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Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was named Pro Football Focus’ Coach of the Year on Thursday night, and another honor came rolling in on Friday afternoon.
Harbaugh was named the Associated Press Coach of the Year.
BREAKING: Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh is The Associated Press college football coach of the year, finishing ahead of Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell and others.
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) December 10, 2021
Full story and voting breakdown of the award presented by @askRegions: https://t.co/Q3970Z12yu pic.twitter.com/GTnyPKk9cg
The No. 2 ranked Wolverines (12-1) are headed to the Orange Bowl to play in the College Football Playoff against the Georgia Bulldogs. This marks the first time a team that was unranked heading into the season made the playoff, a reflection of how much better this Michigan team is than people predicted them to be. This is the first time Michigan has won the Big Ten Championship in 17 years.
Harbaugh is the first coach in the CFP era to take a team to the playoffs in the NFL, and in college.
Harbaugh received 22 of 53 first-place votes and 103 points in all from AP Top 25 voters — Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell finished second with 16 first-place votes and 88 points. Baylor’s Dave Aranda was third, and Michigan State’s Mel Tucker finished fourth.
Harbaugh is the first Big Ten coach to win AP Coach of the Year since Joe Paterno won the award back in 2005.
“It’s a tremendous reflection on the entire staff, players,” Harbaugh said about winning the award. “Everybody shares in it. A rising tide lifts all ships.”
Harbaugh is also a finalist for the prestigious Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, which will be announced later this month.