# NAIA Football Coach of the Year Award

The NAIA Football Coach of the Year is awarded annually to the best college football coach in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. From 1979 to 1996, a separate award was given to the best coach in each of the NAIA's two football divisions.

## Winners
### Single award (1956–1978)

* Note: Even though the NAIA split its football championship into two divisions in 1970, only a single Coach of the Year award was given out until 1979.
| Season(s) | Winner | Team |
| 1956 | Dewey Halford | Morningside |
| 1957 | Muddy Waters | Hillsdale |
| 1958 | Volney Ashford | Missouri Valley |
| 1959 | Clarence Stasavich | Lenoir–Rhyne |
| 1960 | Phil Sarboe | Humboldt State |
| 1961 | Carnie Smith | Pittsburg State |
| 1962 | Paul Durham | Linfield |
| 1963 | Billy Nicks | Prairie View A&M |
| 1964 | Jake Christiansen | Concordia–Moorhead |
| 1965 | John Gagliardi | Saint John's (MN) |
| 1966 | Forrest Perkins | Wisconsin State–Whitewater |
| 1967 | Harold "Deacon" Duvall | Fairmont State |
| 1968 | Billy Atkins | Troy State |
| 1969 | Jake Gaither | Florida A&M |
| 1970 (DI & DII) | Gil Steinke | Texas A&I |
| 1971 (DI & DII) | Bob Shoup | Cal Lutheran |
| 1972 (DI & DII) | Jim Frazier | Missouri Southern State |
| 1973 (DI & DII) | Larry Korver | Northwestern (IA) |
| 1974 (DI & DII) | Gil Steinke (2) | Texas A&I |
| 1975 (DI & DII) | Gil Steinke (3) | Texas A&I |
| 1976 (DI & DII) | Gil Steinke (4) | Texas A&I |
| 1977 (DI & DII) | DeWitt Jones | Abilene Christian |
| 1978 (DI & DII) | Jim Hess | Angelo State |

### Single award (1997–present)

| Year | Winner | Team |
| 1997 | Dick Strahm (3) | Findlay |
| 1998 | Vic Shealy | Azusa Pacific |
| 1999 | Tim Albin | Northwestern Oklahoma State |
| 2000 | Bill Cronin | Georgetown (KY) |
| 2001 | Bill Cronin (2) | Georgetown (KY) |
| 2002 | Carl Poelker | McKendree |
| 2003 | Mike Van Diest | Carroll (MT) |
| 2004 | Kevin Donley (2) | Saint Francis (IN) |
| 2005 | Mike Van Diest (2) | Carroll (MT) |
| 2006 | Kalen DeBoer | Sioux Falls |
| 2007 | Mike Van Diest (3) | Carroll (MT) |
| 2008 | Kalen DeBoer (2) | Sioux Falls |
| 2009 | Kalen DeBoer (3) | Sioux Falls |
| 2010 | Mike Van Diest (4) | Carroll (MT) |
| 2011 | Mike Feminis | Saint Xavier (IL) |
| 2012 | Steve Ryan | Morningside |
| 2013 | Mike Woodley | Grand View |
| 2014 | Mark Henninger | Marian |
| 2015 | Mark Henninger (2) | Marian |
| 2016 | Kevin Donley (3) | Saint Francis (IN) |
| 2017 | Kevin Donley (4) | Saint Francis (IN) |
| 2018 | Steve Ryan (2) | Morningside |
| 2019 | Steve Ryan (3) | Morningside |
| 2020–21 | Chris Oliver | Lindsey Wilson |
| 2021 | Steve Ryan (4) | Morningside |
| 2022 | Matt McCarty | Northwestern (IA) |
| 2023 | | |

## Coaches with multiple wins

| Coach | School | Total | Winning Years |
| Gil Steinke | Texas A&I(Texas A&M–Kingsville) | 4 | 1970, 1974, 1975, 1976 |
| Mike Van Diest | Carroll (MT) | 4 | 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010 |
| Kevin Donley | Georgetown (KY)Saint Francis (IN) | 4 | 1991, 2004, 2016, 2017 |
| Steve Ryan | Morningside | 4 | 2012, 2018, 2019, 2021 |
| Ad Rutschman | Linfield | 3 | 1982, 1984, 1986 |
| Dick Strahm | Findlay | 3 | 1992, 1995, 1997 |
| Kalen DeBoer | Sioux Falls | 3 | 2006, 2008, 2009 |
| Larry Korver | Northwestern (IA) | 2 | 1973, 1985 |
| Dennis Franchione | Pittsburg State | 2 | 1986, 1987 |
| Joe Fusco | Westminster (PA) | 2 | 1988, 1989 |
| Frosty Westering | Pacific Lutheran | 2 | 1983, 1993 |
| Bill Cronin | Georgetown (KY) | 2 | 2000, 2001 |
| Mark Henninger | Marian (IN) | 2 | 2014, 2015 |

## Schools with multiple wins

| School | Total | Winning Years |
| Texas A&I(Texas A&M–Kingsville) | 5 | 1970, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979 |
| Morningside (IA) | 5 | 1956, 2012, 2018, 2019, 2021 |
| Linfield | 4 | 1962, 1982, 1984, 1986 |
| Pittsburg State | 4 | 1961, 1981, 1986, 1987 |
| Findlay | 4 | 1979, 1992, 1995, 1997 |
| Sioux Falls | 4 | 1996, 2006, 2008, 2009 |
| Carroll (MT) | 4 | 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010 |
| Westminster (PA) | 3 | 1988, 1989, 1994 |
| Georgetown (KY) | 3 | 1991, 2000, 2001 |
| Northwestern (IA) | 3 | 1973, 1985, 2022 |
| Hillsdale | 2 | 1957, 1982 |
| Concordia–Moorhead | 2 | 1964, 1982 |
| Central Arkansas | 2 | 1983, 1990 |
| Pacific Lutheran | 2 | 1983, 1993 |
| Central State (OH) | 2 | 1992, 1995 |
| Marian (IN) | 2 | 2014, 2015 |
| Saint Francis (IN) | 2 | 2004, 2016 |