DALLAS (FWAA) Arizona safety Michael Johnson
(Pflugerville, Texas) was named the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive
Player of the Week for his performance in the Wildcats' 29-27 win
over Oregon State this past Saturday.
Johnson, a 6-3, 195-pound junior, had three of Arizona's six
interceptions, returning one of them 40 yards for a touchdown. Johnson
also was credited with nine tackles, five solo. On the afternoon, the
Arizona defense forced seven Oregon State turnovers.
Johnson 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