Bryant College Football Coach of the Year Watch Lis...( HOUSTON Nov. 6 -- The Paul Bear...),Health

HOUSTON, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Paul "Bear" Bryant Awards committee of the American Heart Association selected its Bryant Watch List for the 2008 College Football Coach of the Year. The selection committee consists of current and past event chairmen, Bryant family representatives, National Sportscasters & Sportswriters Association representatives, Houston sports analysts and former collegiate players and coaches.

In December, a finalists list will be announced and comprised of five to ten coaches. Finalists will attend an awards dinner on Jan. 15, 2009, where the winner will be announced live. The winner of the Bryant College Coach of the Year is voted on by members of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association and is the only college coaching award given after all the bowl games have finished.

Also during the January event, Oklahoma legend and Super Bowl Champion, Coach Barry Switzer, will receive the Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes excellence in coaching on and off the field during a career, allowing recipients to take their place in history alongside legends such as Bryant. Recent Lifetime Achievement recipients include Tom Osborne, Glenn "Bo" Schembechler, Jack Pardee and Lou Holtz.

Bryant College Coach of the Year Watch List in alphabetical order by coach:

Tim Brewster - University of Minnesota

Mack Brown - University of Texas

Pete Carroll - University of Southern California

Mark Dantonio - Michigan State University

Butch Davis - University of North Carolina

Pat Fitzgerald - Northwestern University

Ralph Friedgen - University of Maryland

Todd Graham - University of Tulsa

Mike Gundy - Oklahoma State University

Brady Hoke - Ball State University

Paul Johnson - Georgia Institute of Technology

Mike Leach - Texas Tech University

Bronco Mendenhall - Brigham Young University

Urban Meyer - U
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