Saints Head Coach Sean Payton was one of twenty eight football coaches from across the country nominated for the inaugural Don Shula NFL Coach of the Year Award, the NFL announced Tuesday.
This new award was created to honor exemplary football coaches at all levels of the sport that display the integrity, achievement, and leadership demonstrated by the winningest coach in NFL history, Don Shula.
The coaches were nominated by NFL teams and by USA Football, the sport's national governing body on youth and amateur levels. Nominees are active football coaches at NFL, college, high school and youth levels. They were chosen for their character and integrity, inspirational leadership, commitment to the community, and on-field success.
The Don Shula NFL Coach of the Year Award selection panel is comprised of Coach Shula; NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL; former Indianapolis Colts Coach and current NBC analyst TONY DUNGY; Former Raiders Coach and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame JOHN MADDEN; General RAYMOND ODIERNO, Commander, United States Joint Forces Command; SAM PALMISANO, Chairman, CEO and President of IBM; Former Secretary of State, Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution and faculty member at the Stanford Graduate School of Business CONDOLEEZA RICE; and AARON THOMAS, Athletic Director at Aplington-Parkersburg High School and son of the school's late football coach Ed Thomas.
"I am honored that the NFL has put this award in my name. I think it is great that we are recognizing coaches from all levels—high school, collegiate and professional," said Shula. "Congratulations to all of the nominees, and I look forward to presenting the first annual award at this year's Super Bowl in North Texas."
The national Shula Award winner will receive $25,000 and be invited to the Super Bowl, where he will be recognized at a press conference.
2010 DON SHULA NFL COACH OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
NOMINATED BY NOMINEE LEVEL TEAM
Ron Gartell
High School
Stephenson High School
Stone Mountain, GA
John Harbaugh
NFL
Baltimore Ravens
Tom Goddard
High School
Clarence High School
Clarence, NY
Mike Ayers
College
Wofford College
Spartanburg, SC
Scott "Reggie" Medinger
Youth
Cary Junior Trojans
McHenry, IL
Dale Mueller
High School
Highlands High School
Fort Thomas, KY
Todd Filtz
High School
Maple Heights High School
Cleveland, OH
Dave Logan
High School
J.K. Mullen High School
Denver, CO
John Herrington
High School
Farmington Hills Harrison High School
Farmington, MI
Gerald Sinz
High School
Edgar High School
Edgar, WI
Ray Seals
High School
Madison High School
Houston, TX
Indianapolis Colts
Rick Wimmer
High School
Fishers High School
Fishers, IN
Kevin Sullivan
High School
Atlantic Coast High School
Jacksonville, FL
Mel Tjeerdsma
College
Northwest Missouri State University
Martville, MO
George Smith
High School
St. Thomas Aquinas High School
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Ron Stolski
High School
Brainerd High School
Brainerd, MN
Ian Cotterell
Youth
Brookline-Jamaica Plain Patriots
Boston, MA
New Orleans Saints
Sean Payton
NFL
New Orleans Saints
Tom Coughlin
NFL
New York Giants
Clayton Kendrick-Holmes
College
SUNY Maritime Privateers
Bronx, NY
Bob Jacoby
High School
Bishop Canevin High School
Pittsburgh, PA
Cliff Ice
High School
Webster Groves High School
St. Louis, MO
Ken Perelta
High School
Marin Catholic High School
Kentfield, CA
Pete Carroll
NFL
Seattle Seahawks
Raheem Morris
NFL
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Heimerdinger
NFL
Tennessee Titans
Mark Burke
High School
Model Secondary School for the Deaf
Washington, DC
USA Football
Tom Sappington
Middle School
Hastings Middle School
Columbus, OH
