 DETROIT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Eastern Michigan University head football coach Ron English has picked up another accolade following the Eagles' best season in more than 16 years.
On Tuesday, Dec. 13, the Detroit Sports Commission recognized the third-year head coach's success by selecting his 2011 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year honor as one of its area Top 10 Amateur Sports Moments of 2011.
“The Detroit Sports Commission is proud to recognize the tremendous accomplishments of the local amateur sports community during 2011,” said Dave Beachnau, Detroit Sports Commission executive director.
English guided the program to its best season in more than 16 years. The Eagles, who finished the 2011 season with a 6-6 overall mark and a 4-4 record in MAC play, snapped a 15-year streak of losing seasons. The team finished nationally in the top 50 statistically in seven categories to go along with eight top five rankings in the MAC standings.
He is just the third EMU head coach to have earned MAC Coach of the Year accolades, joining Ed Chlebek (1977) and Jim Harkema (1987).
Offensively, the 2011 Michigan MAC Champions rushed for 2,620 yards and 16 touchdowns on 575 carries for the 16th-best ground attack in the nation. The total was the second most in program history trailing only the 1987 team that captured the 1987 Mid-American Conference title by running the ball 610 times for a total of 2,701 yards. It marked just the second time in school history that the Eagles had rushed for more than 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.
Defensively, EMU ranked 35th nationally and third in the MAC in total defense. The Eagles gave up just 350.33 yards per game, an improvement of 103.8 yards per contest. Additionally, the team averaged nearly six tackles for loss per game, the squad's highest total since 2001 when they had 82.
|
