by Matt Cooke
Just two days after coaching the West Georgia Wolves to their second straight NCAA Division II Super Region 2 Championship, head football coach Will Hall was named the American Football Coaches Association Region 2 Coach of the Year in Division II.
It is the first AFCA Regional Coach of the Year award for Hall, who came to West Georgia prior to the 2014 season, and is 24-4 in his two years in Carrollton. This season, Hall led the Wolves to a 10-1 regular season, a share of the Gulf South Conference Championship, and a second straight trip to the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
“We are extremely proud of the accomplishments of Coach Hall and his team this year,” said University of West Georgia Athletic Director Daryl Dickey. “He is a very deserving recipient of this award and we are happy that he has received the recognition of his efforts.”
He also becomes the first football coach from West Georgia to be recognized as Region Coach of the Year from any organization.
On Saturday, December 5, Hall and the Wolves won their second straight Super Region 2 Championship with a 35-6 win over Tuskegee. Hall’s Wolves have set numerous school records in his two years, and set a new school record for single-season touchdowns on Saturday, as they have scored 60 touchdowns this season. This upcoming Saturday, December 12, the Wolves will take on the nation's No. 1 team, Northwest Missouri State, in Maryville, Missouri at 3:30 p.m.
The Wolves entered the 2015 NCAA Playoffs as the top seed in Super Region 2, while NW Missouri was the top seed in Super Region 3. After the conclusion of both wins on Saturday afternoon, the NCAA competition committee convened and awarded the semifinal host spot to the top-ranked and undefeated Bearcats, to be played next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (EST) at Bearcat Stadium.
Other coaches recognized by the AFCA today alongside Hall were Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Jim McElwain of Florida, and Mike Gundy of Oklahoma State. The 2015 Regional Coach of the Year winners will be recognized at the AFCA Coach of the Year Dinner at the 2016 AFCA Convention in San Antonio, Texas. The dinner is scheduled for Tuesday, January 12. The AFCA will announce its five 2015 National Coach of the Year winners at the same convention. All head coaches who were eligible for regional honors are eligible for national honors as well.
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