Washington DC -- Howard University Head Coach Gary Harrell has been named as a finalist of the 2011 Eddie Robinson award, which is presented annually to the top coach in the FCS.

In just his first year, Harrell, a1994 Howard Alum, guided the bison to a 5-6 record. This came on the hills of a program that won only 4 of its last 33 games and had a 29 game conference losing streak headed into the season. He improved conference wins and finished 4-4 in the MEAC this season.

Under Harrell the Bison hosted upset wins over FAMU on the road that included a 29 point fourth quarter explosion.

The Bison defense, which had surrendered 50 points or more on five different occasion last year, finished among the top 10 in six diff categories nationally.

The five win total eclipsed the combined total that Howard posted in the previous three years combined and is the most since 2003.