ATLANTA – Officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl today released the preseason watch list for the 2016 Dodd Trophy. UCLA head coach Jim Mora was included on a list of 24 of the nation's top college football coaches representing all Power 5 conferences, the American Athletic Conference and Notre Dame.
The Dodd Trophy, college football's most coveted coaching award, celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd's philosophy.
Coach Mora has been named to the watch list the last three seasons and was a finalist during the 2014 campaign.
In his first four seasons at UCLA, Mora has equaled the school record for most victories over a four-year span (37) while leading the Bruins to wins in 11 of their last 12 non-conference matchups, four consecutive bowl appearances, two school-record tying 10-win seasons (the eighth and ninth in UCLA history) and more than 70 team and individual school records.
Last season, the third straight in which UCLA has made an appearance in the Top 10 of the AP Poll and the first such stretch for the team since 1984-89, eight Bruins, including first-round selection Kenny Clark and second-round pick Myles Jack, were chosen in the 2016 NFL Draft. The total of eight players selected in this draft was the most of any Pac-12 school, the third most of any school in the country and the most UCLA has had drafted since the draft went to seven rounds in 1994. Additionally, UCLA has never had more players selected over a four year span since the draft went to seven rounds than the 20 chosen during the Mora era.
The watch list was created through a selection process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, taking into consideration each program's graduation rate, commitment to service and charity in the community, projected success for the 2016 season and Academic Progress Rate (APR).
Additional watch lists – adding to or narrowing the field – will be released throughout the fall. The winner of the 2016 Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. A panel consisting of all previous Dodd Trophy winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2016 season.
Starting in September, the Dodd Coach of the Week Award will also be presented weekly to the coach whose program embodies the award's three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, while also having success on the playing field during the previous week.
About the Dodd Trophy
The Dodd Trophy 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 who 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 and is one of only three men to be inducted into the National College Football Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. Coach Dodd was a native of Galax, Virginia, and played at the University of Tennessee where his teams had 27 wins, one loss and two ties during the three years he played. Additional information about the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation can be found at TheDoddTrophy.com.
The Dodd Trophy, college football's most coveted coaching award, celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd's philosophy.
Coach Mora has been named to the watch list the last three seasons and was a finalist during the 2014 campaign.
In his first four seasons at UCLA, Mora has equaled the school record for most victories over a four-year span (37) while leading the Bruins to wins in 11 of their last 12 non-conference matchups, four consecutive bowl appearances, two school-record tying 10-win seasons (the eighth and ninth in UCLA history) and more than 70 team and individual school records.
Last season, the third straight in which UCLA has made an appearance in the Top 10 of the AP Poll and the first such stretch for the team since 1984-89, eight Bruins, including first-round selection Kenny Clark and second-round pick Myles Jack, were chosen in the 2016 NFL Draft. The total of eight players selected in this draft was the most of any Pac-12 school, the third most of any school in the country and the most UCLA has had drafted since the draft went to seven rounds in 1994. Additionally, UCLA has never had more players selected over a four year span since the draft went to seven rounds than the 20 chosen during the Mora era.
The watch list was created through a selection process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, taking into consideration each program's graduation rate, commitment to service and charity in the community, projected success for the 2016 season and Academic Progress Rate (APR).
Additional watch lists – adding to or narrowing the field – will be released throughout the fall. The winner of the 2016 Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. A panel consisting of all previous Dodd Trophy winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2016 season.
Starting in September, the Dodd Coach of the Week Award will also be presented weekly to the coach whose program embodies the award's three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, while also having success on the playing field during the previous week.
About the Dodd Trophy
The Dodd Trophy 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 who 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 and is one of only three men to be inducted into the National College Football Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. Coach Dodd was a native of Galax, Virginia, and played at the University of Tennessee where his teams had 27 wins, one loss and two ties during the three years he played. Additional information about the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation can be found at TheDoddTrophy.com.