Tuberville Receives Victor Award for College Football Coach of the Year

July 16, 2005

Tommy Tuberville

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville was recognized as the nation’s outstanding college football coach in 2004 during ceremonies at the 39th annual Academy of Victory Sports Awards, Saturday at the Las Vegas Hilton Theater.

The longest running televised sports awards show, the Victor Awards recognize the world's finest athletes and coaches, honoring them for their achievements. The event will air on FSN South on Saturday, July 23 at 7 p.m. CT and again on Saturday, July 30 at 6 p.m. CT.

Considered the Academy Awards of athletics, the Victors consist of 35 awards spanning 15 sports. Honoring the country's most outstanding professional and amateur athletes and coaches, the Victor Awards consistently attract sports legends and famous presenters alike.

“I am very appreciative to receive this award,” said Tuberville.  “This is truly a reflection of the hard work of our team and coaches in 2004.  I want to thank the Victor Awards for this honor and for putting on a first-class event.”

Tuberville, who lead Auburn to a 13-0 record and the Southeastern Conference and Nokia Sugar Bowl titles, has won seven Coach of the Year awards, including six national honors.  In addition to the V Victor Award, he also received the Walter Camp, Associated Press, Paul “Bear” Bryant, American Football Coaches Association, Schutt Sports and Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year Awards.

In six seasons with the Tigers, Tuberville has led Auburn to a 51-24 overall record and 31-17 mark in Southeastern Conference play. Auburn has at least shared the Western Division crown in four of his six seasons.

Other award winners at Saturday’s event included Peyton Manning (professional football), Andy Reid (professional football), Matt Leinart (college football) Vijay Singh (golf) and Ben Gordon (professional basketball). Past honorees include some of the sporting world's greatest, including Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Pat Riley, Wayne Gretzky, Jackie Joyner Kersey and Carl Lewis among others.

For more than three decades the Victor Awards have honored the country's most outstanding athletes. The Beverly Hills Hilton hosted the first academy awards of sports in 1967. Since, over 600 athletes and coaches have been honored by the Victor Awards.

The National Academy of Sports Editors, comprised of a cross-section of sports editors, writers and broadcasters, vote to determine the winners of the awards. The Victor Sports Awards benefit the world-renowned City of Hope Cancer Center in Los Angeles.   City of Hope is one of the world's leading biomedical research and treatment centers for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. Named by U.S. News & World Report as one of America's best medical centers for cancer treatment, City of Hope is a global leader in the fields of bone marrow transplantation and genetics and has developed innovative therapies for more than 75 types of cancer as well as diabetes, HIV/AIDS and numerous immunological and genetic disorders.