TicketsJuly 14, 2009
CINCINNATI - College football writer Matt Hayes of Sporting News has ranked University of Cincinnati head football coach Brian Kelly among his top-five coaches in college football.
Kelly ranks fifth on the list, behind UC graduate and University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer, Nick Saban (Alabama), Pete Carroll (USC), and Bob Stoops (Oklahoma).
Entering his third season at the helm of the football program, Kelly led UC to a school-record 11 wins in 2008, along with the school's first BIG EAST Conference Championship, and an appearance in the 75th FedEx Orange Bowl, the first Bowl Championship Series game for the Bearcats.
Following the close of the regular season, Kelly was named the BIG EAST Coach of the Year for the second-straight season. He also earned American Football Monthly Schutt Sports Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Coach of the year accolades, American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region 1 Coach of the Year honors, and was named the Sporting News' BIG EAST Coach of the Year.
The Bearcats' 21 wins since 2007-08 marks the best two-year stretch in school history, and the first time UC has won 10 or more games in back-to-back seasons.
UC established single-season attendance records in each of the past two years, and eight of the top-12 crowds in Nippert Stadium history have come during Kelly's tenure. The Bearcats enter the 2009 season on a six-game home winning streak.
Kelly's student-athletes have succeeded in the classroom as well. Cincinnati was one of seven programs nationally to receive recognition for its graduation success rate of over 90 percent, while 11 players were named Academic All-BIG EAST. The Bearcats also ranked fourth in Higher Ed Watch's 2008 Academic BCS rankings and won the BIG EAST Team Academic Excellence Award, signifying the highest collective GPA among the league's football squads.
Kelly signed a new five-year contract on June 22, 2009 that runs through the 2013 season.
View Hayes' complete article by clicking HERE.
The Bearcats will open the 2009 season on Monday, Sept. 7, in a 4 p.m. BIG EAST Conference game at Rutgers. Season tickets are available now by calling 1-877-CATS-TIX or visiting CATSTIX.com.