Courtesy of the MEAC
NORFOLK, Va. – South Carolina State University head football coach Chennis Berry was named the American Football Coaches Association’s (AFCA) 2024 FCS Region 2 Coach of the Year as announced by the organization Tuesday. Coach Berry collected his third AFCA Regional honor earning the accolade at the Division II level in 2022 and 2023 while at DII HBCU Benedict College.
In his first year leading the S.C. State Bulldogs, Chennis Berry led the team to an 8-2 overall record and 4-0 mark in MEAC play with one game outstanding. The Bulldogs secured the 2024 MEAC Champion Title on Saturday, Nov. 16, after defeating Morgan State 54-7, earning the conference’s berth in the 2024 Cricket Celebration Bowl.
Berry’s squad garnered multiple national awards including being named the HBCU+ FCS National Team of the Week (Sept. 9). The Bulldogs also moved into the National Polls for both Stats Perform and AFCA ranking 23rd and T-21st respectively in the most recent polls.
Quarterback Eric Phoenix was named the HBCU+ FCS National Player of the Week on Nov. 4, while numerous South Carolina State University Bulldogs collected MEAC weekly awards throughout the season.
The AFCA recognizes five regional Coach of the Year winners in each of the Association’s five divisions: Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III, and NAIA. The winners are selected by Active members of the Association who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions.
These winners will be honored on Monday, January 13, during the 2025 AFCA Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
AFCA National Coach of the Year: The AFCA will announce the 2024 National Coaches of the Year winners in FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA on Monday, December 16. The Regional winners in each division are finalists for National Coach of the Year.
Award History: The AFCA began recognizing district coaches of the year following the 1960 season. The awards were established the same year Eastman Kodak agreed to sponsor the AFCA Coach of the Year award. Prior to 1960, the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain had sponsored the program, which recognized one national Coach of the Year.
The AFCA first recognized eight district winners in each of two divisions: university and college. In 1972, a ninth district was added in each division. In 1983, the award was changed to recognize regional winners instead of district winners. The number of divisions was also increased from two to four and five regional winners were selected in each division. This resulted in a more equitable selection process and better represented the make-up of the membership. At the same time, the new system increased the number of honorees from 18 to 20. In 2006, the AFCA Division II Award was split into separate Division II and NAIA divisions, giving us the 25 winners we now recognize.