Ashland University Owens Regional Coach Of The Year
For the second time in three years and the third time overall, Ashland University head football coach Lee Owens is the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NCAA Division II Region 3 Coach of the Year.
As announced by the AFCA on Tuesday (Dec. 5) morning, Owens garnered the award by leading the Eagles to an 11-2 record, an outright Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship and a spot in the Division II postseason. Ashland's 11-game winning streak tied for the longest in school history in a single season, and included in that stretch were home victories against ranked opponents Ferris State on Sept. 23, Grand Valley State on Nov. 4 and Northwest Missouri State on Nov. 18.
Earlier this season, Owens was named GLIAC Coach of the Year for the fourth time.
The AFCA will announce the 2017 National Coaches of the Year winners in FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA at the American Football Coaches Awards, presented by Amway, broadcast live on the USA TODAY Sports Facebook page, on Jan. 9 at 8 p.m. The regional winners in each division are finalists for the National Coach of the Year.