BOSTON, Mass. – Liberty Mutual Insurance today announced University of New Haven head football coach Peter Rossomando as one of five Division II finalists for the 2011 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award, the leading college football-coaching honor that celebrates coaches for their sportsmanship, integrity, responsibility and excellence, and for giving back to their teams, schools and communities, on and off field.

Coaches across the country have spent the entire college football season preparing themselves and readying their teams to take the field each game day. However, for five Division II coaches, their guidance and leadership extends well beyond the playing field, leaving lasting impressions on the players they mentor and the communities they reach. 

The five finalists were determined as a result of online fan voting at CoachoftheYear.com and through an objective scoring model endorsed by the College Football Hall of Fame. Each coach was among the top 15 in fan votes in Division II to qualify for the model, which considers, among other criteria: wins, team penalties, on-field sportsmanship, academic achievement by the student-athletes, and commitment to charitable endeavors. Voting continues through December 22 at CoachoftheYear.com to help determine the 2011 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year winners.

“College football fans clearly recognize Coach Rossomando as one of the game’s true leaders, and we agree he is an excellent finalist for the 2011 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award,” said Greg Gordon, Liberty Mutual senior vice president, Consumer Marketing. “Each year, we ask fans to vote for the coaches who best exemplify the award’s characteristics – sportsmanship, integrity, responsibility and excellence, on and off the field. Peter Rossomando does just that, through his success on game days, as well as providing leadership to his student-athletes and commitment to the greater New Haven community.”

Joining Coach Rossomando among the five Division II finalists for the 2011 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award are, in alphabetical order: Tim Beck, Pittsburg  State University (Kan.); Bill Maskill, Midwestern State University (Texas); Scott Underwood, St. Cloud State University (Minn.); and John Wristen, Colorado State University-Pueblo.

Help Celebrate Rossomando and Vote Him a Winner – Visit at Coachoftheyear.com
Fans can visit CoachoftheYear.com between December 6 and December 22 to vote daily among the finalists in each division. Selection committees of more than 50 College Football Hall of Fame players and coaches – including Archie Manning, Lou Holtz, Vince Dooley, Ronnie Lott, Archie Griffin – and the national college football media, such as Kirk Herbstreit, Stewart Mandel and Tim Brando, will also cast votes for the winners to ensure coaches are evaluated fairly and measured against the specific values of responsibility and integrity. Winners are ultimately determined using the following voting weight:  fans, 20 percent; College Football Hall of Fame, 55 percent; and college football media, 25 percent.

Liberty Mutual will announce the four winners the morning of the BCS Championship game, January 9, 2012, in New Orleans. If Peter Rossomando is named 2011 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year for Division II, he will receive $50,000 to donate to the charities of his choice and a $20,000 grant to his school's alumni association. Since 2006, the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award has celebrated the work of 17 winning coaches by donating more than $1.2 million to over 80 charities and college alumni scholarship funds across the country. Former Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Division II winners include: Bob Nielson, University of Minnesota-Duluth (2010); Mel Tjeerdsma, Northwest Missouri State (2009); Chuck Broyles, Pittsburg State University (2008); and Bill O'Boyle, Chadron State College (2007).

New Haven fans also can join the conversation on Facebook by visiting Facebook.com/LMCoachofYear or on Twitter, @LMCoachofYear.