Nov. 21, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
The 2006 season has been a memorable one for the Illinois State football team, as the squad has posted eight wins and earned a spot in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, both firsts since the 1999 season. Those accomplishments were also firsts for ISU head coach Denver Johnson, who amassed eight wins and a playoff birth for the first time in his 10-year head coaching career. As a result, The Sports Network has recognized Johnson as a finalist for the 2006 Eddie Robinson Award, given annually to the top coach in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
The Sports Network established the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award in 1987 in honor of college football's all-time winningest coach. Robinson retired after 53 years of coaching at Grambling State with a record of 408-164-15 after the 1997 season. The winner is chosen by the division's sports information directors and selected sports writers who cover the division.
The Redbirds' 8-3 overall record and 5-2 showing in the Gateway Football Conference in 2006 prompted the selection for Johnson, who boasts a 40-38 (.513) career record at Illinois State. The `Birds won eight games for just the sixth time in the school's 111-year football history and Johnson's squad led the Gateway in passing offense (235.9 ypg) for the second-straight season and ranked second in total offense (404.8 ypg).
Johnson is joined on the list by fellow Gateway head coaches Jon Heacock (Youngstown State) and Jerry Kill (Southern Illinois). In addition, two of Johnson's players are finalists for awards presented by The Sports Network as well. Senior running back Pierre Rembert was recently added for consideration for the Walter Payton Award, given to the top offensive player in the division, and senior linebacker Cameron Siskowic competed the entire year as a Buck Buchanan Award finalist, given to the top defensive player in the country.
ISU will be traveling to Charleston, Ill., to take on Eastern Illinois in the opening round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at O'Brien Stadium.
