Troy University Athletics
Photo by: Kevin Glackmeyer
Massaquoi Included on Nagurski Watch List
7/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
BRONKO NAGURSKI AWARD
For the second time this week, Troy University standout defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi has been named to a preseason “Watch List” for one of the top college football awards.
After earning a nod to the Bednarik Award list earlier in the week, Massaquoi was one of 87 players named to the Bronko Nagurski list on Friday. Once again, he was the only player from the Sun Belt Conference to be included on the list.
“These are both very prestigious awards and it is exciting for me to even be nominated,” Massaquoi said. “The recognition and pressure that comes along with these watch lists is there, but there is also the pressure that I put upon myself, the belief I have in myself and the guys around me, that is most important.”
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is awarded annually to the nation's best defensive player by the Football Writers Association of America and the Charlotte Touchdown Club. Every NCAA Division I Bowl Subdivision conference and Notre Dame are represented on the list that is pretty evenly divided among linemen, linebackers and defensive backs.
Players may be added or deleted from the Bronko Nagurski Watch List during the season. For the 11th straight season, the FWAA will choose a National Defensive Player of the Week. If that player is not on the Watch List, he automatically will be added. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Nov. 17.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner is chosen from five finalists who are part of the FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the entire membership, selects the 25-man team and eventually the Bronko 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 on Dec. 12 at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, N.C. Besides the 2011 winner being announced, the banquet will also celebrate the recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Legends Award presented by Florida East Coast Railway. Florida's Jack Youngblood, an end from the FWAA's 1970 All-American team, will be honored. Georgia head coach Mark Richt will be the keynote speaker at the banquet.
Nagurski was from Rainy River, Ontario and played collegiately at the University of Minnesota where he was an All-American on both offense and defense. He played professional football for the Chicago Bears from 1930-37 and again in 1943, helping the Bears to three NFL titles. He also had a career as a professional wrestler that included three world championships. He is a member of Pro Football Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.
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