ITHACA, N.Y. – The American Football Coaches Association released its regional coaches of the year on December 6 for the 2022 season and Ithaca College head coach Michael Toerper was selected as Division III Region 1 Coach of the Year. The AFCA will announce the 2022 National Coaches of the Year winners in FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA on Monday, January 9. The Regional winners in each division are finalists for National Coach of the Year.

Toerper, in his first season as head coach at Ithaca, guided the Bombers to a historic year as IC finished with a 12-1 record and reached the NCAA Division III Quarterfinals. Ithaca won its first Liberty League title in program history to earn its first trip to the NCAA Championship since 2014. After wins over UMass-Dartmouth and Springfield in the tournament, the Bombers advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2003, where their season came to an end against No. 1 North Central.

The 12 victories match the second-most for the Bombers football program, matching the 1980 and 1991 teams. Toerper, who also earned Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year with his assistants, produced the most wins by a first-year head coach at Ithaca College dating back to 1930.

Ithaca, which finished the regular season ranked No. 9 by the AFCA, was one of the top statistical teams across all three facets of the game in Division III. Each week, the Bombers routinely ranked within the top 10 in numerous offensive, defensive and special teams categories.

That exceptional play resulted in 16 players being name All-Liberty League, including the Offensive (A.J. Wingfield), Defensive (Matt DeSimpliciis) and Special Teams (Nicholas Bahamonde) Players of the Year.

Toerper becomes the 10th all-time AFCA Regional Coach of the Year selection for Ithaca, joining Jim Butterfield and Mike Welch. Butterfield earned the distinction seven times, while Welch was named coach of the year twice.

2022 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Winners


Football Bowl Subdivision
Region 1: Willie Fritz, Tulane University
Region 2: Josh Heupel, University of Tennessee
Region 3: Jim Harbaugh, University of Michigan
Region 4: Sonny Dykes, TCU
Region 5: Jonathan Smith, Oregon State University
 
Football Championship Subdivision
Region 1: Bob Chesney, College of the Holy Cross
Region 2: Chris Hatcher, Samford University
Region 3: Willie Simmons, Florida A&M University
Region 4: John Stiegelmeier, South Dakota State University
Region 5: Troy Taylor, Sacramento State
 
Division II
Region 1: Ernie McCook, Shepherd University
Region 2: Chennis Berry, Benedict College
Region 3: Matt Mitchell, Grand Valley State University
Region 4: Todd Knight, Ouachita Baptist University
Region 5: Brandon Moore, Colorado School of Mines
 
Division III
Region 1: Michael Toerper, Ithaca College
Region 2: Ryan Larsen, Carnegie Mellon University
Region 3: Larry Harmon, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
Region 4: Jason Couch, Alma College
Region 5: Steve Johnson, Bethel University (Minn.)
 
NAIA
Region 1: Mike Jasper, Bethel University (Tenn.)
Region 2: Jordan Langs, Indiana Wesleyan University
Region 3: Joe Woodley, Grand View University
Region 4: Matt McCarty, Northwestern College
Region 5: Troy Purcell, Carroll College (Mont.)