Tweet #theGAC  WACO, Texas – The American Football Coaches Association announced Tuesday that Harding University head coach Ronnie Huckeba is the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year in Region 4, which includes the Great American Conference and the Lone Star Conference.

In addition, Huckeba is one of five finalists for the AFCA Division II National Coach of the Year. The other four finalists are Gary Dunn of California University of Pennsylvania, Bobby Wallace of North Alabama, Adam Dorrel of Northwest Missouri State University and Jed Stugart of the University of Sioux Falls.

Huckeba, in his final season at Harding, led the Bisons to the program's first undefeated regular season, its first outright conference championship, and its first two Division II playoff wins. Harding finished 13-1 overall, won the Great American Conference regular season title, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Division II Playoffs. Huckeba was the GAC Coach of the Year.

The 2016 Division II, Division III and NAIA Regional winners will be honored at the AFCA Victory Luncheon at the 2017 AFCA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, on Jan. 10 at 11:30 a.m.

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.

2016 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Winners

Division II
Region 1: Gary Dunn, California University of Pennsylvania
Region 2: Bobby Wallace, University of North Alabama
Region 3: Adam Dorrel, Northwest Missouri State University
Region 4: Ronnie Huckeba, Harding University
Region 5: Jed Stugart, University of Sioux Falls

AFCA National Coach of the Year:  The AFCA will announce the 2016 FBS and FCS National Coaches of the Year winners at the inaugural American Football Coaches Awards show, broadcast live on CBS Sports Network on Tuesday, January 10 at 9 p.m. EST, during the 2017 AFCA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. The Division II, Division III and NAIA National Cocahes of the Year will be announced at the AFCA Victory Luncheon, also on Tuesday, January 10. The Regional winners in each division will be the finalists for National Coach of the Year.

Award History: The AFCA began recognizing district coaches of the year following the 1960 season. The awards were established the same year Eastman Kodak agreed to sponsor the AFCA Coach of the Year award. 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, and the number of divisions was 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, giving us the 25 winners we now recognize.

First Time Winners: Twelve coaches earned their first AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award in 2016: Navy's Ken Niumatalolo, Western Michigan's P.J. Fleck, West Virginia's Dana Holgorsen, Colorado's Mike MacIntyre, North Carolina A&T's Rod Broadway, North Carolina Central's Jerry Mack, California's (Pa.) Gary Dunn, Northwest Missouri State's Adam Dorrel, Harding's Ronnie Huckeba, Alfred's Bob Rankl, North Central's Jeff Thorne and Coe's Tyler Staker.