CHARLOTTE, N.C. (FWAA) – The Charlotte Touchdown Club in conjunction with the Football Writers Association of America proudly announces Florida East Coast Railway as presenting sponsor for the Bronko Nagurski Legends Award, presented annually to the "best of the best" of defensive football players from the past 40 years.

"Florida East Coast Railway is honored to support the Charlotte Touchdown Club's efforts to recognize the true legends of college football as well as the club's mission to promote Citizenship, Scholarship, Sportsmanship and Leadership," said James R. Hertwig, President and CEO of Florida East Coast Railway.

"On behalf of everyone associated with the Charlotte Touchdown Club, thank you to Florida East Coast Railway for sponsoring the Bronko Nagurski Legends Award," said John Rocco, Executive Director for the Charlotte Touchdown Club. "Thanks to the generous support of sponsors like Florida East Coast Railway, the club can expand its support of student athletes in the Charlotte, North Carolina region."

Previous Bronko Legends Award winners include: Bubba Smith and Alan Page 2007, Ted Hendricks 2008, Roger Wehrli 2009 and Mike McCoy 2010.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is presented annually by the Charlotte Touchdown Club and Football Writers Association of America to the nation's most outstanding NCAA defensive football player. The Charlotte Touchdown Club also honors local college and high school football players and over the last decade has raised more than $1,250,000 for student athletic scholarships throughout the Charlotte Metro Area.

The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1991 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, North Carolina region. The Club's activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding Citizenship, Scholarship, Sportsmanship, and Leadership of area athletes and coaches.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy award finalists will be announced mid-November, with the award presented on December 12th at the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Awards Banquet in Charlotte, N.C. The keynote address will be given by University of Georgia head coach, Mark Richt. All net proceeds benefit the Touchdown Club Scholarship Fund. For reservations, call 704-347-2918.

FECR is a regional freight railroad that extends along a 351-mile corridor between Jacksonville, Fla., and Miami, Fla., with exclusive rail access to the Port of Palm Beach, Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale) and the Port of Miami. For more information, visit www.fecrwy.com.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,200 men and women 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 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 972-713-6198.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game's predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association's official Web site, ncfaa.org.