WACO, Tex. – University of Charleston assistant head coach Ralph Isernia has been honored for the third-straight year as one of three finalists for the American Football Coaches Association regional Assistant Coach of the Year award.
Isernia is widely considered one of the top offensive coordinators in Division II football. His direction and coaching prowess have been directly responsible for turnaround seasons at every institution he has coached. A “Dr. Fix-It,” Isernia’s offenses have set school records and been consistently ranked in the NCAA national rankings. In his five seasons at UC, Isernia’s offense has rewritten the University of Charleston record book and established UC as a perennial contender in the WVIAC.
In 2010, he led a Golden Eagles offense that led the WVIAC and was 10th nationally averaging 231.10 rushing yards per game. His offense was also consistently rated in the top 50 in the NCAA Division II in total yards finishing the 2010 season averaging 381.82 yards per game, while concluding the season with a 6-5 overall record.
Leading into this season, Isernia had coached 57 All-Conference players, 14 All-Americans, 4 Academic All-Americans and 2 AFCA Good Works All-Americans. From six different schools he has coached, his offenses have established the school’s All-Time Leading Passer five times, the school’s All-Time Leading Rusher two times and the school’s All-Time Leading Receiver four times.
Each year, staff representatives from NCAA and NAIA football-playing schools are asked to nominate an assistant for consideration. From those nominations, a winner is selected by the AFCA Public Relations Committee. The winners of this award were selected from Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and the NAIA.
The Assistant Coach of the Year award was first presented in 1997 and was created to honor assistant coaches who excel in community service, commitment to the student-athlete, on-field coaching success and AFCA professional organization involvement.
