North Central College head football coach Brad Spencer has been named the American Football Coaches Association’s (AFCA) NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year. The announcement came Monday after a vote by active AFCA members at four-year schools across all five divisions.
Spencer is the first North Central coach to receive this national recognition from the AFCA. Earlier, he was awarded Region 4 Coach of the Year on November 25. Under his leadership, North Central finished the season with a perfect 13-0 record and advanced to the semifinals for the sixth consecutive year. The team led Division III in both scoring offense, averaging 50 points per game, and scoring defense, allowing only 9.2 points per game. They remain the only unbeaten team in this year’s postseason.
In his four years as head coach, Spencer has achieved a record of 57 wins and one loss. He has guided North Central to 28 consecutive victories, four straight appearances in the Division III National Championship game, and two Stagg Bowl titles. Last year, Spencer received both national and regional coaching honors from D3football.com.
Spencer will be formally recognized at an event on January 12 in Charlotte, North Carolina during the AFCA’s annual convention. Other coaches being honored include Curt Cignetti from Indiana (FBS), Steve Englehart from Presbyterian (FCS), Jim Clements from Kutztown (Division II), and Joel Osborn from Benedictine (NAIA).
