FootballScoop is proud to announce that Billy Kirch (Northwestern [Iowa] College) the 2022 FootballScoop NAIA Coordinator of the Year, presented by AstroTurf as selected by prior winners.
Northwestern's season opened with a 1-point loss to defending national champion Morningside. The Red Raiders didn't lose again.
After the Morningside game, Billy Kirch's defense didn't surrender more than 10 points until the NAIA quarterfinals -- a string of 10 consecutive games in which the Red Raiders allowed a mere 72 points.
For the year, the Red Raiders finished third in NAIA at 11.5 points allowed per game. That includes holding Keiser to 25 points in the NAIA national championship -- a season low for a team that averaged 38 points a game against NAIA competition.
Northwestern was the only team in NAIA to rank among the top five nationally in rushing defense and the top 15 in passing defense.
The Red Raiders limited opponents to just 63.6 yards per game on the ground, placing fifth.
Through the air, opponents gained just 163 yards per game, placing the Red Raiders at 14th.
Northwestern also ranked among the top five in NAIA with 20 interceptions and tied for fifth with four defensive touchdowns.
Linebacker Parker Fryar was named a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award as the top small college defensive player. The AP First Team All-American led the team with 120 tackles, the third most in program history. The Great Plains Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Fryar was joined on the All-GPAC First Team by defensive backs Jaden Snyder and Noah Van't Hof. Defensive lineman Jacob Dragstra, linebacker Tanner Oleson, and linebacker Ben Kingery were All-GPAC Second Team honorees. Defensive lineman Tyler Jones was an Honorable Mention All-GPAC selection.
A South Dakota State graduate, Kirch began coaching as the head coach of Waverly-South Shore in South Dakota in 2008. He moved to Minnesota's Forest Lake High School in 2012 before joining the Northwestern staff in 2012. Kirch joined the Northwestern staff in 2015 and was promoted to defensive coordinator the following year.
The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by AstroTurf are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists (Daniel Cotter [Lindsey Wilson], Fran Johnson [Texas Wesleyan], David Leonard and Justin Sullivan [Kansas Wesleyan], Jake Menage [Northwestern] and Kirch) were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year's winner.
Previous winners of the NAIA Coordinator of the Year award are Joe Woodley (Grand View [Iowa], 2013), Ken Fasnacht (Southern Oregon, 2014), Scott Power (Marian [Ind.], 2015), Joey Didier and Eric Wagoner (Saint Francis [Ind.], 2016), Patrick Donley and Trevor Miller (Saint Francis [Ind.], 2017), Lucas Lueders (Morningside [Iowa], 2018), Casey Jacobsen and Nathan Turner (Morningside [Iowa], 2019), Phil Kleckler (Lindsey Wilson [Ky.], 2020), and Andrew Rode (Morningside [Iowa], 2021).
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