Bill Zwaan Wins AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Honor

WACO, Texas – West Chester University football head coach Bill Zwaan was named the Region 1 Coach of the Year in Division II by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) it was announced Tuesday morning.
 
Zwaan, who just completed his 16th season at West Chester University and 22nd overall as a head coach, picks up his third AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honor, but first on the sideline for the Purple & Gold. He last won the honor in back-to-back seasons of 2000 and 2001 while the head coach at Division III Widener University.
 
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. Zwaan and the other regional winners will be honored at the American Football Coaches Awards, on Tuesday, January 8, during the 2019 AFCA Convention in San Antonio, Texas.
 
West Chester finished the 2018 campaign 10-1, collecting the school's first outright conference title since 1971 and authoring an undefeated regular season for the first time since 1967. The Golden Rams won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division for the second year in a row and the third time in the last four seasons. Zwaan guided his charges to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row as well and the ninth time in his 16-year tenure.
 
In 16 years on West Chester's sideline, Zwaan has masterminded a 135-59 (.696) record. He sports an overall record of 189-73 (.7211) in 22 years. Additionally, Zwaan's 22 years of service as a head coach is seventh across the nation in Division II in terms of longevity. His .721 career winning percentage ranks sixth among active head coaches in DII and 20th all-time among coaches, who spent at least part of their career at the Division II level. His 189 career wins ranks fourth nationally among active head coaches at DII and 40th all time. West Chester has never suffered a losing season in conference play under Zwaan's tutelage either, authoring a 90-20 mark against the rest of the PSAC Eastern Division since 2003.

The 22-year college football mentor is closing in on his 200th career game at West Chester and is one of only a handful of college coaches to lead a school to the NCAA Tournament semifinals at both the Division II and III levels, having guided West Chester to the Division II semifinals in both 2004 and 2013, and Widener University to the Division III semifinals in 2000.
 
The AFCA began recognizing district coaches of the year following the 1960 season. Prior to 1960, the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain had sponsored the program, which recognized one national Coach of the Year. The AFCA first recognized eight district winners in each of two divisions: university and college. In 1972, a ninth district was added in each division. In 1983, the award was changed to recognize regional winners instead of district winners. The number of divisions was also increased from two to four and five regional winners were selected in each division. This resulted in a more equitable selection process and better represented the make-up of the membership. At the same time, the new system increased the number of honorees from 18 to 20. In 2006, the AFCA Division II Award was split into separate Division II and NAIA divisions, leading to the 25 winners now recognized.
 
2018 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Winners
Football Bowl Subdivision
Region 1: Dino Babers, Syracuse University
Region 2: Nick Saban, University of Alabama
Region 3: Brian Kelly, University of Notre Dame
Region 4: *Matt Campbell, Iowa State University
Region 5: Mike Leach, Washington State University
 
Football Championship Subdivision
Region 1: Joe Harasymiak, University of Maine
Region 2: *Brian Bohannon, Kennesaw State University
Region 3: *John Grass, Jacksonville State University
Region 4: Chris Klieman, North Dakota State University
Region 5: Eric Morris, University of the Incarnate Word
 
Division II
Region 1: Bill Zwaan, West Chester University
Region 2: Drew Cronic, Lenoir-Rhyne University
Region 3: Keith Otterbein, Hillsdale College
Region 4: Todd Knight, Ouachita Baptist University
Region 5: Todd Hoffner, Minnesota State University
 
Division III
Region 1: *Jason Mangone, The College at Brockport
Region 2: Jim Margraff, Johns Hopkins University
Region 3: Pete Fredenburg, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
Region 4: Larry Kindbom, Washington University in St. Louis
Region 5: Kevin Bullis, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
 
NAIA
Region 1: James Miller, Reinhardt University
Region 2: Mark Henninger, Marian University
Region 3: *Larry Wilcox, Benedictine College (Kan.)
Region 4: *Steve Ryan, Morningside College
Region 5: *Charlie Hall, Southern Oregon University
*-2017 winner
 
Repeat Winners: Iowa State's Matt Campbell, Kennesaw State's Brian Bohannon, Jacksonville State's John Grass, Brockport's Jason Mangone, Benedictine's Larry Wilcox, Morningside's Steve Ryan and Southern Oregon's Charlie Hall are the repeat winners from 2017. Grass has won five Regional honors in a row, from 2014-18, as has Ryan, who now has eight honors (2005, 2011-12, 2014-18). With his repeat selection this year, Wilcox now has four Regional honors to his name (1985, 2013, 2017-18).
 
Multiple Winners: Other multiple winners in the 2018 class are Dino Babers (third: 2012-13), Nick Saban (third: 2009, 2016), Brian Kelly (sixth: 1998, 2001, 2008-09, 2012), Mike Leach (second: 2008), Bill Zwaan (third: 2000-01), Drew Cronic (third: 2015-16), Keith Otterbein (fifth: 1992, 1994, 2009, 2011), Todd Knight (second: 2014), Todd Hoffner (second: 2014), Jim Margraff (fourth: 2011, 2014, 2016) and Pete Fredenburg (tenth: 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012-14, 2016).
 
First Time Winners: Seven coaches earned their first AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award in 2018: Maine's Joe Harasymiak, North Dakota State's Chris Klieman, UIW's Eric Morris, Washington-St. Louis' Larry Kindbom, Wisconsin-Whitewater's Kevin Bullis, Reinhardt's James Miller and Marian's Mark Henninger.