Ryan named NAIA top coach
Morningside University head football coach Steve Ryan received the American Football Coaches Association’s highest National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ honor when he was named the NAIA National Coach of the Year as part of the AFCA’s 2022 Convention Monday, Jan. 10.
Morningside University head football coach Steve Ryan received the American Football Coaches Association's highest National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' honor when he was named the NAIA National Coach of the Year as part of the AFCA's 2022 Convention Monday, Jan. 10.
Ryan, who led the Mustangs to their third national title in the last four seasons, earned his fourth National Coach of the Year accolade. He guided the 2021 squad to a 14-0 record and its 11th consecutive Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) title as part of the national title run. Ryan has an overall record of 208-41 in his 20 years as head coach and has mentored Morningside to 18 consecutive post-season appearances, including eight trips to the semifinals in the last nine seasons.
He won his first AFCA National Coach of the Year honor in 2012 after leading the Mustangs to a 13-1 record and the program's first-ever national championship game appearance. He added his second and third honors in 2018 and 2019 after guiding Morningside to the program's first two NAIA National Championships. He is also an 11-time AFCA Regional Coach of the Year winner.