Wednesday, May 14, 2003
MORAVIAN’S PUKSZYN HONORED AS AN AFLAC NATIONAL
ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR
COLUMBUS, GA --- Moravian College assistant head football coach Jeff Pukszyn has
been selected as one of 500 high school and college assistant coaches from a field of more
then 350,000 across the nation as a winner of the second annual AFLAC National Assistant
Coaches of the Year Award.
A panel of judges from Scholastic Coach & Athletic Director magazine, the nation’s
leading publication for the team athletic marketplace, made selections. The winners, men
and women involved in virtually every major team sport, hail from all 50 states and the
District of Columbia.
The selections were based on nominations made by head coaches, athletic administrators,
past and current student-athletes, fans and board members themselves. Each winner received
two plaques, one each for the individual and the school. Pukszyn was presented his award
Wednesday evening at Moravian’s Senior Athletic Awards Banquet by a member of AFLAC,
one of the nation’s leading providers of insurance at the worksite.
The criteria in the second annual AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year program
allowed for coaches to win based on longevity, expertise, contributions to the school and
community, and special achievements throughout their career.
Pukszyn is a 1997 graduate of Moravian College, and he has completed
six years on the football coaching staff. In addition to his duties as assistant head coach, Pukszyn has
been Moravian’s defensive coordinator for the last three seasons. The Greyhounds,
who finished the 2002 season at 7-4, were 20th in the country in rushing defense, only
allowing 93.9 yards per contest on the ground (1,033 yards on 400 carries), and the squad
was tied for 39th in scoring defense, allowing just 16.4 points per game (180 points in
11 games). Moravian, which had a six-game winning streak during the season, participated
in the 2002 Eastern College Athletic Conference Southeast Championship game, losing to
McDaniel College, 21-7. The postseason appearance was the school’s first-ever berth
in the ECAC Championships.
“AFLAC is pleased to sponsor the AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year program,” said
Joe Kuechenmeister, AFLAC senior vice president. “Assistant coaches are the unsung
heroes of American sport. So many of us were positively affected by our participation in
sports that we wanted to pay tribute to these hard-working, under-recognized coaches who
do so much to improve the young people they work with. As a result, they make a major impact
in the communities they serve as well.”
“It was heart warming to read the stories of so many of the winners who were nominated
by their head coaches, their athletic directors, their players and, in at least a couple
of cases, by their own children-who played for their mothers and fathers.”
“We were extremely impressed with the quality of the nominees,” said Bruce
Weber, publisher of Scholastic Coach & Athletic Director. “The majority of the
nominations were prepared in great detail. The nominators obviously felt very deeply about
the assistant coaches they were recommending. It was also amazing to learn how many of
these coaches had been on the job for 30 years or longer.”
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