December 11, 2019
DALLAS – After leading his team to a five-win improvement and an appearance in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl in his first season as head coach on the Hilltop, WKU’s Tyson Helton has been named Conference USA Coach of the Year, as voted on by the league’s 14 head coaches.
Helton, who served as WKU’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2014-15, returned to lead the program to an 8-4 record this season, which includes a 6-2 mark in Conference USA play. The Hilltoppers, who finished 3-9 last season, are tied for the third-largest improvement in the FBS with a five-game win increase. WKU was picked by conference media members in the preseason to finish fifth in the East Division, but finished tied for second place.
Under Helton’s tutelage, WKU placed seven players on the C-USA All-Conference teams, including four first team selections. The Hilltoppers produced their first C-USA Defensive Player of the Year in junior DE DeAngelo Malone, who is second in the conference in sacks (11.5) and third nationally in tackles for loss (21.0), while registering 90 tackles. WKU also have the C-USA Newcomer of the Year in QB Ty Storey. The graduate transfer from Arkansas was named the Manning Award National QB of the Week for his performance in WKU’s 45-19 win at the Razorbacks on Nov. 9 and finished the regular season with a league-best 70.1 completion percentage, throwing for 2,209 yards and 12 touchdowns with just five interceptions.
This marks the first time that a WKU head coach has been named a conference Coach of the Year since Jack Harbaugh won the honor from the Ohio Valley Conference in 2000. Helton joins his father, Kim (1996 at Houston), in becoming the first father and son to each be named Coach of the Year in Conference USA’s 25-year history in any sport. The Heltons are the first father and son to each be named a conference’s Coach of the Year in any FBS league since Clemson’s Tommy Bowden (2003) joined his Dad, Bobby Bowden of Florida State (1997,1993), as ACC Coaches of the Year. Additionally, Tyson was a member of the 1996 Houston team that won C-USA and earned Kim the first C-USA Coach of the Year honor.
Helton and the Hilltoppers will look to close out the 2019 season with win No. 9 when they take on Western Michigan in the SERVPRO First Responders Bowl on Monday, December 30 in Dallas, Texas.
