Luke Fickell Wins Eddie Robinson Award

The Bearcats head coach was also a finalist for the award in 2020 but this is his first time winning.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Updated:
Dec 20, 2021 1:55 PM EST

CINCINNATI — More hardware is on the way for UC head coach Luke Fickell. The Football Writer's Association of America named him Coach of the Year on Monday.

Fickell takes home the Eddie Robinson Award after being a finalist for a second-straight season. He outlasted Blake Anderson of Utah State, Dave Aranda of Baylor, Thomas Hammock of NIU, Jim Harbaugh of Michigan, Billy Napier of Louisiana, Pat Narduzzi of Pitt, Nick Saban of Alabama, Kalani Sitake of BYU, Kirby Smart of Georgia, Jeff Traylor of UTSA, Mel Tucker of Michigan State, and Kyle Whittingham of Utah.

"I'm truly honored to receive this award. To be mentioned with one of the all-time greats in Eddie Robinson, who did so much for this profession, is humbling," Fickell said in a press release. "I got into coaching because of the impact my coaches had on me when I was growing up, and my goal is to have a positive impact on my players. Any awards we receive are a credit to the success of our team as a whole and the hard work put in by all of our student-athletes."

Fickell is 47-14 all-time at Cincinnati and 43-6 since 2018. He's brought Cincinnati to a point they've never reached: 13-0 with a chance to win the National Championship.

"It's quite fitting that Cincinnati's historic season is decorated with an honor for the coach who guided them through it," said FWAA president Heather Dinich, a senior writer for ESPN. "To finish with a perfect 13-0 record speaks volumes about the program, the buy-in, and the discipline it takes to get there – and it all starts at the top. Congratulations to Luke Fickell."

The FWAA also named Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner to their All-America team as a part of his consensus All-American status. He was recognized last year and is the first two-time FWAA All-American in school history. Former UCF head coach Scott Frost (2017) is the only other AAC coach to win the award.

Fickell and Gardner will go for their biggest wins yet at the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Eve. Cincinnati takes on Alabama at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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