Coach Pat Fitzgerald was named a semifinalist for the first annual Joseph V. Paterno Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday.
The 35-year-old coach joins 14 others nominated by a committee from the club for the award, which is given to a coach “based on success on the football field, in the classroom and in the community,” according to the club’s website.
Other nominees from the Big Ten include Ohio State’s Jim Tressel, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz and Wisconsin’s Bret Bielema. Paterno, who just earned his 400th career win against Northwestern on Saturday, is not eligible for the award.
Other notable nominees include Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer , Stanford’s Jim Harbaugh, Navy’s Ken Niumatalolo and TCU’s Gary Patterson, who won last year’s George Munger Award.
The three finalists for the award will be announced Dec. 6, and the winner will be declared Dec. 18.
