The Bowie State football program had one of its best seasons ever and it has been rewarded as the American Football Coaches Association named head football coach Damon Wilson as the AFCA National Coach of the Year for the NCAA Division II.
The award counts as both for Bowie State and for the CIAA conference as Wilson becomes the first CIAA coach to win the prestigious award.
“This is the ultimate team award,” Wilson said. “I appreciate the recognition but it’s impossible to win this award without great coaches, players and alums buying in. I understand the impact of this award and its history.”
Wilson, in his 12th year as head coach of the Bulldogs football program, guided Bowie State to a 12-2 record. It was BSU’s third straight Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Northern Division title and a championship title while posting a 7-0 league record. It also marked the program’s fourth consecutive NCAA appearance and first-ever NCAA quarterfinal appearance in program history.
Other awards Wilson has received this year include CIAA Coach of the Year and AFCA Super Region II Coach of the Year. He has posted an impressive 89-45 overall record that features four NCAA playoff appearances, a total of seven CIAA Northern Division titles and three CIAA championships.