PENSACOLA, Fla. – UWF head football coach Pete Shinnick was named the D2Football.com National Coach of the Year, while standouts Marvin Conley and John Williamson were recognized as part of the organization's All-America Team.
 
Shinnick led the Argonauts to an 11-4 record and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championship Game in their second season of competition. UWF went 5-3 in the ultra-competitive Gulf South Conference to finish tied for second. The Argonauts won a school record six-consecutive games which included five against nationally ranked teams en route to the title game appearance.
 
The Argos had the nation's 20th-ranked defense and were in the top 20 in sacks, turnovers gained, interceptions, fumbles recovered, fourth down defense and defensive touchdowns. Much of that was due to first-year defensive coordinator Darian Dulin's group, including Conley and Williamson.
 
Conley was one of the top defensive backs in the country, finishing with a team-high 104 tackles, four interceptions, six pass break ups, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. The junior from Tampa had at least five tackles in 11 of 15 games this season, in addition to a pair of interception returns for a touchdown.
 
Williamson had 70 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. He established a new Gulf South Conference single-season record for sacks as well. The junior from Stockton, Alabama had at least one sack in each of the last seven games with 12 total over that time frame.
 
Both players were voted onto the honorable mention list after earning second team All-America accolades last month from the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association.