Jackson State coach Deion Sanders can add another honor to his star-studded resume.
The Pro and College Football Hall of Famer was named winner of the Eddie Robinson Award, which is presented to the national coach of the year in the Division I subdivision (FCS).
Sanders led the Tigers to 11 wins in 2021 and a berth in the Celebration Bowl against South Carolina State. The game will take place on Saturday in Atlanta.
“This is a team effort, it’s a valiant effort, it takes a lot, it does not just take me. I know it takes a visionary, but people have to really support the vision. And that’s what we did,” Sanders said.
Jackson State is 11-1, including 9-0 against conference opponents.
An average of 42,293 fans attended six home games – a single-season record for an FCS school.
One of 17 finalists for the award, which is named for legendary Grambling State coach Eddie Robinson, Sanders will be honored at the FCS National Awards Banquet on Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas.
2021 Eddie Robinson Award Voting Results
A first-place vote was worth five points, a second-place vote four points, a third-place vote three points, a fourth-place vote two points and a fifth-place vote one point.
1. Deion Sanders, Jackson State: 9-7-8-10-6-123
2. K.C. Keeler, Sam Houston: 9-5-5-6-7-99
3. Randy Sanders, ETSU: 11-4-7-2-1-97
4. Troy Taylor, Sacramento State: 7-7-5-3-4-88
5.(tie) Matt Entz, North Dakota State: 1-7-3-3-2-50
5.(tie) Brent Vigen, Montana State: 1-5-5-4-2-50
7. Eric Morris, UIW: 2-2-6-3-2-44
8. Jason Simpson, UT Martin: 3-3-1-3-2-38
9. Glenn Caruso, St. Thomas: 2-3-2-0-1-29
10. Brian Bohannon, Kennesaw State: 0-2-2-4-4-26
11.(tie) Mark Ferrante, Villanova: 1-1-2-2-5-24
11.(tie) Bobby Petrino, Missouri State: 0-3-1-4-1-24
13. Buddy Teevens, Dartmouth: 2-0-2-3-0-22
14. Colby Carthel, Stephen F. Austin: 1-1-0-3-3-18
15. Bob Chesney, Holy Cross: 1-0-1-0-5-13
16. Buddy Pough, South Carolina State: 0-0-0-0-5-5
17. Chris Merritt, Bryant: 0-0-0-0-0-0
