Cincinnati Bengals
Lewis named AP coach of year
By Staff Report, CNATI.com Posted January 16, 2010 11:09 AM ET
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis authored a dramatic change in personnel and style of play, helped his players and coaches through multiple off-the-field tragedies and led them to a division championship. For that, he was named the 2009 NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press.
The Bengals won the AFC North and finished 10-7, despite having one of the youngest teams in the league and coming off a 4-11-1 season.
Marvin Lewis
"This is a reflection of the work of all our players and coaches," Lewis said in a statement released by the team. "I'm very flattered to receive the honor, but there are a lot of people here who should also take a bow. And while we're proud of the season we had, we didn't get beyond our first goal. There is a lot more for us to accomplish in 2010."
The division championship and postseason berth were only the second for the franchise since 1991.
Lewis is the second coach in team history to be named AP NFL coach of the year. Paul Brown won the award in 1970 in the first season following the AFL-NFL merger.
Lewis was selected in voting by a panel of 50 media members from across the nation.
In addition to the team's turnaround on the field, the 2009 Bengals endured two sudden deaths in the family: Vikki Zimmer, the wife of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, died in October, and receiver Chris Henry died in December. The families of three Bengals players were impacted by the tsunami that ravaged American Samoa in September.
"We did all we could to keep the players focused on our football task while we gave honor and support to our family members in need," Lewis said in the statement. "We are fortunate to have a great group of players who could come together and stay strong."
Categories: Cincinnati Bengals, Featured Stories, News
Tags: Bengals, Marvin Lewis, Paul Brown
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