Penn State's Bill O'Brien has received another national award.
The Nittany Lions football coach, whose team posted an 8-4 record in his first year at the helm despite losing several top players in the wake of NCAA sanctions, was named the Maxwell Football Club's Collegiate Coach of the Year on Wednesday.
O'Brien already won the ESPN Coach of the Year.
"Coach O'Brien has engineered a tremendous season for the Penn State football program while overcoming obstacles that many considered to be insurmountable," Maxwell Football Club executive director Mark Wolpert said. "The team's 8-4 record is a great testament to the hard work of Coach O'Brien and his staff, and also to the dedication shown by the student-athletes involved in the football program at Penn State."
O'Brien will be honored March 1, 2013 at the 76th Maxwell Club National Awards Gala, which will be held at the Harrah's Atlantic City Resort. The organization also will present its Thomas Brookshier Spirit Award to the 2012 Penn State football seniors in recognition of their commitment, leadership and outstanding effort during this season at the event.
On Tuesday, O'Brien was announced as one of six finalists for the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award along with Vanderbilt's James Franklin, Ohio State's Urban Meyer, Stanford's David Shaw, Kansas State's Bill Snyder and Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin. He's also up for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year and Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year.
Sponsored by the American Heart Association and Marathon Oil, the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year will be announced at the 27th annual event on Jan. 17, 2013, in Houston.
O'Brien was selected Big Ten coach of the year by both the conference coaches and the media.
- Philip Cmor
