« Reply #6 on: December 07, 2010, 10:17:58 AM »
Clemson's Bowers wins Nagurski over Auburn's Fairley
Published: Tuesday, December 07, 2010, 5:45 AM
Tommy Hicks tommy hicks
charlotte, n.c. -- clemson defensive end da'quan bowers, a 6-foot-4, 275-pound junior, was named the winner monday night of the 2010 bronko nagurski award presented annually to the nation's top defensive college football player by the football writers association of america and the charlotte touchdown club.
the award was presented at the annual banquet at the westin hotel.
auburn's nick fairley of mobile was one of five finalists, along with lsu's patrick peterson, georgia's justin houston and boston college's luke kuechlu and bowers. all five attended monday night's banquet.
fairley, the former williamson standout, said he was happy just to be a finalist and to be part of the banquet.
"it's been a great experience for me coming out here to charlotte," he said afterward. "just this one day, meeting these four guys, i know i've made friends for life. i want to congratulate da'quan on being the award winner. he's deserving. he had a great season. i wish him the best of luck."
bowers' head coach, dabo swinney, was the keynote speaker for the banquet and former notre dame and nfl quarterback steve beuerlein served was the master of ceremonies.
bowers thanked his coaches, teammates and family, including his late father who died earlier this year, for their support and guidance in helping push him to be a better athlete and person. clemson's leading tackler, bowers is the national leader in sacks this season and ranks no. 2 nationally in tackles for a loss.
fairley, a transfer from copiah-lincoln community college in wesson, miss., has enjoyed a standout year in his first season with auburn. the 6-foot-5, 298-pound junior has 55 total tackles, including 31 solo stops. he has also collected 21 tackles for a loss including 10.5 sacks. he also has 21 quarterback hurries, an interception, two fumbles recovered and one forced fumble.
he was especially effective in big games, claiming 2.5 sacks against lsu, two sacks against alabama and a sack against south carolina in last weekend's sec championship. he ranks eighth in the country in tackles for a loss and no. 16 nationally in sacks.
while he didn't come away with the nagurski award this season, fairley said he hopes the experience will serve as a springboard for next year. however, fairley is projected to be a top 10 pick in the nfl draft if he skips his senior season at auburn.
"This is something that will definitely push me so I can come back and try to win it again next year," he said. "It's something that will definitely push me to try harder next year."
Former Notre Dame and NFL standout Mike McCoy was named the winner of the Legends Award, presented to former outstanding defensive players.
Peterson has collected seven interceptions and 129 tackles in his LSU career. The sophomore has four interceptions this season. Boston College's Kuechly leads the country in tackles with 171. He is a sophomore linebacker. Georgia junior linebacker Houston is No. 10 in the country in tackles for a loss.
It moved. If only for a moment.
« Last Edit: December 07, 2010, 10:19:09 AM by Saniflush »
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