DALLAS (FWAA) The Pac-12 Conference led all leagues with 18 players on the 2014 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, with Oregon, Stanford, USC and Washington supplying the majority from that conference.
The four other power conferences ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC · all had double-digit players on the 81-man list. Eight of the 10 NCAA Division I Bowl Subdivision conferences are represented on the list unveiled by the Football Writers Association of America.
Twelve schools had at least three players on the list Stanford (4), Washington (4), Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, TCU and USC.
There are no returning first-team defensive FWAA All-America players from last season, but three 2013 second-teamers are on the 2014 Nagurski Watch List: end Vic Beasley, Clemson; back Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon; and end Ryan Mueller, Kansas State.
Players may be added or removed from the watch list during the course of the season. Once again, the FWAA will choose a Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week each Tuesday throughout the season. If not already on the watch list, the honored player will be added at that time. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the 2014 Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Nov. 20.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner will be chosen from those five finalists who are part of the 2014 FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the association's entire membership, selects the 26-man All-America Team and eventually the Nagurski finalists. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner, the best defensive player in America.
The annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Banquet will be held on Dec. 8 at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte. In addition to the 2014 Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner announcement, the banquet will also celebrate the recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Legends Award, sponsored by Florida East Coast Railway. Maryland's Randy White, a member of the FWAA's 1974 All-America team and a College Football Hall of Famer, will be honored. Alabama head coach Nick Saban will be the keynote speaker at the banquet.
The FWAA has named a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. In 1995, the FWAA named the award in honor of the legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota. Nagurski dominated college football then became a star for professional football's Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw Bronko· Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame. Pittsburgh tackle Aaron Donald won the award last season.
The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization
founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,400 men and women who cover college football.
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 gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For
more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson
at tiger@fwaa.com or 214-870-6516.
The Charlotte Touchdown Club was founded in 1991 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 touchdownclub.com.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 21 awards boast nearly 700 years of traditionselection excellence. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about our story.
The members of the NCFAA are unveiling their preseason watch lists over a 12-day period this month. Fifteen of the association's 21 awards select a preseason watch list and the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award's preseason candidates. Following is the complete 2014 preseason watch list calendar:
July 7: Maxwell Award/Bednarik Award
July 8: Mackey Award/Riminigton Trophy
July 9: Lou Groza Award/Ray Guy Award
July 10: Bronko Nagurski Trophy/Outland Trophy
July 11: Jim Thorpe Award
July 14: Butkus Award/Rotary Lombardi Award
July 15: Biletnikoff Award
July 16: Davey O'Brien Award
July 17: Doak Walker Award
July 18: Walter Camp Award