Mark Richt Named 2017 ACC Coach Of The Year In Landslide Vote

CORAL GABLES (CBSMiami) - In just his second season as University of Miami head football coach, Mark Richt has his team one victory away from their first ACC Championship, and first College Football Playoff appearance.

He's already guided Miami to their first ACC Coastal crown after eleven seasons of treading water in the division.

Hurricanes fans have certainly taken notice of Richt's quick success, and so has the Atlantic Coast Conference.

On Tuesday, Richt was named 2017 ACC Coach of the Year in a landslide, earning 41 of a possible 59 votes.

From UM Sports Communications:

University of Miami head football coach Mark Richt has been selected the 2017 Atlantic Coast Conference Football Coach of the Year, the league announced on Tuesday.

Richt, who becomes the first Miami football coach to earn ACC Coach of the Year honors, led the way in balloting among a select panel that included 45 media members and the league's 14 head football coaches.

Richt guided the Hurricanes (10-1 overall, 7-1 ACC) to the first Coastal Division championship in program history and into the top 10 of both major polls for the second straight year at the helm of his alma mater. Miami has been ranked in the top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings in each week this season, reaching an all-time high ranking of No. 2 in the most recent CFP poll released on Nov. 21.

Richt won the honor in a landslide vote, earning 41 of 59 possible votes. Dabo Swinney of Clemson (10), Steve Addazio of Boston College (5), Bronco Mendenhall of Virginia (2) and Dave Clawson of Wake Forest (1) also received votes.

Miami's 10 wins this season are the most for the program since 2003, and the Hurricanes' seven league wins are their most since joining the ACC in 2004. The Hurricanes' 10 wins to open this season, combined with five consecutive wins to close the 2016 campaign, produced a 15-game winning streak that is tied for the fifth-longest in league history.

Richt is a semifinalist for the 2017 George Munger College Coach of the Year Award presented by the Maxwell Football Club. Ten of his Miami players were voted to the 2017 All-ACC team. The Hurricanes lead the nation with a plus-1.55 turnover margin and rank seventh nationally with 17 pass interceptions. Offensively, they closed the regular season averaging nearly 423 yards and 32 points per game.

Richt owns a 19-5 record in his two seasons with the Hurricanes and is 164-56 in 17 years as college football head coach.  His .745 career winning percentage ranks as the seventh-best among current FBS coaches with at least five years of experience.

It's a well deserved honor for Richt, who is now preparing his team for the ACC Championship Game.

The Coastal Division-winning Hurricanes will meet the Atlantic Division champs, Clemson, this Saturday night in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kickoff is set for 8:00 PM. You can listen to the game on 560 WQAM.