When Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer hoisted the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy, it was supposed to be the end of an era...the BCS era.
No longer would the Waterford crystal of the AFCA Coaches’ Trophy serve as the de facto national championship trophy.
Fun fact: National champions will now be awarded two championship trophies under the guidelines of the current system.
The American Football Coaches Association Executive Director, Grant Teaff, issued a statement Tuesday that clarified some false statements regarding the Coaches’ Trophy.
“On behalf the American Football Coaches Association, we would like to take this opportunity to address inaccuracies communicated by ESPN on last night’s National Championship broadcast,” Teaff said in the statement. “The first of which is Chris Fowler‘s statement that the Crystal Ball is retired. This is incorrect, as the AFCA Coaches’ Trophy presented by Amway (i.e. the ‘Crystal Ball’) is alive and well, and will soon be awarded to the No. 1 team of the Amway Coaches Poll, the Ohio State University Buckeyes. More information about that award ceremony will be released soon.
“Secondly, it was also indicated the Crystal Ball was awarded over the last 16 years. In actuality, the AFCA Coaches’ Trophy has been the Symbol of Supremacy in College Football for 29 years, since 1986, and has been awarded annually to the winner of the Coaches Poll, now the Amway Coaches Poll, ever since.”
Thus, the Buckeyes will be awarded with two trophies to represent a single championship.
Meyer will just add them to his Hall-of-Fame resume.
