Most coveted national coaching award recognizes five decades of honoring scholarship, leadership and integrity
ATLANTA (June 26, 2025) – The Dodd Trophy, college football’s most coveted national coaching award, is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary throughout the 2025-26 college football season.
The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation, in partnership with Peach Bowl, Inc. and PNC Bank, will honor the 50th anniversary of the award all season through various initiatives around the country, culminating with the winner of the 2025 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank being announced in Atlanta during the week of the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Managed by Peach Bowl, Inc. and presented by PNC Bank, The Dodd Trophy annually honors the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity – the three pillars of legendary Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd’s coaching philosophy.
The eponymous award was established to honor the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division 1A) head football coach whose program represents the highest ideals on and off the field. The Dodd Trophy honors the coach of a team which enjoys a successful football season, while also stressing the importance of academic excellence and character, as did coach Dodd’s teams during his 22 years leading the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
“To this day, coach Dodd remains one of college football’s most legendary figures, both as a coach and a player,” said Chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation Jim Terry. “He set a new standard in college football on how to have success on the gridiron, while also emphasizing the importance of academic excellence for his student athletes and giving back to the community. For the past 50 years we’ve been honored to celebrate some of our sport’s most renowned coaches who truly exemplified his coaching philosophy, both on and off the field.”
Over the past five decades, Dodd Trophy recipients have featured some of college football’s most legendary coaching figures who have led their teams to 8,696 all-time victories, 226 conference titles and 26 FBS National Championships. Off the football field, this elite list of coaches also led their student-athletes to a stellar 80 percent average graduation rate and an average Academic Progress Rate (APR) score of 976.
“As presenting sponsor of The Dodd Trophy, PNC Bank is honored to join the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. in celebrating the 50th anniversary of this prestigious award,” said Samantha Jones, PNC regional president for Georgia. “For half a century, The Dodd Trophy has served as a symbol of excellence and a standard for principled leadership, both on and off the field. We are proud to be part of this remarkable milestone and look forward to continuing this legacy in the upcoming season and beyond.”
“The Dodd Trophy has grown over these 50 years to become college football’s most coveted coaching award because it sets itself apart by looking beyond just wins and losses, and recognizes all of the traits it takes to be an elite college football coach,” said Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and President Gary Stokan. “This season will be a celebration of all how far this award has come and an opportunity to recognize so many iconic coaches in our sport who lived up to coach Dodd’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity.”
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About the Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank:
The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank was established in 1976 to honor the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division 1A) head football coach whose program represents the highest ideals on and off the field. The award honors the coach of a team which enjoys a successful football season, while also stressing the importance of academic excellence and character, as did Coach Dodd’s teams during his 22 years as head football coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Coach Dodd remains one of college football’s legendary figures, both as a coach and a player. Coach Dodd was a native of Galax, Virginia, and played his college ball at the University of Tennessee where his team had 27 wins, one loss and two ties during the three years he played. Coach Dodd was selected to the National College Football Hall of Fame both as a coach and as a player. Additional information about the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation can be found at www.TheDoddTrophy.com. For news, updates and insider information, follow us on Twitter at @DoddTrophy or find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DoddTrophy.
About PNC Bank:
PNC Bank, National Association, is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com.
About Peach Bowl, Inc.:
Peach Bowl, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization that operates the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Aflac Kickoff Game, the Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament, and manages and operates The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank national coach of the year award. It is the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and is recognized as college football’s most charitable bowl organization, having donated more than $65.8 million to organizations in need since 2002.
Peach Bowl, Inc Events:
Our Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is one of the New Year’s Six bowls selected to host the College Football Playoff including the CFP Semifinal in 2026. Over its 57 years, the game has drawn 3.38 million fans in attendance, a total television audience of 257.1 million viewers on ESPN, and has created $934.2 million in direct economic impact and $55.18 million in tax revenue for Atlanta and Georgia.
Our Aflac Kickoff Game is the nation’s longest-running kickoff game and has reshaped the opening weekend in college football. With 21 games since 2008, the game has regularly hosted the nation’s top teams and has drawn nearly 1.4 million fans, 108.6 million television viewers, distributed $127.7 million in team payouts and created an additional $593.8 million in economic impact and $41.5 million in tax revenue for Atlanta and Georgia.
The Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge is the nation’s premier charity golf tournament featuring top current and former college football coaches. Hosted at the beautiful Reynolds Lake Oconee resort outside Atlanta each spring, the event has generated $10 million for the various foundations and charities supported by its coaches.
The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank is college football’s most coveted national coaching award. Named for legendary Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd, The Dodd Trophy annually honors the FBS football coach whose program represents three pillars of success: scholarship, leadership and integrity.
