Kyle Whittingham Named Finalist For Bear Bryant Award

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham has been named a finalist for the Bear Bryant Award, that recognizes the country’s top college football coach for their contributions on and off the field.

The award is named after one of the best college football coaches in history, Paul “Bear” Bryant, who was the head coach of Alabama from 1958 to 1982. He won seven national championships as a head coach and six of them with the Crimson Tide.

Whittingham won the award back in 2008 when he led the Utes to an undefeated season and beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

Last season, the award was given to Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, who led the Tigers to the National Championship.

.@UtahCoachWhitt is a finalist for the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year award! pic.twitter.com/ynFHvF9zld

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) December 13, 2019

Whittingham is also a finalist for the Dodd Trophy, which is given to the top head coach in college football. The 15-year head coach was also named Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.

He led the Utes to an 11-2 record and their second straight trip to the Pac-12 Championship game. The 15-year Utah head coach has compiled a 131-63 record at Utah and has an 11-2 record in bowl games, which is the second highest win percentage in NCAA history.

The Utes will face Texas in the Alamo Bowl on December 31. The game will begin at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN.

The Crimson Corner podcast is the one-stop for all things University of Utah Athletics hosted by Utah insider Trevor Allen. Ute fans will find interviews with current players, coaches, and staff alongside expert analysis of every game, story and angle coming out of the University of Utah.

You can download and listen to the podcast, here.