OHIO'S BYRUM IS BRONKO NAGURSKI NATIONAL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

DALLAS (FWAA) Ohio University cornerback Dion Byrum (Matthews, N.C.) was named the first
Bronko Nagurski Defensive Player of the Week for the 2005 season
for his performance in the Bobcats' 16-10 overtime win over Pittsburgh this
past Friday.


The senior
returned two interceptions for touchdowns. His second interception return,
an 85-yarder, provided the margin of victory in overtime. He also had a
38-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter, plus
three unassisted tackles and a pass breakup on the night.


Byrum has been added to the Watch
List for the 2005 Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which will be presented
to the best defensive player in college football on Dec. 5 by the Football
Writers Association of America and the Charlotte Touchdown Club. The presentation
will take place at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, N.C. Notre Dame football
coach Charlie Weis will be the keynote speaker at the event this year.


For the fifth straight season, the All-America committee of the FWAA will select the winner of the
weekly award on behalf of the Charlotte Touchdown Club. The winner is announced
each Tuesday throughout the season from nominations made by the 11 Division
I-A conferences and member schools.


Last season, Texas linebacker
Derrick Johnson won the coveted Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the 10th season
the FWAA has named a national defensive Player of the year.


The Football Writers Association
of America
, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more
than 900 men and women across North America who cover college football for
a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists,
as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA
works to govern areas that include game day operations, major awards, a national
poll and its annual All-America team.


The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a non-profit organization founded
in 1990 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional
football in the Charlotte, N.C. region. The club's activities and services
focus community attention on the outstanding citizenship, scholarship, sportsmanship,
and leadership of area athletes and coaches. For more information, contact
John Rocco (704-347-2918 or
jrocco@touchdownclub.com).
The official website of the Charlotte Touchdown Club is
www.touchdownclub.com
.


For more information on the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, contact FWAA executive director
Steve Richardson (972-713-6198 or
tiger@fwaa.com).


2005 Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Players of the Week

Sept. 10: Dion Byrum, Ohio

Sept. 17: A.J. Nicholson, Florida State

Sept. 24: Ben Moffitt, South Florida

Oct. 1: Jon Abbate, Wake Forest

Oct. 8: Tim McGarigle, Northwestern

Oct. 15: Bobby Carpenter, Ohio State

Oct. 22: Herschel Henderson, Northwestern

Oct. 29: Michael Johnson, Arizona

Nov. 5: A.J. Davis, North Carolina State