SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Morningside College offensive coordinator Josh Gehring has been named the American Football Coaches Association’s (AFCA) 2009 NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year. 

Gehring, in his third year at Morningside, is the architect of a Morningside offense that currently ranks third nationally with an average of 49.6 points per game. The Mustangs rank sixth nationally with an average of 496.2 yards total offense and seventh with an average of 233.5 yards rushing per game. The Mustangs have rushed for a school-record 2,335 yards this season.
 
Morningside, 9-1, will host Missouri Valley College this Saturday in a first round game in the 2009 NAIA Football Championship Series. 

The Mustangs led the nation in team scoring offense with an average of 48.0 points per game in 2008.
Gehring has developed and implemented a leadership development program for incoming freshman athletes with the purpose of building character, developing leadership skills, and building a foundation for academic success. He initiated the Morningside College Youth Football Camps that serve nearly 200 Siouxland youth and has spearheaded many community service and outreach projects which consist of a player readership program for elementary school children and leading food and clothing drives for local charities. 

The Assistant Coach of the Year awards were created to honor assistant coaches who excel in community service, commitment to the student-athlete, on-field coaching success, and AFCA professional organization involvement. 

Aside from Gehring, this year’s other winners are Mike MacIntyre of Duke University for the Football Bowl Subdivision, Mark Speir of Appalachian State University for the Football Championship Subdivision, David Needs of Carson-Newman College for NCAA Division II, and Jeff Thomas of the University of the Redlands for the NCAA Division III. 

The AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year recipients will be honored at the AFCA Kickoff Luncheon on Jan. 11 at the 2010 AFCA Convention in Orlando, Fla. 

Gehring is the second Morningside coach to receive the award in the last three years. Former defensive coordinator Ryan Nourse received the AFCA NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year Award in 2007. 

Before joining the Mustangs, Gehring was the defensive coordinator at Concordia University in River Forest, Ill. He has also been an assistant coach at Missouri State University, Western Kentucky University, Manchester College, and Ottawa University.