WACO, Tex. – The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) announced the Regional Coach of the Year winners today. Montana Tech's Chuck Morrell is the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Region 5 Coach of the Year.

Coach Morrell guided the Montana Tech Orediggers to a 10-2 record and second Frontier Conference title in the past two seasons. The 2016 season is just the third time a Tech team has reached the 10-win mark. Montana Tech reached 10 wins last season as well. The Orediggers also won 10-straight games, the first time in school history. This year is the third Frontier Conference Championship for Coach Morrell.

The Orediggers led the Frontier Conference in a large number of statistical categories including scoring offense, pass efficiency, total defense, rushing defense,
scoring defense, passing defense and sacks.

The sixth-year head coach produced 13 Frontier All-Conference selections including six on the first team. Montana Tech also took all of the top spots on the Frontier All-Conference lists with running back Nolan Saraceni receiving Offensive Player of the Year and safety Gunnar Kayser named Defensive Player of the Year.

Montana Tech has been ranked in the last 23 NAIA Coaches Top 25 Polls. The Orediggers have never been in the top 15 in the national poll and were ranked No. 6 in the last poll of the regular season this year.

This is the second time Coach Morrell has received the Regional Coach of the Year Award. Morrell was the recipient of the award in 2012.  

Coach Morrell will be recognized at the AFCA Victory Luncheon at the 2017 AFCA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee on January 10^th. All football division winners will be recognized at the luncheon. From the regional winners in each division, one coach will be chosen for the National Coach of the Year.  

The other recipients of the NAIA regional awards are: Chris Oliver of Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and Drew Cronic of Reinhardt University (Ga.) in a tie in Region 1; Kevin
Donley of the University of Saint Francis (Ind.); Mike Grossner of Baker University (Kan.); and Steve Ryan of Morningside College (Iowa). 

The AFCA recognizes five regional Coach of the Year winners in each of the Association's five divisions. The winners are selected by active members of the association who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions.

For the first time in the history of the award, the AFCA National Coach of the Year will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network on January 10^th at 9 p.m. EST. The live one-hour program will air from the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.