April 20, 2004

Colgate University interim athletics director Don Vaughan has announced that head football coach Dick Biddle and women's basketball coach Beth Combs will share the 2004 Howard Hartman Award winner as the University's Coach of the Year. Biddle is the first four-time winner of this prestigious award, while Combs is receiving the honor for the second time.

The award was established in memory of Howard N. Hartman, who was head basketball coach at Colgate between 1949-62 and also served as an assistant with the football, baseball and lacrosse programs. The honor is awarded annually to the Colgate coach who best represents leadership, spirit, discipline and determination that Hartman exemplified.

Biddle, who led Colgate to a 15-1 record and a berth in the NCAA Division I-AA title game, was named the Division I-AA AFCA National Coach of the Year for his performance during the 2003 season. He was also named Patriot League Coach of the Year for the second time in his eight-year tenure.

Biddle is the first Colgate coach to post eight straight winning seasons since Andy Kerr accomplished the feat between 1929-36, and the first Colgate coach to ever record seven straight seasons with seven or more victories. His eight-year record is 69-27 for a .718 winning percentage.

Combs, who recently was named head coach at Northwestern University, led the Raiders to their first Patriot League championship this past season and their first NCAA tournament berth. Colgate finished the 2003-04 campaign with a 21-10 mark.

For the second time in her three-year tenure at Colgate, Combs was named Patriot League Coach of the Year.

Biddle previously won the Howard Hartman Award in 1997, 1998 and 2003, while Combs won in 2002. They will receive their awards at the University's Awards Convocation on April 27 at the Colgate chapel.