Patterson Unanimous Choice For Bobby Dodd Award
12/31/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 31, 2009
ATLANTA -- TCU's Gary Patterson was a unanimous selection for the 2009 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.
The announcement was made at halftime of Thursday's Chick-fil-A Bowl game between Virginia Tech and Tennessee. Patterson is the second TCU recipient of the Bobby Dodd Award. Jim Wacker captured the honor in 1984.
The Bobby Dodd Award is selected from a vote of previous winners and a panel chosen by the Bobby Dodd Foundation.
It's the sixth national award for Patterson this season. He has also received National Coach of the Year honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, Associated Press and Sporting News in addition to being named the recipient of the George Munger Award and Woody Hayes Award.
Patterson has led the third-ranked Horned Frogs to a 12-0 record, Mountain West Conference championship and their first BCS appearance, a Monday Tostitos Fiesta Bowl date with No. 6 Boise State (13-0). TCU has its first undefeated regular season since its 1938 national championship campaign.
The 2009 Frogs have just 13 seniors on the roster with only six in the starting lineup.
TCU is the only team in the nation to rank in the top 10 in both offense and defense.
Despite losing seven starters to graduation off last year's No. 1-ranked defense, the Frogs again lead the nation in 2009 by allowing just 233.3 yards per game. It's also the fourth time in the last 10 seasons that TCU leads the country in that category.
TCU is fourth in the nation in offense at 469.1 yards each contest. The Frogs have set single-season school records for points scored (488) and total offense (5,629 yards).
Patterson's 85-27 (.759) record is the best mark of the four coaches at TCU to be on the sideline for at least 100 games. Patterson's 85 wins are second on the Frogs' career victory list, trailing only Dutch Meyer (109-79-13, .575). Meyer coached TCU to its 1935 and 1938 national championships.
