Nov. 1, 2000
Notre Dame head football coach Bob Davie has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the Football News 2000 coach-of-the-year award. The list will be trimmed to three finalists on Mon., Nov. 20. The official announcement of FN’s coach of the year will be made Wed., Dec. 6.
Davie has led the Irish to a 6-2 record this season and an Associated Press national ranking of 15th after entering the season unranked following a 5-7 ’99 season. Notre Dame opened the season with four ranked opponents for the first time in history, defeating Texas A&M, falling to then top-ranked Nebraska in overtime and defeating Purdue at home before falling to Michigan State on a late fourth-down touchdown pass. Notre Dame has won four consecutive games since that loss at Michigan State, remaining eligible for a potential major bowl appearance. Davie also was a finalist for the 1998 Walter Camp Foundation/Street & Smith’s coach-of-the-year award.
This year’s FN’s coach of the year will be honored on Tues., March 6, 2001, at the Fox Theatre in Detroit at the National Athletic Awards ceremony, which will be televised nationally by Fox Sports Net. The other nine semifinalists are Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech), Mike Bellotti (Oregon), Tommy Bowden (Clemson), Dennis Franchione (TCU), Lou Holtz (South Carolina), Rick Neuheisel (Washington), Gary Nord (UTEP), Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) and Randy Walker (Northwestern). Minnesota’s Glen Mason won last year’s award.