Dec. 3, 2002

CAPE GIRARDEAU - The American Football Coaches Association has named Southeast Missouri State University football coach Tim Billings as the 2002 AFCA Region 3 Coach of the Year in NCAA Division I-AA.

It is the first Regional Coach of the Year award for Billings who just completed his third year at Southeast. This year's team was 8-4 and recorded Southeast's first eight win season since 1969.

Also the first Southeast football coach to be named Regional Coach of the Year, Billings joins Don Brown of Northeastern, Mike Ayres of Wofford, Don Patterson of Western Illinois and Joe Glenn of Montana as the I-AA Regional Coaches of the Year.

"I am very appreciative that my peers have voted me Regional Coach of the Year," Billings said. "This honor is certainly shared by my assistant coaches and the players who all made our season a success."

Billings was also selected as the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year and is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award by The Sports Network.

"What makes the AFCA award so special is that this is the only coach of the year award voted on exclusively by the coaches themselves," AFCA Executive Director Grant Taeff said. "The winners are selected by the coaches they compete with and against on a daily basis."