Sumlin named to Dodd Trophy preseason watch list
Jul 18, 2015 | Football
ATLANTA – Fourth-year Texas A&M head football coach Kevin Sumlin was named to the preseason watch list for the Dodd Trophy, which was established in 1976 to honor the NCAA FBS head football coach whose program represents the highest ideals on and off the field.
The head coaches on the watch list represent programs with the highest ideals of leadership, scholarship and integrity on and off the field – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd's philosophy. Each of the coaches sits at the helm of programs with winning records, superior Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores and graduation rates, and a strong commitment to service within their communities.
Sumlin has guided the Aggies to 28 victories in his first three seasons in Aggieland, which eclipses the old best three-year start of 27 wins by National Football Foundation Hall of Fame coach R.C. Slocum from 1989 to 1991. Sumlin's first three seasons have also included three road victories over teams ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press -- 29-24 over No. 1 Alabama in 2012, 52-29 over No. 9 South Carolina in the 2014 season-opener and 41-38 over No. 3 Auburn in 2014.
Each of Sumlin's three seasons have ended with a bowl victory -- 41-13 over Big 12 Champion Oklahoma in the 2013 Cotton Bowl, 52-48 over ACC Coastal Division Champion Duke in the 2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl and 45-37 over West Virginia in the 2014 AutoZone Liberty Bowl. No other Texas A&M head coach has ever won bowl games in consecutive seasons, let alone in three consecutive years. In just three seasons at Texas A&M, Sumlin has already matched the program record for bowl wins by a head coach (Slocum also had three wins during his coaching tenure from 1989-2002).
The Aggies' success on the field has coincided with the team's continued upward trend in the classroom. The Texas A&M football team's 2015 multi-year Academic Progress Rate of 974 was an all-time high for the school. The Aggies also finished the 2014-15 school with their highest team GPA and put 40 student-athletes on the Texas A&M Athletic Director's Honor Roll (requires 3.0 GPA or higher).
The 2015 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List:
COACH / SCHOOL / CONFERENCE
Art Briles / Baylor / Big 12
Mark Dantonio / Michigan State / Big Ten
Jimbo Fisher / Florida State / ACC
Hugh Freeze / Ole Miss / SEC
Bryan Harsin / Boise State / Mountain West
Mark Helfrich / Oregon / Pac-12
Paul Johnson / Georgia Tech / ACC
Brian Kelly / Notre Dame / Independent
Gus Malzahn / Auburn / SEC
Urban Meyer / Ohio State / Big Ten
Jim Mora / UCLA / Pac-12
Dan Mullen / Mississippi State / SEC
Gary Patterson / TCU / Big 12
Gary Pinkel / Missouri / SEC
Mark Richt / Georgia / SEC
Rich Rodriguez / Arizona / Pac-12
Nick Saban / Alabama / SEC
Bill Snyder / Kansas State / Big 12
Steve Spurrier / South Carolina / SEC
Bob Stoops / Oklahoma / Big 12
Kevin Sumlin / Texas A&M / SEC
Dabo Swinney / Clemson / ACC
Kyle Whittingham / Utah / Pac-12
The head coaches on the watch list represent programs with the highest ideals of leadership, scholarship and integrity on and off the field – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd's philosophy. Each of the coaches sits at the helm of programs with winning records, superior Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores and graduation rates, and a strong commitment to service within their communities.
Sumlin has guided the Aggies to 28 victories in his first three seasons in Aggieland, which eclipses the old best three-year start of 27 wins by National Football Foundation Hall of Fame coach R.C. Slocum from 1989 to 1991. Sumlin's first three seasons have also included three road victories over teams ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press -- 29-24 over No. 1 Alabama in 2012, 52-29 over No. 9 South Carolina in the 2014 season-opener and 41-38 over No. 3 Auburn in 2014.
Each of Sumlin's three seasons have ended with a bowl victory -- 41-13 over Big 12 Champion Oklahoma in the 2013 Cotton Bowl, 52-48 over ACC Coastal Division Champion Duke in the 2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl and 45-37 over West Virginia in the 2014 AutoZone Liberty Bowl. No other Texas A&M head coach has ever won bowl games in consecutive seasons, let alone in three consecutive years. In just three seasons at Texas A&M, Sumlin has already matched the program record for bowl wins by a head coach (Slocum also had three wins during his coaching tenure from 1989-2002).
The Aggies' success on the field has coincided with the team's continued upward trend in the classroom. The Texas A&M football team's 2015 multi-year Academic Progress Rate of 974 was an all-time high for the school. The Aggies also finished the 2014-15 school with their highest team GPA and put 40 student-athletes on the Texas A&M Athletic Director's Honor Roll (requires 3.0 GPA or higher).
The 2015 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List:
COACH / SCHOOL / CONFERENCE
Art Briles / Baylor / Big 12
Mark Dantonio / Michigan State / Big Ten
Jimbo Fisher / Florida State / ACC
Hugh Freeze / Ole Miss / SEC
Bryan Harsin / Boise State / Mountain West
Mark Helfrich / Oregon / Pac-12
Paul Johnson / Georgia Tech / ACC
Brian Kelly / Notre Dame / Independent
Gus Malzahn / Auburn / SEC
Urban Meyer / Ohio State / Big Ten
Jim Mora / UCLA / Pac-12
Dan Mullen / Mississippi State / SEC
Gary Patterson / TCU / Big 12
Gary Pinkel / Missouri / SEC
Mark Richt / Georgia / SEC
Rich Rodriguez / Arizona / Pac-12
Nick Saban / Alabama / SEC
Bill Snyder / Kansas State / Big 12
Steve Spurrier / South Carolina / SEC
Bob Stoops / Oklahoma / Big 12
Kevin Sumlin / Texas A&M / SEC
Dabo Swinney / Clemson / ACC
Kyle Whittingham / Utah / Pac-12
Spring Practice Media Availability: Lyle Hemphill
Thursday, March 26
Spring Practice Media Availability: Mario Craver, TJ Searcy
Thursday, March 26
Pro Day Media Availability: Taurean York
Wednesday, March 25
Pro Day Media Availability: Albert Regis
Wednesday, March 25
