Steve Ryan has been named the AFCA NAIA Region 4 Coach of the Year for the fourth time during his Morningside career.

Morningside College head football coach Steve Ryan has been named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 2014 NAIA Region 4 Coach of the Year.

Ryan and the other AFCA region coach of the year recipients will be recognized at the AFCA Coach of the Year Dinner to be held Jan. 13 at the 2015 AFCA Convention in Louisville, Ken. The other NAIA Region Coach of the Year award winners are Chris Oliver of Lindsey Wilson College for Region 1, Jim Lyall of Siena Heights University for Region 2, Brian Willmer of MidAmerica Nazarene University for Region 3, and Mike Van Diest of Carroll College for Region 5.

Ryan guided the Mustangs to an 11-2 record during the 2014 season, including an 8-1 record in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) to share the regular season league title with Northwestern College. The Mustangs won their fourth consecutive GPAC championship and made their 11th consecutive post-season appearance in the NAIA Championship Series for the longest active streak in the nation. Morningside reached the NAIA Championship Series Semifinals for the third year in a row, where it lost 41-21 against Marian University this past Saturday.

Ryan was also named the AFCA NAIA Region 4 Coach of the Year in 2005, 2011, and 2012.

Ryan has a 120-35 record for a .774 winning percentage at Morningside for the most football coaching victories and the highest victory rate in Morningside history.