(BIRMINGHAM, AL)….Nick Saban has been named the recipient of the inaugural Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award, which commemorates Bowden’s outstanding coaching career. Bowden will present the award to Saban at a ceremony on March 21, 2010, sponsored by the cooperative efforts of the Over the Mountain Touchdown Club of Birmingham, Alabama and the Alabama Sports Foundation. The award will be given annually to honor excellence in college football coaching.

“Obviously we are extremely excited about honoring Coach Bobby Bowden. Not only has he demonstrated that he is one of the top coaches to ever coach the game, but he’s done it with unmatched integrity. And that deserves recognition,“ said Mark Morrison, President, Over the Mountain Touchdown Club. “With Coach Saban coming off of a perfect season and a BCS Championship, it is the perfect opportunity to bring together these two coaching icons for a great evening in Bowden’s honor.”

The award has special significance for Bowden because of its Birmingham origins. Bowden was born in Birmingham and played quarterback at Woodlawn High. He initially enrolled at the University of Alabama, where he fulfilled his dream of playing for the Crimson Tide, before returning to Birmingham and enrolling at Howard College (now Samford University), where he also played quarterback.

“Birmingham, Alabama is the perfect city to host an award like this,” said Dr. Larry Lemak, Founder, Alabama Sports Foundation. “Consider the coaching legends like our own Bobby Bowden and many other great coaches who have ties to this state: Bear Bryant, Shug Jordan, Gene Stallings, and Pat Dye. And consider the great players like Joe Namath, Cornelius Bennett and Bo Jackson, just to name a few. Birmingham has great heritage when it comes to college football and this type of award named after someone so prominent is very appropriate.“