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Mayor Don Ness is urging residents to vote Bob Nielson for the Coach of the Year award. Bob Nielson is the Athletic Director with the University of Minnesota Duluth and football coach for the UMD Bulldogs. Coach Nielson is once again among a handful of finalists being considered for NCAA II Coach of the Year by Liberty Mutual.       

Coach Nielson has been with the Bulldogs since 1999 but took a break in 2003 and returned to UMD in 2008. In the time since his return, Coach Nielson proceeded to oversee one of the most impressive one-season turnarounds in NCAA II history, taking a club, which had gone 4-6 in 2007, and molding it into a national champion. 

“Bob Nielson exudes professionalism and is a classic, old-school football coach. He respects his players and expects excellence in return - obviously it's a winning formula. As Mayor and a UMD alum, I'm proud of this team and I'm grateful for Coach Nielson's leadership,” says Mayor Don Ness. 

The winning coach will receive $50,000 for the charities of his choice, $20,000 for the Alumni Association, a trophy and will also be recognized in the permanent Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award display at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana.

Liberty Mutual’s Coach of the Year finalists are selected by a combination of votes by fans and an elite selection committee of national media and College Football Hall of Fame players and coaches.  Fans can vote between December 13 and 28^th at www.coachoftheyear.com. Coach Nielson’s up-to-the minute voting status can be viewed on the website’s Division ll leader board. 

Mayor Ness also encourages Duluthians to bundle up and support the team on Saturday.

“This is the first time Duluth has been able to host the national semi-finals, it’s our chance to show the nation how much we support this team and how we are not deterred by a little cold,” said Mayor Ness. “Let’s get out there in big numbers on Saturday and cheer on the ‘Dogs to another national championship!”