The FieldTurf/Howie Long Awards are named after Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman Howie Long. An eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Long played for the Raiders from 1981-93. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000.!
Head coach Jeff Fisher and the Tennessee Titans captured the annual Fieldturf/Howie long Awards.
In 2008, the Titans posted an NFL-best 13-3 record to capture the AFC South, thus earning a bye in the first round of the league playoffs. Fisher was at the helm of the Titans' 2008 on-field success, as he completed his 14th season as Tennessee's head coach. He owns the franchise record for career victories with 133, and he has now led the team to a postseason berth in six of the past nine years. With three division titles, Fisher is one of only 11 NFL head coaches in league annals to have led his team for 200 or more games.
"There's absolutely no question that the Titans were a very deserving choice in both of our NFL awards categories," said FieldTurf Tarkett CEO Joe Fields. "Coach Fisher has demonstrated a tremendous record of consistency and sustained success, which as we all know, is so very hard to accomplish on the NFL stage. And the Titans are certainly a success both on and off the field, which is a credit to Owner Bud Adams."
The FieldTurf/Howie Long awards were also presented in various categories at the college and high school levels. Collegiately, the University of Florida Gators were awarded the 2008 "Team of the Year" while Texas Tech Head Coach Mike Leach was the recipient of this year's "Coach of the Year."
By a wide margin, FieldTurf is the industry leader in artificial turf. Twenty-one of the NFL's 32 teams currently utilize FieldTurf at their stadium and/or practice facility. In the latest NFLPA survey of all of the league's players, FieldTurf consistently ranked among the league's top surfaces. The FieldTurf at Qwest Field in Seattle was ranked ahead of 18 of the NFL's 19 stadium grass surfaces. In addition, FieldTurf is the choice at the NCAA Division I level with 38 stadiums and 32 practice fields. FieldTurf is also installed at 300 other universities and community colleges from coast to coast.
