November 15, 1999
Release: Upon Receipt

FURMAN'S BOBBY JOHNSON AMONG 16 FINALISTS FOR
EDDIE ROBINSON NATIONAL COACH-OF-THE-YEAR AWARD

GREENVILLE -- The Sports Network announced today that Furman head football coach Bobby Johnson is among 16 finalists for the 1999 Eddie Robinson Award, which is given annually to the top coach in NCAA I-AA football.

Currently in his sixth year as head coach of the Paladins, Johnson, a Columbia, S.C., native and 1973 Clemson graduate, has directed Furman to its current 8-2 record and No. 9 ranking in the latest NCAA I-AA polls. Included in Furman's strong season is a 28-3 win over North Carolina. The Paladins can claim a share of the 1999 Southern Conference championship and cement a bid to the NCAA I-AA playoffs with a win over Chattanooga this Saturday.

Johnson, who sports a 38-29 head coaching record at Furman, has spent 22 seasons at the university in the capacities of defensive backs coach, defensive coordinator, assistant head coach, and head coach. During his tenure, Furman has posted a 170-82-7 record, won eight Southern Conference championships, and claimed the 1998 NCAA I-AA national championship. In 1996 Johnson directed the Paladins to a 9-4 record and NCAA I-AA quarterfinal playoff finish.

The winner of the 1999 Eddie Robinson Award will be announced on Monday, December 6, 1999, at Mickey Mantle's Restaurant in New York City.

In 56 seasons as a college coach, Eddie Robinson totaled an NCAA record 408 wins prior to his retirement from Grambling State University in 1997. Robinson's coaching career spanned six decades, from the 1940s to the 1990s, and he was inducted into the College Football Hall-of-Fame in 1998.