AMARILLO – Texas A&M University-Commerce head football coach Colby Carthel was honored by the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame as the Football Coach of the Year at the Hall of Fame's 60^th annual banquet Sunday.
 
Carthel is a native of Friona, Texas, and is the first Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame Coach of the Year honoree to represent a school outside of the Panhandle at the time of his honor. This is the first coach of the year honor won by Carthel in his time at A&M-Commerce.
 
Being honored at the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame banquet has become a family affair for the Carthels, as Carthel's wife, Sarah, and father, Don, were both inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. Don Carthel also won the Football Coach of the Year award in 2005, 2007, and 2012, while head coach at West Texas A&M.
 
Colby Carthel recently completed his fifth season as the head football coach at A&M-Commerce, leading the Lions to the 2017 NCAA Division II Football National Championship for A&M-Commerce's first-ever NCAA national championship.
 
The Lions won the Triple Crown of Division II football with the National Championship, the Harlon Hill Trophy for the top player in Division II football, and the Elite 90 Award for the top grade point average at the NCAA Championship.
 
In Carthel's five seasons, the Lions have compiled a 49-15 record and have qualified for the postseason in each of those five seasons. A&M-Commerce won three consecutive Lone Star Conference Championships in 2014, 2015, and 2016. The Lions have also had 43 All-American honors, 126 all-Lone Star Conference honors, and eight Lone Star Conference Player of the Year honors in Carthel's five seasons.