Northwestern's Braun Earns Big Ten Coach Of The Year Honor

EVANSTON, IL — Less than two weeks after he learned that he would be Northwestern’s permanent head football coach moving forward, David Braun earned another big honor on Tuesday when he was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Braun, who was hired in December as Northwestern’s defensive coordinator and who was then promoted to interim head coach in July when Pat Fitzgerald was fired, was the consensus pick by both fellow Big Ten coaches and the media, the league announced.

Braun led Northwestern to a 7-5 record after the Wildcats posted just two victories in the past two seasons under Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was fired in July in the wake of sexual hazing allegations that have sparked a collection of lawsuits by former players who say they were abused during their playing careers in Evanston. Fitzgerald is also suing the school for more than $130 million, claiming wrongful termination.

Northwestern became bowl-eligible with a victory over Purdue in the days after Braun was named as the Wildcats’ permanent coach before the team posted its seventh win of the year with a 45-43 victory over in-state rival Illinois over the weekend.

"It's surreal," Braun said in an interview with the Big Ten Network on Tuesday. "It's a credit to our players, it's a credit to this staff, it's a credit to the resolve of the entire program. We knew in July that we had a team that had an opportunity to do some special things and there were all sorts of things swirling around the program. And to this group's credit, coaches and players, we rooted into the things we knew we could control."

He added: "We certainly weren't playing our best football at the start of the year, but this group just found a way to improve throughout the season and we certainly feel like we're feeling our best football now."

Braun’s seven wins are the most by a Northwestern first-year head football coach since 1903, while his five conference wins are the most by any first-year head coach at the school. Northwestern's six-win improvement from last season is the largest win improvement by any FBS team this season.

Since 2000, the Wildcats are one of just five teams to win six or more games the year after finishing 1-11. The Wildcats will find out where they will go for their postseason bowl game this weekend.

Braun is the fifth different Northwestern head coach to win Big Ten Coach of the Year since the award was handed out in 1972, joining Fitzgerald (2018), Randy Walker (2000), Gary Barnett (1995, 1996), and Dennis Green (1982).