New York ? Jim Grobe held Wake Forest together after a couple of potentially devastating injuries and turned the perennially downtrodden Demon Deacons into champs.

For orchestrating one of the most surprising turnarounds in college football – and the best season in Wake Forest’s 105-year football history – Grobe was honored as Associated Press Coach of the Year on Wednesday.

In his sixth season at Wake Forest, Grobe took the Demon Deacons (11-2) from worst to first in the Atlantic Coast Conference without their starting quarterback and top tailback. Wake Forest set a school record for victories and won the ACC for the first time in 36 years.

The 54-year-old Grobe beat out a strong group of contenders for coach of the year, receiving 39 of 65 votes. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano finished second with 12 votes.