Courtesy of Vince Thompson, AFCA Director of Media Relations

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – Frank Beamer and Todd Knight have been named Distinguished Members of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Their continued dedication to football and bettering their communities embodies the goals and values of the AFCA. As distinguished members, they will have a lifetime membership and access to all the educational and coaching resources available from the AFCA, as well as the opportunity to attend the annual AFCA Convention each January.
 
A 2018 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame, Frank Beamer patrolled the Virginia Tech sidelines for 29 years, won 238 games and seven conference titles. He is the winningest head coach in program history and guided the Hokies to their first-ever national championship game appearance in 1999. In his final 23 seasons as head coach, Beamer led Virginia Tech to 23 consecutive bowl games. He began his head coaching career at Murray State in 1981 and led the Racers to a 42-23-2 record in his six seasons as head coach with one conference title. His 280 career victories rank sixth in FBS history and are 13^th most in NCAA history. Beamer won AFCA Regional and National Coach of the Year honors in 1999 for leading the Hokies to their first 11-win season and first undefeated regular season, along with the appearance in the BCS National Championship game at the Sugar Bowl.
 
Todd Knight served as president of the AFCA in 2023. He just completed his 25^th season as head coach at Ouachita Baptist by leading the Tigers to a 10-2 record, a share of the Great American Conference title and an appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs. That was Ouachita's seventh GAC title under Knight. He has a record of 162-103 at Ouachita Baptist and an overall record of 190-135-2 when you include his six seasons as head coach at Delta State. Knight led the Statesmen to their first Gulf South Conference title in 1998, earning him GSC Coach of the Year honors. He has also been named AFCA Regional Coach of the Year five times.
 
The AFCA was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 11,000 members around the world ranging from the high school level to the professional ranks. According to its constitution, the AFCA was formed, in part, to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and in the coaching profession" and to "provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football."