BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On the gridiron, every yard counts. And an untimely penalty in a crucial situation can make the difference between winning and losing. It is coaching and player discipline that narrows this margin of error and allows teams to capitalize on every inch of turf. Today, Liberty Mutual Insurance unveiled the “Million Dollar Game,” a unique opportunity for college football teams across all Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A), Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA), Division II and Division III institutions to strive to remain penalty-free for an entire 2010 regular season game. If a regular season game is completed in which neither team commits an on-field penalty, Liberty Mutual will donate a total of $1 million (up to $500,000 per team) to a charity selected by each school. If more than one game is completed penalty-free, the million-dollar donation will be split among all winning schools’ charities.

Pioneering the pursuit of sportsmanship, integrity, responsibility, and excellence on the field, the quest for the penalty-free game – worth $1 million to charity – is taking place for the first time during the 2010 season in conjunction with the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award, which honors the coaches who give back to their teams, schools and communities, on and off field. Four coaches are selected as winners each season with Liberty Mutual donating $70,000 to each for charities of their choice and scholarship funds as part of the award prize. Team penalties and personal fouls are among the College Football Hall of Fame-endorsed criteria used to help determine Award finalists and winners.

“Performance through excellence and sportsmanship, on and off the field, are pillars upon which the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award stands,” said Greg Gordon, Liberty Mutual senior vice president, Consumer Marketing. “We know that ultimately it’s about winning, and coaches and their teams play to win. We don’t want to change that but if a team can achieve that win - without a penalty on either side - we want to celebrate that accomplishment. We’re offering the coaches on each side of the field an opportunity to play a penalty free game and provide $1 million to charities through their discipline and responsibility on the field.”

Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award

Fan voting for the 2010 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award kicked off this week at www.coachoftheyear.com. Now in its fifth year, the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award has donated an additional nearly $1 million to more than 60 charities and scholarship funds on behalf of thirteen coach winners. Each winning coach, selected by a combination of online fan voting and a committee of college football media and College Football Hall of Fame players and coaches, receives $50,000 to donate to the charities of their choice and a $20,000 grant to donate to his school's alumni association, to provide an even further positive impact on the school and local community.

The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award celebrates coaches who lead by example and exert a positive impact on the lives of young people, their families and their communities. Past winners include: 2006 – Greg Schiano (Rutgers); 2007 – Ron Zook (Illinois), Jerry Kill (Southern Illinois), Bill O’Boyle (Chadron State), John Gagliardi (Saint John’s); 2008 – Nick Saban (Alabama), Mickey Matthews (James Madison), Chuck Broyles (Pittsburg State), Larry Kehres (Mount Union); 2009 – Gary Patterson (TCU), Jerry Moore (Appalachian State), Mel Tjeerdsma (Northwest Missouri State), Steve Staker (Coe College).

For more information about the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award visit www.coachoftheyear.com.

About Liberty Mutual Group

“ Helping people live safer, more secure lives” since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group (Libertymutualgroup.com) is a diversified global insurer and fifth-largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2009 direct written premium. Liberty Mutual Group ranks 71st on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2009 revenue. The company has over 45,000 employees located in more than 900 offices throughout the world.

The eighth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual (libertymutual.com) sells full lines of coverage for automobile, homeowners, valuable possessions, personal liability, and individual life insurance. The company is an industry leader in affinity partnerships, offering car and home insurance to employees and members of more than 12,000 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.