Maxwell Football Club Announces Coach of the Year Award Winner

January 11, 2023 by MaxwellFootballClub.org

The Maxwell Football Club today announced that Willie Fritz has been selected as the 2022 George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award winner after leading the Tulane Green Wave to the program's first American Athletic Conference (AAC) title and its first victory in a major bowl game since the 1935 Sugar Bowl with the 46-45 thrilling victory over USC in the 87th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on January 2.

His four bowl game appearances in the last five years are the most among any coach in Tulane history. Finishing the regular season with an 11-2 record, Fritz was named the AAC Coach of the Year, another first for the program. His seven wins in league play are the most for the program since 1934 and marked only the second time in the school's history that a Tulane team has won seven or more conference games in a single campaign. The 10-game win total improvement over last year is the best-ever in a single season in FBS history.

The win over USC also tied the 1998 school mark for wins in a single season. The victory was historic as it was only the second time over the last five years in 1,164 tries that an FBS team has rallied from 15 or more points in the last five minutes of a game to earn the victory. The win also was Tulane’s eighth against teams that recorded seven or more wins this season – tied for the most among all schools at the FBS level. The Green Wave ranked ninth in the final Associated Press and AFCA Coaches Polls.

In the community, Fritz has dedicated time to giving back and introducing his players to local initiatives and organizations in the New Orleans area. The University was recognized in 2021, as Tulane's student-athletes combined for 4,500 community service hours, placing them fifth in the NCAA Team Works Community Service Competition that year. In 2019, Fritz provided financial support to the United Way of Southeast Louisiana's Trauma-Informed Schools Collaborative, which aided two of the collaborative's schools in the Central City district of New Orleans.

Maxwell Football Club Executive Director Mark Wolpert commented, “Coach Fritz has energized the Tulane program and has built a foundation for long term success for the Green Wave. The team’s 12-2 mark is a great testament to the hard work of Coach and his staff, and also to the dedication shown by the student-athletes involved in the program. Coach Fritz has established a standard of hard work and commitment which will provide a bright future for Tulane football.”

Fritz will be honored Thursday, March 9, 2023 at the 86th Maxwell Football Club National Awards Gala which will be held at the Mohegan Pennsylvania Resort. Also receiving awards at this event will be Caleb Williams – USC (Maxwell Award), Will Anderson - Alabama (Chuck Bednarik Award), and Drake Maye – North Carolina (Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award. The Club will be announcing additional winners of professional awards and special awards in the coming days.