For Immediate Release

December 8, 2010

Auburn University’s Gene Chizik Earns The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award

Show Live from Disney’s BoardWalk on Dec. 9, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN; ESPNU to Air Roundtable Special and Red Carpet Show Beginning at 5 p.m. ET

The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award will be presented to Auburn University coach Gene Chizik as a part of The Home Depot College Football Awards – live on Thursday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

In just his second season at Auburn, Chizik led the Tigers to a 13-0 record after starting the season at No. 22 in The Associated Press college football poll. Auburn rode its overwhelming win in the Southeastern Conference championship game to its first No. 1 since 1985. The Tigers will play No. 2 Oregon in their first BCS National Championship game.

The 20th annual awards show will feature the live presentation of nine player awards; the NCFAA (National College Football Awards Association) Contribution to College Football Award to Lee Corso; Disney Spirit Award; The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award; AllState Good Hands Award; and student-athletes selected to the Walter Camp All-America Team.

Hosted by ESPN’s Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard, the show will originate from the Atlantic Dance Hall at Disney’s BoardWalk at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. New for 2010. The Home Depot College Football Awards Roundtable Special, a discussion about the year in college football with top award finalists hosted by Tom Rinaldi, will air on Thursday, Dec. 9 at 5 p.m. on ESPNU. The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show will follow at 6 p.m. on ESPNU and after the show at 9 p.m. Hosts Wendi Nix, Tom Rinaldi and Rob Stone will preview the awards from the red carpet and conduct interviews with athletes and presenters.

Fans can visit the show’s dedicated Web site at www.espncollegefootballawards.com to find the latest college football awards news, including show details, previous winners, fan voting, a photo gallery and video highlights.

National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA)
The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s official Web site, www.NCFAA.org.

Contacts:
Liz McCollum, Brener Zwikel & Associates, 813-421-0550 or elizabethm@bzapr.com
Mike Humes, ESPN Communications, 860-766-2233or Michael.C.Humes@espn.com
Andy Hall, ESPN Communications, 386-492-2246 or andy.hall@espn.com