USA TODAY to livestream AFCA awards show
For the second consecutive year, the American Football Coaches Association will broadcast its end-of-the-year awards show live. But this year, for the first time, the “AFCA Awards presented by Amway” will be streamed on the USA TODAY Sports Facebook page, making it easily available to a wider audience on multiple platforms.
The 90-minute show, which starts at 8 p.m. ET on Jan. 9 from Charlotte, will feature the AFCA Coaches’ Trophy presented by Amway and awarded annually to the Bowl Subdivision’s national champion, and a variety of other awards, including FBS and Championship Subdivision coaches of the year. The national champion will finish No. 1 in the final Amway Coaches Poll.
The awards are voted upon by AFCA-member coaches, and the show takes place in conjunction with the associa- tion’s annual convention.
“It’s kind of an Academy Awards for coaches, if you will,” said longtime FBS coach Rick Neuheisel, who will co-host the show alongside sports broadcaster Bonnie Bernstein. “I think the guys (enjoy) coming to it. It’s at the site of where the coaches convention is, so they’re there anyways. And it’s fun. (Last year’s show) was a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to it.”
Neuheisel worked as the head coach at Colorado, Washington and, most recently, UCLA before transitioning to broadcasting in 2011.
It will be his first year co-hosting the show.
The night’s events start with the Green Carpet at 6 p.m. ET at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which will also be broadcast on the USA TODAY Sports Facebook page. It will be hosted by USA TODAY’s Trysta Krick, Adam Woodard, George Schroeder and Bernstein.
“It’s, to me, a really cool way … to kind of treat the profession as the way it should be treated, rather than always with a winner and a loser,” Neuheisel said. “It’s going to be more of a fun night.”
AFCA also has an opportunity for fans to win two tickets to the show through its “Cameo with the Coaches” sweepstakes, which closes Dec. 28.
Amway Coach’s Call of the Year
For the next three weeks, USA TODAY will give you a chance to choose the Amway Coach’s Call of the Year, the best call made by a college football coach during the 2017 season. This winner of the first semifinal: Paul Chryst of Wisconsin. Check sports.usatoday.com on Friday morning to cast your vote in the second semifinal.