CHARLOTTE, N.C. (FWAA) – Temple senior linebacker Tyler Matakevich was named the 2015 Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner on Monday night, a feat paralleling his team’s rise to its first Top 25 ranking since 1980 and record-tying 10-victory season in which the Owls won the American Athletic Conference's East Division crown.

The Football Writers Association of America and the Charlotte Touchdown Club made the announcement at a gala banquet preented by ACN at the Westin Hotel in downtown Charlotte, N.C. Matakevich, the school’s all-time tackle leader, is the first major award winner for Temple (10-3), which is headed to the Marmot Boca Raton Bowl to play Toledo on Dec. 22.

This year's banquet marks the 21st anniversary of the event in Charlotte, where Matakevich beat out the other finalists: Duke safety Jeremy Cash, Clemson end Shaq Lawson, Penn State end Carl Nassib and Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland.

The 6-1, 232-pound Matakevich, the first, first-team defensive All-American in Temple history, now has collected the title as the best defensive player in college football. Adding to the story, Temple was the only Football Bowl Subdivision school to recruit him out of Stratford, Conn.

"They (most recruiters) told me I was too small, too slow and I could not play at this level," Matakevich said. "It was everybody."

But current Temple head coach Matt Rhule, who was an assistant on the staff at the time, looked at him differently.

"He saw that I could be a hard-nosed, physical football player," Matakevich said. "All the time I always tell him thank you for bringing me here. He says, 'No, thank you.' I said, "You believed in me.' He said he saw potential."

Matakevich said he made up for his lack of size and speed with diligent film study over the years. "I can see things (on the field) before other people see them."

The current career tackle leader in the FBS, Matakevich has recorded more than 100 tackles in all four seasons at Temple. He is only the seventh player in FBS history to record more than 100 tackles in four different seasons. And he is the only player in the FBS who has led his team in tackles in every game during the 2015 season. He also has the most interceptions by any linebacker in college football this season (five) with 47 yards in returns.

Matakevich

Matakevich, through 13 games in 2015, has 126 total tackles. He has 15 tackles for 62 yards in losses. Of those, are 4.5 sacks for minus-28 yards. In addition, he has five passes broken up and one quarterback hurry.

On winning the award, Matakevich called it an "unbelievable, awesome experience. Temple has had nobody here to win it. It is a humbling experience." And, on the Owls' breakthrough season, he said, "We had 22 seniors and all us went through 2-10 and 6-6 and we went though a coaching change. We said enough is enough. We are not going to lose anymore."

The FWAA and Charlotte Touchdown Club also handed out the Bronko Nagurski Legends Award presented by Florida East Coast Railway. This year's recipient was former Ohio State linebacker Randy Gradishar, a member of the FWAA's 1973 FWAA All-America Team, a College Football Hall of Famer and an All-Pro for the Denver Broncos.

The awards are named after the legendary Bronko Nagurski, who dominated college football at the University of Minnesota as a bruising fullback and defensive tackle from 1927-29. He could have been an All-American at any position and was the best player wherever the coaches put him.

Nagurski led Minnesota to the Big Ten title in 1927 and a three-year record of 18-4-2. He went on to lead the fabled Chicago Bears to three NFL titles. During one game at Wrigley Field, he once broke a defensive player's shoulder, knocked another out and ran into a brick wall and actually cracked it after a game-winning touchdown run.

The FWAA has named a National Defensive Player of the Year since the 1993 season. Of the five schools represented among the finalists, only Clemson has had a previous winner, Da’Quan Bowers in 2010. While Alabama and Penn State have had finalists for the award before, these are first-time Bronko Nagurski finalists for both Duke and Temple. Alabama had a finalist for a fifth straight year.

Celebrating its 75th season, the Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization, consists of more than 1,400 men and women who cover college football. 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 214-870-6516.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. The NCFAA encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 22 awards boast more than 700 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about our story.

 ABOUT THE CHARLOTTE TOUCHDOWN CLUB AND ITS SPONSORS

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 touchdownclub.com.

ACN, Inc.
Founded in 1993, ACN is the world's largest direct seller of telecommunications and essential services for residential and business customers. ACN provides the services people need and use every day including Home Phone Service, High Speed Internet, Wireless, Television, Home Security & Automation, Computer Support and Natural Gas and Electricity. ACN operates in 24 countries with offices located throughout North America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information, visit myacn.com. For information on ACN's home-based business opportunity, visit acninc.com.

Florida East Coast Railway
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 fecrwy.com.

Electrolux
Electrolux is a global leader in appliances for household and professional use, selling more than 50 million products to customers in more than 150 countries every year. The company focuses on innovations that are thoughtfully designed, based on extensive consumer insight, to meet the real needs of consumers and professionals. Electrolux products include refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, cookers and air-conditioners sold under esteemed brands such as Electrolux, Frigidaire, Kelvinator, AEG, and Eureka. In 2012, Electrolux had sales of $17 billion ($5.1 billion in North America) and 58,000 employees. The Electrolux North American headquarters is located at 10200 David Taylor Drive, Charlotte, NC 28262 in the University Research Park. For more information visit http://newsroom.electrolux.com/us/.