NCCU’s Mack Named FCS Coach of the Year Finalist

DURHAM, N.C. – After leading the Eagles to their first national ranking as a Division I program with the opportunity to win the conference championship for a third straight year, North Carolina Central University head football coach Jerry Mack has been named as one of 15 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award as the FCS Coach of the Year.

NCCU (8-2, 7-0 MEAC) has won eight consecutive games to set up a showdown with rival North Carolina A&T on Saturday, Nov. 19, with the victor earning the outright Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship and a trip to the second annual Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17 inside the Georgia Dome.

In just his third campaign as a college head coach, Mack continues to raise the bar at NCCU. The Eagles received their first national ranking as a Division I-FCS program on Nov. 7, when the FCS Coaches Poll announced NCCU at No. 25. In this week’s poll (Nov. 14), the Eagles jumped to No. 20 and entered the STATS FCS Top 25 for the first time at No. 24.

Two years ago as a rookie head coach, Mack led the Eagles to seven wins, the most since moving to the Division I-FCS level in 2007. His squad also posted a 6-2 conference record and earned its first win over a nationally-ranked FCS opponent to become MEAC co-champions.

He improved on that standard in 2015, as NCCU posted an overall record of 8-3, including a 7-1 league mark for another conference co-championship.

With eight wins so far this year, Mack is the first head coach in NCCU history to notch 23 victories in his first three seasons.

STATS will present the esteemed Eddie Robinson Award at the national awards banquet on the eve of the NCAA Division I-FCS Championship Game on Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas.