THIBODAUX, La. — Nicholls State University football third-year head coach Tim Rebowe earned a ninth-place finish in the voting for the Eddie Robinson Award, which is presented to the FCS Coach of the Year, STATS FCS announced Wednesday afternoon.
 
Rebowe garnered five first-place votes and finished with a total of 82 points, placing him ninth out of 18 candidates. Austin Peay's Will Healy received the award with 374 points, edging out JMU's Mike Houston (332).
 
Under Rebowe's tutelage, the 2017 Colonels finished the regular season with an 8-3 record and earned the program's first FCS playoff berth since 2005. The eight-win campaign was the best since 1996, and the team's 7-2 mark in the Southland set a new program record for wins in the league.
 
The Colonels also enjoyed their longest winning streak in 31 years – winning six straight games – and were ranked for the first time since the 2007 season, climbing as high as No. 17 in the FCS Coaches poll.
 
In just his third season, Rebowe has completely turned the program around after inheriting an 18-game losing streak. The Colonels finished last in the Southland in the previous four seasons before he took over, and have now placed tied for fourth and third in 2016 and '17, respectively.
 
A total of 10 Colonels earned All-Southland this season, with all 10 being juniors and sophomores. The team has only 16 seniors on the roster and returns the majority of the starters from this year.
 
For the latest news on Colonel football, follow the team on Twitter @Nicholls_FB. 

The final voting results:

1. Will Healy, Austin Peay: 49-19-11-6-8-374

2. Mike Houston, James Madison: 28-18-21-21-15-332

3. Brian Bohannon, Kennesaw State: 15-27-26-14-12-301

4. Curt Cignetti, Elon: 11-20-15-16-10-222

5. Rod Broadway, North Carolina A&T: 9-18-9-13-13-183

6. Demario Warren, Southern Utah: 11-6-8-10-12-135

7. Al Bagnoli, Columbia: 6-7-12-9-11-123

8. John Grass, Jacksonville State: 4-1-14-6-8-86

9. Tim Rebowe, Nicholls: 5-5-6-5-9-82

10. Kevin Callahan, Monmouth: 2-4-6-13-10-80

11. Chris Klieman, North Dakota State: 2-7-5-5-13-76

12. Mike Ayers, Wofford: 3-5-4-8-6-69

13. Charlie Fisher, Western Illinois: 2-5-4-6-5-59

14. Pete Rossomando, Central Connecticut State: 2-4-5-4-6-55

15. Mike London, Howard: 0-4-2-12-6-52

16. Dan Hunt, Colgate: 1-1-1-3-1-19

17. Dave Cecchini, Valparaiso: 1-0-2-0-4-15

18. Fred McNair, Alcorn State: 0-0-0-0-2-2

A first-place vote was worth five points, a second-place vote four points, a third-place vote three points, a fourth-place vote two points and a fifth-place vote one point.