The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) presented its top coaching award — AFCA National Coach of the Year — to four outstanding coaches in Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II, Division III and the NAIA on Monday, Jan 10.

North Dakota State’s Matt Entz (FCS), Bowie State’s Damon Wilson (Division II), Central (Iowa) College’s Jeff McMartin (Division III) and Morningside’s Steve Ryan (NAIA) are the 2021 AFCA National Coach of the Year winners as selected by a vote of active AFCA members at four-year schools in FCS, Division II, Division III and the NAIA.

Entz earned his second FCS National Coach of the Year honor in his third year as a head coach by leading North Dakota State to 14-1 record, the Missouri Valley Football Conference title and the program’s ninth FCS national championship. He has an overall record of 37-4 and has led the Bison to two Missouri Valley Football Conference titles. Entz earned his first AFCA national honor in 2019 by guiding NDSU to a 16-0 record and the FCS national title.

The AFCA has named a Coach of the Year since 1935. The AFCA Coach of the Year award is the oldest and most prestigious of all the Coach of the Year awards and is the only one chosen exclusively by coaches.

North Dakota State has won eight AFCA National Coach of the Year awards, the second most among any program in all four divisions behind Mount Union’s nine. NDSU’s national winners are Don Morton (1983), Earle Solomonson (1986), Rocky Hager (1988, 1990), Craig Bohl (2012, 2013) and Matt Entz (2019, 2021).