Tusculum’s Frankie DeBusk Named AFCA Region Coach Of The Year

WACO, Texas --- Tusculum College's Frankie DeBusk has been named the 2008 American Football Coaches Association NCAA Division II Super Region Two Coach of the Year announced officials Tuesday morning.

DeBusk, who has wrapped up his 11th season in Greeneville, led the Pioneers to one of the program's most successful campaigns. Tusculum posted a 9-4 record while capturing its second South Atlantic Conference championship in the last five years. TC won four of its last five outings and earned the school's first-ever trip to the NCAA Football Playoffs.

Tusculum clinched a share of the SAC title with a thrilling 45-44 win over nationally-ranked Carson-Newman in the regular season finale. The following week, the Pioneers played in its first NCAA Playoff game, hosting Albany State University. Tusculum rallied from a 10-point deficit to post a 34-22 win over the Golden Rams. TC's postseason run ended in the regional semifinal with a 28-19 road loss at top-seeded Delta State University.

Tusculum broke or tied over 44 team and individual records, including most wins in a season. For his efforts, he was also named SAC Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.

The Greeneville, Tenn. native has compiled a 68-52 record, making him the winningest gridiron coach in school history and fourth most successful football mentor in SAC history. His Pioneers have posted a 61-36 mark, resulting in three straight winning campaigns. Tusculum has recorded a winning season in seven of the last eight years.

He led TC to a 9-2 record in 2003 while claiming its first-ever SAC championship. Prior to coming to Tusculum, DeBusk served as an assistant coach at the University of Chattanooga for five seasons (1993-97). He also spent two years on the Furman University staff (1991-92). The 1991 Furman graduate was a two-time All-Southern Conference quarterback, where he led the Paladins to a NCAA I-AA National Championship in 1988. DeBusk still holds several Paladin single-season and career records and was inducted into his alma mater's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.

DeBusk is also in his second year serving as Tusculum's athletic director.