Communication Associate: Public Relations | Lori Melton | lmelton@d.umn.edu | (218) 726-8830
October 12, 2012 Lisa Pratt | Director of Alumni Relations | 218 726-8829 | lpratt@d.umn.edu
VOTE BOB NIELSON FOR THE 2012 LIBERTY MUTUAL COACH OF THE YEAR
Social Media Campaign to Determine 2012 Winners
Fans can help bring $70,000 to the Duluth community by voting for UMD Head Football Coach Bob Nielson for the 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year. Nielson earned the 2010 honor after leading the Bulldogs to their second NCAA II title and third consecutive NCIS crown.
Bulldog fans can tweet their vote daily for Coach Nielson via coachoftheyear.com. The winner of each Division will receive $50,000 to donate to charities of their choice, plus their school's alumni association will receive $20,000 for programming and student scholarships.
"This is a great opportunity to recognize our fantastic football coach and to support local charities and student scholarships. We can make a difference in our community – please vote every day!" says Lisa Pratt, UMD Alumni Director.
The 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year voting is a unique process involving fans, College Football Hall of Fame players and coaches, and college football media.
• September 12 – December 1: Fans can tweet their vote once daily at coachoftheyear.com from their PC, tablet or mobile device. The top 15 coaches with the most fan votes in each of the four college football divisions – FBS, FCS, Division II, and Division III – advance to an evaluation process using an objective scoring model endorsed by the National Football Foundation to measure coaching excellence, sportsmanship, integrity, academic success and community commitment.
• December 4: Finalists are announced – 10 coaches from the FBS and five coaches from the FCS, Division II, and Division III.
• December 4 – 20: Finalist voting open to all fans at coachoftheyear.com and they can continue to follow the voting and conversation at #COTY2012. Votes are also cast by two select panels – one representing the College Football Hall of Fame, and one comprised of select members of the media. Members of these panels include: Archie Manning, Lou Holtz, Vince Dooley, Ronnie Lot, Archie Griffin, and famed sports analysts, including Ivan Maisel, Stewart Mandel and Tim Brando. Winners are ultimately determined using the following voting weight: Fans 20%, College Football Hall of Fame 55%, and Media 25%
• January 7: The 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award winners will be announced in advance of the BCS championship game in South Florida.
It's Easy! - How to Vote for Bob Nielson for Coach of the Year
1. Go to www.coachoftheyear.com
2. Click on the yellow "Sign in with Twitter to Vote" button
a. Don't have a Twitter account? Click on the "sign up" symbol on the Coach of the Year homepage & follow the instructions.
3. Authorize the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year app to use your Twitter account. (You will then be automatically re-directed back to the Coach of the Year site.)
4. Type in Bob Nielson or University of Minnesota Duluth in the search box.
5. Click on "Bob Nielson - University of Minnesota Duluth"
6. Click "Tweet Your Vote"
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