Owens earns FPAF Salute to Excellence Award

ORANGE, Calif. – Chapman University head football coach Bob Owens has been selected one of 13 coaches across all NCAA Divisions to earn the Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation's Salute to Excellence Award, following the Panthers' 2014 SCIAC championship season and NCAA appearance.

The Salute to Excellence Award, named after Foundation co-founder the late Johnnie Cochran Jr., is given to "persons who display outstanding performance through the year on the field, in front offices and classrooms." Owens was the only Division III coach among the 13 honorees within the NCAA award winners.

Chapman tied a school record with eight wins (8-2 overall) in 2014, including a perfect 7-0 conference mark to earn the school's first-ever SCIAC championship and NCAA playoff berth. Owens has compiled a career mark of 49-33 in nine seasons at Chapman, 68-68 over 15 seasons as a head coach.

The Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation aims to increase access and opportunity for minorities interested in coaching, front office and scouting positions in the NFL. Fritz Pollard broke several color barriers, including becoming the first Black man to play in the Rose Bowl Game (1916) and the first African-American ever elected to the National College Football Hall of Fame (1954). His foundation was founded in 2003 by Cochran, Jr. and Cyrus Mehri.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation honorees: http://fritzpollard.org/10th-annual-johnnie-l-cochran-jr-salute-to-excellence-awards-honorees/

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