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CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL: HOUSTON VS FLORIDA STATEDecember 30, 2015Gary StokanAtlanta, Georgia GARY STOKAN: We want to express our attitude of gratitude to the media. You're part of the family. You're a big part of why this bowl has become successful and moved up to the college football playoffs. Thanks for all that you guys do. Secondly, I want to thank publicly the teams and the players specifically. They've been phenomenal. They've enjoyed the journey. And so we want to express our attitude of gratitude to them. Lastly, I want to really thank our staff and our volunteers for, and if you'll join me in a round of applause for all the volunteers and staff what they've done this week. (Applause) we talk about creating memories with this bowl for the players and last night we had a very special memory where we hosted -- and we do so every year -- hosted the former Dodd winners to the Bobby Dodd room at the Capital City Club here in Atlanta. We'll talk about the winner this year. But I do want to spend a second on who we had here and they'll be at the luncheon today. So if you want to see some of the greats of coaching in our game, they'll be at the luncheon. But we had Ralph Friedgen, Bill Curry, Fred Goldsmith, Ken Hatfield -- four national championship winners in Vince Dooley, Bobby Bowden, Jim Tressel and Bobby Ross. We also had Frank Beamer, who as you know is the all-time winningest coach active -- now going to the deactive side, I guess -- with 280 wins. And total there were five national championship trophy winners because we had Jimbo Fisher and Tom Herman as well at that dinner. So it was a very, very special evening and a very, very special moment for all of us who love college football. Collectively, there were 7,068 wins between all those coaches that were in the room last night. It's very, very special. My job here today is to talk about the Dodd Trophy winner this year, and so every year the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl presents the Dodd Trophy, which is college football's most coveted coaching award. The award was created in 1976 to honor the head coach whose program embodies the award's three pillars that Bobby Dodd stood for scholarship, leadership and integrity. Not just wins on the field but what they do on the field, what their players do in the classroom and then what the coach does in the community. And today we're proud to announce that this year's winner of the Dodd Trophy is Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz. Kirk has been a leader off the field giving back to the local community through United Way through financial support to the University of Iowa. He's given a million dollars to the hospital at the University of Iowa. He and his wife, Mary, chair the Pediatric Research Committee and the Educational Endowment Fund. His players have benefited from his leadership. In 2013 through '15, the Iowa football team combined for more than 1500 community service hours. His team has also made its mark in the classroom compiling a graduation success rate and APR well above the national average for college football programs. Obviously on the field we know the story of the University of Iowa. The No. 5 Hawkeyes were 12-1 highlighted by the first undefeated regular season since 1922 and a berth in the Rose Bowl. Obviously Kirk couldn't be here today as much as he wanted to. He's in Pasadena preparing for the Rose Bowl, but we are pleased to honor Kirk Ferentz for the award of the Coach of the Year, the Bobby Dodd Trophy. With that, we'll announce it at our luncheon today for the first time to the public and we'll have it announced at halftime of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. So thank you. Anything you can do, we have press releases that will be passed out concerning that. So anything you can do to help us get that word out, we certainly appreciate it. So thank you for your time. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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