Football Writers Association of America Sept. 20, 2005
For Immediate Release
Contact: Steve Richardson
972-713-6198
Senior linebacker helps 'Noles spoil BC's ACC debut
FLORIDA STATE'S NICHOLSON IS NAGURSKI
NATIONAL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

DALLAS (FWAA) – Florida State linebacker A.J. Nicholson (Winston-Salem, N.C.) was named the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Seminoles' 28-17 win at Boston College this past Saturday.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy

Nicholson, a senior, had two interceptions and a career-high 19 tackles. He returned his first interception 19 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the game. He then returned a second interception 40 yards to set up another score. Of Nicholson’s 19 tackles, 17 were unassisted. He also broke up a pass and made a tackle for loss.

Nicholson 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