KUTZTOWN, PA (December 6, 2010) – Kutztown University head football coach Raymond Monica was named the American Football Coaches’ Association (AFCA) Division II Region 1 Coach of the Year. He will be honored on Jan. 11 at the AFCA banquet in Dallas, Texas.
Monica guided the Golden Bears to their best year in the 95-season history of the football program. Kutztown posted a 10-2 overall record and finished 6-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division.
The Golden Bears qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time in program history after setting school records for wins in a single season (10), PSAC (six), most consecutive victories to begin a season (nine) and points scored (466). Kutztown earned the No. 1 seed in the 2010 NCAA Division II playoffs. The Golden Bears also achieved their highest national ranking in program history at No. 13 in the final regular season AFCA top 25 poll.
“I just want to thank the players, assistant coaches, administration, alumni, and fans for making this a special season,” Monica said. “Everybody played a part in the success of our team this year. I am thankful for the all of the support from everybody. It has meant a lot this year.”
The 14th football coach in Kutztown University history, Monica was also named the PSAC East Coach of the Year. Monica received the conference's top coaching honor after guiding the Golden Bears to one of the biggest turnarounds in Division II football. After posting a 3-8 record in 2009, Kutztown enjoyed a seven-win improvement this season under Monica, who is in his fifth year at the helm of the Golden Bears. Monica earns his first career Coach of the Year honor and is the first Kutztown coach to earn the East Coach of the Year award since Barry Fetterman in 1991.
“To me, the coach of the year award is a tribute to the assistant coaches and the players for what they have done this year,” Monica said. “The assistant coaches have done a terrific job and the players have worked extremely hard. This is a team award. It takes a lot of people to run a successful program and everybody had a part in this season from the training staff, the equipment staff to the administration. I am appreciative of President Dr. Javier Cevallos, Vice President for Student Services and Campus Life Dr. Charles Woodard and Director of Athletics Greg Bamberger for giving me the opportunity to lead this program.”
Monica came to Kutztown after serving as defensive coordinator at Division I-A Temple University for eight seasons, including the final seven as assistant head coach. During his tenure at Temple, Monica also guided the inside linebackers and defensive line.
Prior to Temple, Monica coached for nine seasons at the University of North Alabama, during which time the Lions won three NCAA Division II national championships from 1993-95.
A native of Garyville, La., Monica is a graduate of East St. John’s High School in Reserve, La. He enrolled at Nicholls State University in 1985. After one season with the Colonels, he transferred to Northeast Mississippi Junior College, where he played quarterback and earned all-state honors for two seasons. He signed with Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) and went through spring drills, before a back injury ended his playing career.
Monica began his coaching career as a student assistant coach, guiding the running backs at Northeast Mississippi Junior College in 1988. He moved on to North Alabama in 1989. There, he coached the running backs while completing his bachelor’s degree in health, physical education and recreation, which he received in 1990.
Monica served as defensive line coach at the University of North Alabama (UNA) from 1992-97. In 1993, UNA’s defense ranked in the top four nationally in pass defense, total defense, rush defense and scoring defense. North Alabama won its first Division II national championship that season. The 1994 season brought the second-straight national championship, and the Lion defense finished second nationally in all four defensive categories. In 1995, the Lions won their third straight NCAA title. The UNA defensive front produced three All-Americans and two National Football League draft choices, while leading Division II in both rushing defense and scoring defense. During the three-year championship run, North Alabama posted a remarkable record of 41-1.
At Temple, Monica was hailed as one of the top assistant coaches in college football. In Sports Illustrated’s 2003 College Football Preview, Monica was cited as one of college football’s seven "Wise Guides." The article praised him as "the best in the nation at getting ordinary players to do extraordinary things." The accolade came after the Owl defense was recognized as one of only eight in the country to finish in the top 20 in total defense in both 2001 and 2002.
Temple’s defense ranked 19th nationally, allowing just 312.6 total yards per game in 2001. The success was recognized in the post-season, when Monica and then-Temple head coach Bobby Wallace directed the Blue defense in the 2001 Blue-Gray All-Star Football Classic. In 2002, the Owl defense ranked 18th nationally, allowing 315.7 total yards per contest.
Monica mentored several future NFL players while at Temple, including 2002 Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year and All-America DT Dan Klecko, All-America LB Rian Wallace, as well as DE Raheem Brock, DT Russell Newman and DE Calvin Wilkinson.
The AFCA began recognizing district coaches of the year following the 1960 season. The awards were established the same year Eastman Kodak agreed to sponsor the AFCA Coach of the Year award. Prior to 1960, the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain had sponsored the program, which recognized one national Coach of the Year.
The AFCA first recognized eight district winners in each of two divisions: university and college. In 1972, a ninth district was added in each division. In 1983, the award was changed to recognize regional winners instead of district winners, and the number of divisions was increased
from two to four, and five regional winners were selected in each division.
This resulted in a more equitable selection process and better represented the make-up of the membership. At the same time, the new system increased the number of honorees from 18 to 20. In 2006, the AFCA Division II Award was split into separate Division II and NAIA divisions.
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