote for fans all over the country and will be announced during the live televised broadcast of the award on January 11. The link to vote for Coach Fritz is https://bryantawards.org/willie-fritz/.
The winner of the 2022 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award will be officially announced on Jan. 7, 2023 at a reception in Los Angeles.
Fritz was named the winner in Region 1 by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). As one of the regional winners, Fritz will be honored on Monday, Jan. 9, during the 2023 AFCA Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. As a regional winner, he is also now finalist for National Coach of the Year honors. 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 the NAIA. The winners are selected by active members of the association who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions.
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About the Dodd Trophy presented by PNC
The Dodd Trophy presented by PNC was established in 1976 to honor the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division 1A) head football coach whose program represents the highest ideals on and off the field. The award honors the coach of a team which enjoys a successful football season, while also stressing the importance of academic excellence and character, as did Coach Dodd's teams during his 22 years as head football coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Coach Dodd remains one of college football's legendary figures, both as a coach and a player. Coach Dodd was a native of Galax, Virginia, and played his college ball at the University of Tennessee where his team had 27 wins, one loss and two ties during the three years he played. Coach Dodd was selected to the National College Football Hall of Fame both as a coach and as a player. Additional information about the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation can be found at www.TheDoddTrophy.com. For news, updates and insider information, follow us on Twitter at @DoddTrophy or find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DoddTrophy.
About Peach Bowl, Inc.:
Peach Bowl, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization that operates the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, the Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament, and manages The Dodd Trophy national coach of the year award. It is the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and is recognized as college football's most charitable bowl organization, having donated $60.9 million to organizations in need since 2002.
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TICKETS
Tickets for the 2022 season for the football team's bowl game, the men's and women's basketball team's games and the upcoming baseball season can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
Social Media
Follow Tulane football on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Â
WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.
Players Mentioned
Postgame: HC Jon Sumrall and WR Anthony Brown-Stephens - 9/20/25
Sunday, September 21
Postgame: LB Sam Howard - 9/20/25
Sunday, September 21
Tulane Tuesday: WR Shazz Preston - 9/16/25
Tuesday, September 16
Tulane Tuesday: Spear TJ Smith - 9/16/25
Tuesday, September 16
