Boise State Player wins Award

Boise State's Petersen wins Bear Bryant Award

Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Boise State head football coach Chris Petersen was named the 2009 Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year on Thursday, making him the first two-time winner of the award.

Petersen, who also won in 2006, led the Broncos to a 14-0 season, capped off with a win over previously unbeaten TCU in the Fiesta Bowl. The season also included Boise State's seventh WAC Championship, as Petersen recorded his third perfect regular season in four years.

Petersen was selected by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association among a number of finalists, including Alabama's Nick Saban, who guided the Crimson Tide to a 14-0 season and the BCS national title.

Other finalists for the award were Texas' Mack Brown, Stanford's Jim Harbaugh, Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson, Oregon's Chip Kelly, and Houston's Kevin Sumlin.