WACO, Texas --- Tusculum College's Frankie DeBusk has been
named the 2008 American Football Coaches Association NCAA Division
II Super Region Two Coach of the Year announced officials Tuesday
morning.
DeBusk, who has wrapped up his 11th season in Greeneville, led the
Pioneers to one of the program's most successful campaigns.
Tusculum posted a 9-4 record while capturing its second South
Atlantic Conference championship in the last five years. TC won
four of its last five outings and earned the school's first-ever
trip to the NCAA Football Playoffs.
Tusculum clinched a share of the SAC title with a thrilling 45-44
win over nationally-ranked Carson-Newman in the regular season
finale. The following week, the Pioneers played in its first NCAA
Playoff game, hosting Albany State University. Tusculum rallied
from a 10-point deficit to post a 34-22 win over the Golden Rams.
TC's postseason run ended in the regional semifinal with a 28-19
road loss at top-seeded Delta State University.
Tusculum broke or tied over 44 team and individual records,
including most wins in a season. For his efforts, he was also named
SAC Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.
The Greeneville, Tenn. native has compiled a 68-52 record, making
him the winningest gridiron coach in school history and fourth most
successful football mentor in SAC history. His Pioneers have posted
a 61-36 mark, resulting in three straight winning campaigns.
Tusculum has recorded a winning season in seven of the last eight
years.
He led TC to a 9-2 record in 2003 while claiming its first-ever
SAC championship. Prior to coming to Tusculum, DeBusk served as an
assistant coach at the University of Chattanooga for five seasons
(1993-97). He also spent two years on the Furman University staff
(1991-92). The 1991 Furman graduate was a two-time All-Southern
Conference quarterback, where he led the Paladins to a NCAA I-AA
National Championship in 1988. DeBusk still holds several Paladin
single-season and career records and was inducted into his alma
mater's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.
DeBusk is also in his second year serving as Tusculum's athletic
director.
- TC -