Hallett Among Columbus Dispatch Ohio College Football Coach of the Year Nominees

First-year head coach Mike Hallett of the Heidelberg College football team was a nominee for the 2007 Columbus Dispatch Ohio College Football Coach of the Year. Final voting was released on Sunday, January 27, 2008 and Hallett was a top-five vote getter. The Ohio State University head coach Jim Tressel earned 47 points, including 14 first-place votes, to earn the award, while Hallett racked up 18 points and one first-place nod to stand fifth in the final voting.

Mike Kelly of the University of Dayton was second with 32 points and five first-place votes, while Dale Carlson of Ohio Dominican (28 points, 6 first-place votes) and Greg Debeljak of Case Western Reserve (23 points, 4 first-place votes) finished third and fourth, respectively.

Voting was conducted by coaches in the state. First-place votes were worth three points, second-place votes two points and third-place votes one point. The Dispatch Ohio Coach of the Year award is published through BuckeyeXtra, the Dispatch.com’s home for Ohio State sports.

Hallett guided the Berg to its best season since 1999, with an overall record of 4-6 and a 3-6 Ohio Athletic Conference mark. The Berg opened the year with a 37-26 win over Oberlin College to snap a 36-game skid, and added a 42-20 victory over nationally-ranked Baldwin-Wallace, along with end of the year wins over Wilmington College and Muskingum College.

For his efforts in restoring the winning tradition at Heidelberg, Hallett was tabbed the OAC Coach of the Year, as well as the North Region Coach of the Year according to d3football.com.

Final Voting Results (first-place votes)
Jim Tressel, Ohio State (14) – 47
Mike Kelly, Dayton (5) – 32
Dale Carlson, Ohio Dominican (6) – 28
Greg Debeljak, Case Western Reserve (4) – 23
Mike Hallett, Heidelberg (1) – 18
Larry Kehres, Mount Union – 12
Lee Owens, Ashland (1) – 8
Frank Solich, Ohio – 3
Rod Huber, Mount St. Joseph – 2
Jeff Ramsey, Oberlin – 2
Jon Heacock, Youngstown State – 1
Shane Montgomery, Miami - 1