Toledo?s Joplin Named MAC Coach Of The Year
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Toledo Head Coach Stan Joplin has been named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year this season for the first time in his 11-year-tenure with the Rockets. The award was voted on by the MAC News Media Association. The last UT coach to win the award was Bob Nichols in 1980.
Joplin wins his first MAC coaching honor after guiding the Rockets to a MAC regular season title and an 18-11 (14-2 MAC) record. It marks the fourth time in Toledo history that their coach has received the top honor. Toledo’s 14-2 conference record this season also tied the school record for most MAC victories in a season also held by the 1979-80 squad.
“Being named MAC Coach of the Year is a very nice honor and I want to thank the MAC News Media Association for it,” Joplin said. “We’ve had a great season and I believe this award is a nice tribute for our program and all the hard work that our players and coaching staff have put in. We’ve been able to reach half of our goals this season, but we still have two more left to accomplish.”
Joplin is in second place on UT’s all-time coaching win list with a 191-134 (.588) mark and his .588 winning percentage ranks eighth in MAC history among coaches who have spent five or more seasons in the league. His 191 overall victories rank seventh on the conference’s all-time overall win list and his 115 MAC victories put him in sixth place for conference wins only.
Joplin has guided UT to a second-place finish or better in the West Division in eight of the last nine years, including division titles in 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2004-05 and 2006-07. Even more impressive is the fact that UT has won 11 or more MAC contests in seven of the last nine seasons, including a school-record tying 14 victories this year as well as 12-win campaigns in the 2000-01 and 2003-04 campaigns.
Joplin also has won 20 games three times during his tenure at the UT helm. He is the only UT coach to win 20 games since 1981 and with two more wins the Rockets would register back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since posting five straight 20-win campaigns from 1976-77 to 1980-81.
The Toledo Rockets will await the winner of the Eastern Michigan vs. Ball State game and will take the floor in the Quarterfinal round of the 2007 FirstEnergy MAC Men’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday, March 8 at Noon.
