Photo by: Parker Waters
Willie Fritz Named to the AFCA Board of Trustees
Jan 9, 2023 | Football
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Tulane University head football coach Willie Fritz was named to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Board of Trustees on Monday. He will represent the American Athletic Conference (AAC).
Other members elected to the AFCA's Board of Trustees along with Coach Fritz were Danny Gonzalez (New Mexico), Maurice Linguist (Buffalo), Jonathan Smith (Oregon State), Kane Wommack (South Alabama), Mike Babcock (McKendree College).
All the head coaches were elected by members attending the 2023 AFCA Convention. The elected coaches will join a group of distinguished head coaches to guide the organization. The Board formulates policy and provides direction for the AFCA, which was founded in 1922 by Amos Alonzo Stagg, John Heisman and others.
In 2022, Fritz just completed his 30th year as a collegiate head coach, with the last seven coming at Tulane. He aided Tulane to a magical 12-2 record that included an American Athletic Conference (AAC) regular season and conference, a victory in the 87th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic over USC and his third AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honor in his career.
Fritz was named to winner of the 2022 Dodd Trophy, presented by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation at the Peach Bowl.
Tulane has exceled both on and off the field under Fritz. In the classroom, Fritz's student-athletes were recognized for their efforts, with 46 players receiving Academic All-AAC honors for the 2021-22 academic year. The group also had an impressive 987 Academic Progress Rate (APR), which tied for the 24th highest mark in the FBS and held a Graduation Success Rate of 87. Tulane offensive linemen Prince Pines and Kanan Ray, along with quarterback Michael Pratt and linebacker Nick Anderson, were all selected to the College Sports Communications (CSC) 2022 Academic All-District Team as well. Pines and Ray advanced in the voting and were elected as members of the CSC Academic All-American Team.
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 and the Sugar Bowl with the trip to Arlington, Texas to play in the 87th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against USC on Jan. 2. In that game, Tulane scored a historic 15 points in the last four and half minutes of game time to roll past USC for its first win in a major bowl since the 1935 victory over Temple in the Sugar Bowl. The win over UCF was his second straight win over a fellow ranked opponent. Overall, this year was 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 43 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 and the Most Outstanding Offensive Player (Tyjae Spears) and Outstanding Defensive Player (Dorian Williams) at the Cotton Bowl Classic. Fritz 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).
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 lead Tulane to an overall 12-2 record including a mark of 7-1 in AAC play. The 12 wins are tied for the most-ever along with the 1998 team. 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, 12 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.
TICKETS
Tickets for the 2022 season for 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.
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.
Other members elected to the AFCA's Board of Trustees along with Coach Fritz were Danny Gonzalez (New Mexico), Maurice Linguist (Buffalo), Jonathan Smith (Oregon State), Kane Wommack (South Alabama), Mike Babcock (McKendree College).
All the head coaches were elected by members attending the 2023 AFCA Convention. The elected coaches will join a group of distinguished head coaches to guide the organization. The Board formulates policy and provides direction for the AFCA, which was founded in 1922 by Amos Alonzo Stagg, John Heisman and others.
In 2022, Fritz just completed his 30th year as a collegiate head coach, with the last seven coming at Tulane. He aided Tulane to a magical 12-2 record that included an American Athletic Conference (AAC) regular season and conference, a victory in the 87th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic over USC and his third AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honor in his career.
Fritz was named to winner of the 2022 Dodd Trophy, presented by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation at the Peach Bowl.
Tulane has exceled both on and off the field under Fritz. In the classroom, Fritz's student-athletes were recognized for their efforts, with 46 players receiving Academic All-AAC honors for the 2021-22 academic year. The group also had an impressive 987 Academic Progress Rate (APR), which tied for the 24th highest mark in the FBS and held a Graduation Success Rate of 87. Tulane offensive linemen Prince Pines and Kanan Ray, along with quarterback Michael Pratt and linebacker Nick Anderson, were all selected to the College Sports Communications (CSC) 2022 Academic All-District Team as well. Pines and Ray advanced in the voting and were elected as members of the CSC Academic All-American Team.
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 and the Sugar Bowl with the trip to Arlington, Texas to play in the 87th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against USC on Jan. 2. In that game, Tulane scored a historic 15 points in the last four and half minutes of game time to roll past USC for its first win in a major bowl since the 1935 victory over Temple in the Sugar Bowl. The win over UCF was his second straight win over a fellow ranked opponent. Overall, this year was 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 43 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 and the Most Outstanding Offensive Player (Tyjae Spears) and Outstanding Defensive Player (Dorian Williams) at the Cotton Bowl Classic. Fritz 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).
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 lead Tulane to an overall 12-2 record including a mark of 7-1 in AAC play. The 12 wins are tied for the most-ever along with the 1998 team. 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, 12 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.
TICKETS
Tickets for the 2022 season for 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.
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.
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