FootballScoop is proud to announce that Ken Fasnacht (Southern Oregon) is the 2014 NAIA Coordinator of the Year presented by ProGrass.
Southern Oregon rode Ken Fasnacht's productive, high-flying offense to a 13-2 record and the school's first NAIA national championship this fall.
The Raiders ranked second in NAIA in scoring offense (45.7 points per game), total offense (559.1 yards per game) and yards per play (7.3).
Fasnacht's troops primarly moved the ball through the air. Quarterback Austin Dodge completed nearly 65 percent of his throws and led the nation in completions (378), passing yards (5,607 yards), passing touchdowns (52), and total offense (5,729 yards). And in all four cases, he led the nation by a considerable margin.
Southern Oregon also ran the ball effectively, pounding out 538 rushes for 2,642 yards with 35 rushing touchdowns this season. Only 14 teams bested their 4.9 yards per carry average.
The Raiders were held below 31 points only once this fall, scoring at least 27 points in all 15 games, posted at least 40 points 11 times and topped the 50-point barrier five times. Most importantly, they left their best performances for when it mattered most. Southern Oregon registered 540 yards and 44 points in a first-round playoff win over MidAmerica Nazarene, posted 660 yards and 45 points in a quarterfinal upset of No. 1 Carroll College, dropped 643 yards and 62 points in a semifinal blowout of No. 3 Saint Xavier, and garnered 429 yards and 55 points in a national championship defeat of No. 7 Marian.
For his efforts, Dodge was named the NAIA's National Player of the Year - a first in school history - and both offensive lineman Drew Gibson and wide receiver Dylan Young earned First Team All-America accolades.
Fasnacht joined the Southern Oregon staff under head coach Craig Howard as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. A former player at Gardner-Webb and Valdosta State, Fasnacht coached at Nease, Columbia and Orange Park high schools in Florida. Prior to coaching, Fasnacht spent time as a motivational speaker.
The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by ProGrass are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists (Lucas Lueders and Collin Prosser [Morningside College], Matt McCarty [Northwestern College], Scott Power [Marian] and Fasnacht) were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year's winner.
Fasnact will receive his award and be recognized at an event at the AFCA Convention in January.
Fasnacht is the second winner of the FootballScoop NAIA Coordinator of the Year award. Joe Woodley (Grand View [Iowa]) took home the inaugural award a year ago.
