Stanford football coach Jim Harbaugh is among the eight finalists for the 2010 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, announced by the Football Writers Association of America in conjunction with the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
Harbaugh joins Bret Bielema of Wisconson, Auburn’s Gene Chizik, Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy, Oregon’s Chip Kelly, TCU’s Gary Patterson and Boise State’s Chris Petersen as finalists for the prestigious award, which named in honor of the legendary Grambling head coach.
The winner, determined by a vote of the Football Writers Association of America, will be revealed on Dec. 6 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.
Harbaugh has guided Stanford to a 10-1 record this season, as the Cardinal has tied a school record for wins in a single-season, a feat which has been accomplished just three times previously (1926, ’40 and ’92).
Stanford, ranked seventh in this week’s AP poll, has won six straight games since suffering its only loss of the season to top-ranked Oregon.
The FWAA coaching award is named after the late Robinson, a coaching legend at Grambling State University for 55 years. He has more Division I victories (408) than any other coach in the history of college football. The FWAA has presented a national coach of the year award since 1957 and named the award in Robinson’s honor in 1997.
Robinson, who passed away on April 3, 2007, won 70.7 percent of his games during his illustrious career. Robinson’s teams won or tied for 17 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championships after joining the league in 1959. His Tigers claimed nine Black College Football Championships during his career spent all at the same school.
Field hockey
Stanford senior Xanthe Travlos has been tabbed a 2010 Longstreth/NFHCA All-American for the second straight season, adding to her lengthy list of honors during her final season on The Farm.
One of the most decorated players in school history, Travlos was named to the 16-player Second Team for the second consecutive season.
Travlos is a four-time Longstreth/NFHCA All-West Region pick, earning first team accolades as a freshman, junior and senior while while garnering second team recognition as a sophomore.
A 5-1 midfielder from Staffordshire, England, Travlos started all 21 games in 2010, ranking second on the squad in goals (8), assists (6), points (22) and shots (64). Honored as the NorPac Player of the Year for the second straight season, Travlos closed out her career with 40 goals, 19 assists, 99 points and 245 shot attempts in 81 games.
Women’s volleyball
Stanford will close out its regular season this week with home matches against Arizona on Wednesday and Arizona State on Friday, both at 7 p.m.
The No. 4-ranked Cardinal comes in 13-3 in the Pac-10 (23-3 overall) while the No. 20 Wildcats are 9-7 (20-9) and unranked Sun Devils are 6-10 (12-17).
Stanford boasts three senior All-Americans for the 2010 season. Cassidy Lichtman is the only returning 2009 First Team All-American in the Pac-10, while Alix Klineman is one of just two players on a Division I roster who is a three-time All-American. Gabi Ailes rounds out the impressive class earning 2009 All-America honors from both the AVCA (honorable mention) and Volleyball Magazine (second team).
Ailes has single handedly rewritten the Stanford record book. She is the career digs leader (2054), holds three of the top four places on the single season digs list (1. 617; 2. 533; 4. 491) and maintains the top three records for digs in a single match. The Bellevue, Neb., native leads active Pac-10 players in career digs, tallying over 600 more then the next highest player. She also ranks tied for fourth among active players in career aces (85).
Stanford women’s volleyball will be hosting a food drive this week. Fans who donate a canned-good will receive $2 general admission to Wednesday and Friday’s matches. Wednesday’s match against Arizona is also tabbed a Food ‘n Fun night where fans can receive four general admission tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas for $28. On Friday’s Senior Night, head coach John Dunning will be holding a chalk talk in the Arrillaga Family Sports Center’s Kissick Auditorium from 6-6:30 p.m.
The 64-team field for the 2010 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship will be announced on Sunday, at noon on ESPNews. Stanford will head to the tournament for the 30th consecutive year. The Cardinal and Penn State are the only two programs in the nation to appear in all 30 NCAA Championships
Harbaugh would be very deserving of this award, especially considering the state of Stanford’s football program when he came to the farm a few short years ago. Given that the award is determined by a vote of the Football Writers Association of America (and their east coast bias), however, I doubt he has much of a chance.