Jacksonville State’s John Grass recognized as FCS 2015 AFCA National Coach of the Year
Jacksonville State Gamecocks head coach John Grass was recognized as FCS Coach of the Year. (Steve Latham/JSU Sports)
The 2015 Jacksonville State football season was everything John Grass hoped.
“Every bit and more,” said the coach, whose 13-2 team had the most successful season in Jacksonville State’s 22 years as a Football Championship Subdivision member. “You always start out with a goal in mind.”
The No. 1-ranked Gamecocks came within one win of claiming the FCS Championship, falling 37-10 to North Dakota State, which won its fifth championship in a row.
Jacksonville State Gamecocks head coach John Grass. (Steve Latham/JSU Athletics)
Jacksonville State’s unprecedented success earned Grass the FCS 2015 AFCA National Coach of the Year award last week at the American Football Coaches Association’s annual convention.
Speaking to Alabama NewsCenter during a recruiting visit to the Birmingham area on Tuesday, Grass said he did not know the honor was forthcoming when he headed to the convention in San Antonio.
“I had an inkling I may be named that,” he said. “That’s kind of a pat on the back to our team. I take it as a great compliment to our team – our players, our coaches, our support people. It takes everybody to make this happen. All the credit goes to them.”
Grass said a trip to the title game is the Gamecocks’ vision every year.
“I said before the season started this would be a fun bunch to watch play,” he said. “This is a special group and they just made it happen on the field. We never kind of leveled off. We continued to progress every week and find ways to get better and improve. I think that’s what great teams do.”
Grass just completed his third season in Jacksonville. He was an assistant with the Gamecocks before taking the reins when Bill Clark became the head coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Other AFCA coaches of the year honored last week include Clemson’s Dabo Swinney (FBS), Northwest Missouri State’s Adam Dorrel (Division II), St. Thomas’ (Minn.) Glenn Caruso (Division III) and Marian’s Mark Henninger (NAIA).
Jacksonville State head coach John Grass talks winning Coach of the Year, recruiting and next season from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
