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May 20, 2010
DIVISION II FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME TO INDUCT FIRST CLASS OF COACHES:
SPARKS, TJEERDSMA AND WALLACE
FLORENCE, Ala. -- The Division II Football Hall of Fame has named three
of the most successful coaches in the history of college football as its
Hall of Fame Class of 2010, and will induct Ken Sparks, Mel Tjeerdsma
and Bobby Wallace as its 12th induction class on December 17.
Established in 1999, the
Division II Football Hall of Fame has inducted former Division II
players annually for the last 11 years. The 2010 inductions will mark
the first group of coaches to be honored.
 Sparks,
current head coach at Carson-Newman (Tenn.) College, ranks as the
winningest coach in Division II history and has won 13 conference
championships and made 12 NCAA playoff appearances in the last 17 years.
His overall coaching record in 30 seasons is 287-70-2 and ranks third
highest among active coaches in all NCAA Divisions.
He
has led Carson-Newman to three Championship Game appearances in
Florence.
 Tjeerdsma,
current head coach at Northwest Missouri State University, has led the
Bearcats to five consecutive appearances in the Division II Championship
Game and to three NCAA titles. He and Wallace are the only coaches in
the 37-year history of the Division II Football Championship to have
coached three national championship teams.
Tjeerdsma has 230 overall collegiate wins and has won 11 conference
championships at Northwest Missouri State and made 12 NCAA playoff
appearances.
His 38 playoff games coached, 29 playoff wins and seven Championship
Game appearances are the most in Division II history. His 1998 national
championship team was also the first in Division II history to go 15-0.
 Wallace,
current head coach at the University of West Alabama, became the first
coach in college football history to win as many as 40 games in just
three seasons when he led the University of North Alabama to a 41-1
record and three straight NCAA Division II National Championships from
1993-95.
He
is also the only coach in Division II to ever win three straight
national championships. Wallace has led seven teams to Division II
post-season play, including West Alabama last season, marking the
school's first NCAA appearance since 1975. He was previously named
Division II Coach of the Quarter Century (1972-97).
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