NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Appalachian State University head coach Jerry Moore is the winner of the 2009 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award for the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Liberty Mutual announced on Wednesday morning. In recognition of Moore’s contributions on and off the field, Liberty Mutual will donate $50,000 to charities of Moore’s choosing and $20,000 to the ASU Alumni Association scholarship fund.The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award recognizes coaches who best display the following four tenets: sportsmanship, integrity, responsibility and excellence, on and off the field. The winners are selected through fan voting (20 percent) and ballots from selection committees made up of national media (25 percent) and College Football Hall of Famers (55 percent). Moore beat out South Dakota State’s John Stiegelmeier, Holy Cross’s Tom Gilmore, Eastern Illinois’ Bob Spoo and Liberty’s Danny Rocco for the award. Moore especially excelled in the fan voting portion of the selection process, picking up nearly 19,000 votes in 15 days, more than twice as many as the next finalist.
In 2009, Moore led the Mountaineers to a fifth-straight Southern Conference title and NCAA Division I Football Championship appearance, where they advanced to the national semifinals. Appalachian finished with an 11-3 record and No. 3 final national ranking while Moore was named the SoCon Coach of the Year for a record seventh time and the American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year for the fourth time in five years and sixth time overall.
The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Awards will be presented to Moore, TCU’s Gary Patterson (Division I Football Bowl Subdivision), Northwest Missouri State’s Mel Tjeerdsma (Division II) and Coe College’s Steve Staker (Division III) during a luncheon hosted by College Football Hall of Famer Archie Manning on Wednesday at the Daily Grill in Newport Beach, Calif.
Coach Moore’s Selected Charities
KIDS ACROSS AMERICA
Based in Branson, Missouri, Kids Across America operates a number of summer camps with a mission of building Christian leaders by encouraging, equipping and empowering urban youth and their mentors through sports. Coach Moore’s grandchildren have been campers at KAA’s Kamp Kanakuk and several ASU players have served as counselors at the camps.
SAMARITAN’S PURSE
Based in Boone, N.C., Samaritan’s Purse has provided aid to the world’s poor, sick and suffering for over 35 years. Coach Moore and ASU football have been particularly active in Samaritan’s Purse’s World Medical Mission over the years, which provides medical assistance to many of the less-developed countries of the world.
ASU WALKER COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
The mission of the John A. Walker College of Business is to offer high quality educational experiences preparing our students for life-long learning and leadership responsibilities in a dynamic, global environment. The college has an enrollment of more than 2,200 undergraduate and 50 graduate students and was included in the Princeton Review’s 2008 edition of Best Business Schools.
ASU YOSEF CLUB
For over 35 years, the Yosef Club has provided scholarship support for Appalachian’s student-athletes. Today, it continues that tradition as well as providing essential facility-enhancement support. On average, 35 percent of ASU’s 450-plus student-athletes are members of Appalachian’s academic honor roll with a 3.25 grade point average or higher.
