Contacts: Dawn Tolbert, 706-266-9266
Aimee H. Madden, 706-233-7241   

Release Date: December 1, 2009    
 
FCA 2009 NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR TO SPEAK AT BREAKFAST EVENT HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH NAIA FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Rome, Ga. – Each year, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) presents its Grant Teaff Coach of the Year Award to one coach in the nation for his outstanding accomplishments on the football field and his demonstrated commitment to Christian service. In 2009, that honor went to Shorter College Head Football Coach Phil Jones. Jones, who claimed the Teaff Award in his program’s fourth year of existence, is the first NAIA coach to have ever received the honor. As such, he has been selected as the featured speaker at the FCA Champions of Character Breakfast, which will be held Thursday, Dec. 17, as an official event of the 2009 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship. The breakfast is sponsored by Chick-fil-A and will begin at 8 a.m. in The Forum Civic Center in downtown Rome. The event is open to the public. Tickets are $25 each with tables available for $200. Tickets may be purchased through The Forum Box Office at (706) 291-5281 or (800) 858-7601  or by visiting www.forumevents.org. “When we began considering who to invite as the speaker for this event, it quickly became obvious that the perfect person to speak at the FCA breakfast was sitting at the table with us,” said Rome attorney Bob Berry, who serves as co-chair of the NAIA Host Committee. “As the FCA Coach of the Year, Phil Jones has a great deal to offer as the featured speaker, and we are pleased that he accepted our invitation.”

Shorter Athletic Director and NAIA Host Committee co-chair Bill Peterson added, “The Grant Teaff Award typically goes to coaches from major college football programs; previous winners include Sylvester Croom of Mississippi State, Tommy Bowden of Clemson, Tommy Tuberville of Auburn and Jim Tressel of Ohio State. Now, Phil Jones, Shorter College, and the NAIA are on that list as well.”

Coach Jones joined Shorter’s athletic staff in the fall of 2004. In 2005, the inaugural team played a varsity schedule, claiming three victories against improbable odds. They achieved 7-4 records in both 2006 and 2007. The Hawks’ 2008 season included a 9-3 record, with one loss at the hands of NCAA Division-I FCS Western Carolina; their first playoff berth; recognition as Mid-South Conference Western Division Co-Champions; running back A.J. Cooley finishing the season as the No. 2 NAIA rusher in the country; and Coach Jones also being named the NAIA Division I Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association.

In 2009, Shorter recorded its fourth-straight winning season in its five-year history with 10 players earning Mid-South West All-Conference honors, and with senior running back A.J. Cooley and senior linebacker Logan Lollis repeating as the Western Division’s respective Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. Three of the Hawks’ losses (against eventual division champion Lambuth, Cumberland [Tenn.] and Bethel) were all decided in the final seconds by a combined 13 points.

The 2009 Russell Athletic/NAIA National Championship game will be played Saturday, Dec. 19, with kickoff slated for 12 noon in Rome’s Historic Barron Stadium. Tickets to the championship game are $25 and are available for purchase by contacting The Forum Civic Center Box Office at (706) 291-5281 or (800) 858-7601, or by visiting www.forumevents.org. Fans may also purchase tickets at the gate on game day. Tickets are also available for the NAIA Banquet of Champions, which will be held Friday, Dec. 18, at The Forum.

For a complete list of events visit the championship Web site at www.naianationalchampionship.com.

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