College Football

Northwestern's David Braun named consensus Big Ten Coach of the Year

Published Nov. 28, 2023 2:44 p.m. ET

Northwestern head coach David Braun seemed to be in an untenable situation when he took over for program legend Pat Fitzgerald in July after Fitzgerald was fired amid a school investigation into a hazing scandal amid the football program. Braun had been hired as defensive coordinator by Fitzgerald just six months earlier.

But after the Wildcats won just one game in 2022, Braun led Northwestern to a seven-win season and bowl eligibility for the first time since 2020. For his efforts, Braun was named consensus Big Ten Coach of the Year, winning both the conference's Hayes-Schembechler Award (voted on by coaches) and the Dave McClain Award (voted on by media members).

Braun was initially Northwestern's interim head coach but had the interim tag removed earlier in November. The Wildcats closed out their shocking turnaround season with a 45-43 win over in-state rival Illinois on Saturday. Northwestern also has wins over Big Ten rivals Purdue, Maryland, Wisconsin and Minnesota this season.

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