SHERMAN, Texas – Jason Burton and Marcus Schulz have been named the 2019 recipients of Austin College's Kedric Couch Alumni Coach of the Year Award, athletics director David Norman has announced. The awards will be presented on the evening of August 3 during Austin College's annual Legends Weekend.
Burton, a 2007 graduate of Austin College, coached the Texas A&M-Commerce women's basketball program to a 20-11 record and just the second NCAA Regional Tournament appearance in program history in 2018-19. The Lions tied the program record with 14 conference wins during the campaign as well, and it was the fifth straight year with a winning record for the Lions, establishing a new program mark for consecutive winning seasons.
Schulz, a 2003 graduate of Austin College, coached Splendora High School's football program to its first ever 10-win season in 2018 and was named the District 11-4A Coach of the Year, as well as the All-Montgomery County Football Coach of the Year. Under Schulz, Splendora went undefeated in District 11-4A on their way to capturing the district championship, which was the first Bi-District Championship in 71 years at Splendora.
The Kedric Couch Alumni Coach of the Year Award is bestowed annually to distinguished alumni who have excelled in the field of coaching at the high school, college, or professional level for the last academic year. Past recipients include Larry Fedora, Danny Henderson, Kenneth Loyd, Jeff Riordan, Larry Tidwell, Mark Kellogg, Kirk Thor, Ross Reedy, Michael Bardgett, Claude Webb, Gilbert Villarreal, and Polly Thomason.
Austin College athletic teams participate as a member of the NCAA Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.