Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame

The numbers speak for themselves. Two NCAA Division II national championships, four Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference titles (including the last three in a row), three perfect 11-0 regular seasons, four NCAA II playoff appearances, 79 victories and a .790 overall winning percentage. Bob Nielson has accomplished all this -- and much more -- in just eight seasons of head coaching activity at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Last fall, he and the Bulldog did something no other NCAA II club had ever been able to do – finish 15-0 for a second time. Along the way, UMD laid claim to the school’s second NCAA II title and third consecutive NSIC crown (a program first), amassing a 10-0 league mark for the third time in as many years. For his efforts, Nielson was bestowed with two of the most prestigious national coaching honors in Division II football – the American Football Coaches Association DII Coach of the Year and the Liberty Mutual D II Coach of the Year awards – in addition to be selected for that same honor by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette and the NSIC. On an individual front, 10 Bulldogs (the most in team history) received some form of All-American recognition and 19 were All-NSIC North Division selections (another all-time best).  That included senior running back Isaac Odim, who not only was chosen the NSIC Offensive Player of the Year for a second successive year and became the school’s first three-time All-American, but was also one of just 16 recipients -- from all NCAA and NAIA divisions -- of the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award as well as ESPN’s The Magazine’s Academic All-America of the Year for football (college division).

Glenn Caruso was named the 29th head coach in the 104-year history of University of St. Thomas football on Jan. 24, 2008. In his first season as head coach, Coach Caruso led UST to the third-biggest turnaround in NCAA Division III football. He followed that up with an 11-2 record in 2009, including a 2-1 playoff record and a berth in the NCAA quarterfinals. The two-year turnaround completed the biggest turnaround in Division III football.

The 2010 Tommies completed a 10-0 regular season with the school's first outright MIAC championship since 1983. UST finished the season with another trip to the NCAA quarterfinals and a 12-1 record. Coach Caruso's offense led the conference by scoring 38.0 points per game.  Likewise, the Tommie defense led the league by only allowing 11.5 points per game. UST also protected the football well and finished with a plus-nine turnover margin.

Brainerd Area High School

Football Head Coaching Record of 311-140-5
Winningest All-time 5A Football Coach in Minnesota History
Head Football Coach in Minnesota for 48 years
First ever Executive Director, Minnesota Football Coaches Association
Past President, Minnesota State Athletic Director's Association
Founder, Minnesota State Athletic Director's Hall of Fame
Established & Served on Numerous MFCA & MSHSL Committees

Bethel University

Bethel senior running back Logan Flannery (Lakeville, Minn./South) received the 2010 Jim Christopherson MIAC MVP award. Flannery topped the 1,000-yard mark for the fourth-straight season, and was named to the All-MIAC First Team Offense for the fourth time. Through 11 games - including Bethel's first-round playoff win Saturday - the Royals' star leads the MIAC with 1,516 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns and an average of 6.5 yards per carry.