NFL Network To Televise FWAA Bronko Nagurski Trophy Ceremony

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is presented annually to the nation’s top NCAA defensive football player. The 2011 ceremony will take place during the annual Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet scheduled for Dec. 12 in Charlotte.

NFL Network’s broadcast of the event is scheduled for Dec. 16.

The five players nominated for the 2011 award are Alabama safety Mark Barron, LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne, Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, Illinois end Whitney Mercilus and Penn State tackle Devon Still.

“Having the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet televised nationally has been a goal of the Charlotte Touchdown Club for more than 10 years,” John Rocco, executive director of the Charlotte Touchdown Club, said in a statement. “It also allows college football fans from around the country to enjoy the excitement of watching the nation’s top defensive football player earn a place in the history of college football.”

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy was first awarded in 1993 to honor Nagurski, who became a national figure during his playing days at the University of Minnesota and in the NFL. He is a member of both the college and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

Past winners include Warren Sapp (1994), Charles Woodson (1997), Terrell Suggs (2002) and Ndamukong Suh (2009).

According to Steve Richardson, executive director for the College Football Writers Association of America, “NFL Network’s inclusion in its programing of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy presentation will greatly broaden the awareness of the award nationally. We at the FWAA are very excited about the future of the award with an association such as this one.”