Was named the winner a few weeks ago, but received the award yesterday. Release from UC:
"Fickell collected National Coach of the Year honors from eight different organizations following the historic 2021 season – none may have been more prestigious than the Bobby Dodd Trophy. The Dodd Foundation was on hand to present Fickell with the honor this weekend, presenting the award at a reception on Friday night and then again in front of the Bearcats at the end of the scrimmage. Fickell presented the trophy to Ridder, Gardner, Alec Pierce and Curtis Brooks, as senior leaders of the 2021 team. Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Foundation, and Homer Rice, former UC and Bengals head coach, were on hand for the presentation.
“I am not a big award guy,” Fickell said. “I am just glad that some of these older guys can be here today. We had a little reception and dinner last night. I told them that this is a team award. I think that more than anything, I want them guys to recognize that nobody did this by themselves. With what they have done, they brought a lot of recognition, not just to me but to our program, but to our community and city.”
"Fickell collected National Coach of the Year honors from eight different organizations following the historic 2021 season – none may have been more prestigious than the Bobby Dodd Trophy. The Dodd Foundation was on hand to present Fickell with the honor this weekend, presenting the award at a reception on Friday night and then again in front of the Bearcats at the end of the scrimmage. Fickell presented the trophy to Ridder, Gardner, Alec Pierce and Curtis Brooks, as senior leaders of the 2021 team. Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Foundation, and Homer Rice, former UC and Bengals head coach, were on hand for the presentation.
“I am not a big award guy,” Fickell said. “I am just glad that some of these older guys can be here today. We had a little reception and dinner last night. I told them that this is a team award. I think that more than anything, I want them guys to recognize that nobody did this by themselves. With what they have done, they brought a lot of recognition, not just to me but to our program, but to our community and city.”
