(Waco, TX) The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) has announced the 2021 AFCA NAIA Regional Coaches of the Year. Cardinals Head Football Coach Joshua Schumacher has been named the AFCA NAIA Region 2 Coach of the Year, making it the second consecutive season that Coach Schumacher has been honored with this award.
Coach Schumacher's honor comes on the heels of the program's second straight MSFA Mideast League Championship. The Cardinals secured their second conference championship after finishing the regular season with an 8-1 in regular season and 6-1 in the competitive MSFA Mideast League. The Cardinals defeated three ranked teams throughout the course of the season (#16 Roosevelt, #11 Indiana Wesleyan, and #11 Saint Xavier).
In his fifth year as head coach for the Cardinals, Schumacher has posted an overall record of 42-11 and has not lost a game at Cardinal Stadium (23-0). The Cardinals have also been ranked in 48 consecutive NAIA Coaches top 25 polls, dating back to September of 2017. The Cardinals earned their fifth consecutive bid to the NAIA Football Championships Series and have now made the quarterfinals three times. The Cardinals have now reached the playoffs in all five years that Schumacher has been the head coach.
The AFCA recognizes coaches in five of the NAIA regions. The honorees from each region will now be put on the national ballot for the AFCA NAIA Coach of the Year which will be announced prior to the NAIA National Championship Game.
