Ducks Coach Mario Cristobal Named Paul 'Bear' Bryant Coach of the Year Finalist

Photo by: Harry How/Getty Images

After a COVID-19-shortened season and a second straight Pac-12 Championship, Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal earned some national recognition.

The Ducks third-year head coach finished the season 4-2 with a berth to the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl against Iowa State on the horizon.

The other coaches in contention for the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year award are:

Nick Saban (Alabama),
Dabo Swinney (Clemson),
Jamey Chadwell (Coastal Carolina),
Tom Allen (Indiana),
Matt Campbell (Iowa State),
Brian Kelly (Notre Dame), and
Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M)

Last year, Cristobal earned the AP’s Pac-12 Coach of the Year award. However, despite an 11-2 (8-1 Pac-12) regular season Cristobal was not a Bear Bryant Coach of the Year finalist in 2019.

With Oregon winning the 2019 and 2020’s Pac-12 titles, Cristobal becomes the first Oregon coach to win back-to-back conference championships since the Pac went from 10 to 12 teams in 2011.

The last time Oregon won the conference two years in a row was when Chip Kelly won three seasons in a row, from 2009-2011 (two seasons in the Pac-10, one in Pac-12).