LB James Laurinaitis (St. Louis Rams)

[eobuck]

James Laurinaitis is the new Bronko Nagurski winner!

charlotte.com

BRONKO NAGURSKI AWARD

Laurinaitis top defender

Ohio State linebacker 1st sophomore winner

RON GREEN JR.

rgreenjr@charlotteobserver.com

Ohio State won another one.
Buckeyes linebacker James Laurinaitis won the Bronko Nagurski Award on Monday night at the Westin Hotel, capturing the honor as college football's top defensive player in a vote by the Football Writers Association of America.
It was the first time in the 14-year history of the award that a sophomore has been honored. Laurinaitis was chosen over Clemson's Gaines Adams, Michigan's Leon Hall, Florida's Reggie Nelson and Mississippi's Patrick Willis.
"It's kind of surreal being the younger guy. I was still in high school when these other guys were in college. It's a blessing," Laurinaitis said.
There are many reasons the top-ranked Buckeyes finished the regular season unbeaten and will face Florida in the Bowl Championship Series title game Jan. 8. Laurinaitis was chief among those reasons.
A 6-foot-3, 244-pound middle linebacker, Laurinaitis led Ohio State with 100 tackles and five interceptions. In one stretch, he had interceptions in consecutive games against Texas, Cincinnati, Penn State and Iowa.
In a 24-7 victory Sept. 9 at Texas in a showdown of No. 1 vs. No. 2, Laurinaitis forced two fumbles to go with his interception.
"It was a coming-out party for our whole defense," he said.
The finalists -- along with Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, Monday's featured speaker and only two-time winner of the award -- spent the day together.
Despite the national debate about Florida replacing Michigan as the second-ranked team in the country and earning a shot in the title game against Ohio State, Laurinaitis, Hall and Nelson steered clear of much conversation about bowl matchups.
"I got to relax" Sunday, Laurinaitis said. "Both teams were deserving. Other people can do the arguing."
Hall, a cornerback, admitted he was disappointed.
"Things didn't work out the way I or my team would have liked," he said. "It's unfortunate we didn't settle it before."
Nelson wasn't aware the Gators had been awarded the spot in the championship game until he landed in Charlotte on Sunday. It wasn't until he saw his teammates on television that he knew what had transpired.
"It was good news to hear," Nelson said.
Other winners
ROMAN GABRIEL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Alexander Vieregg, Myers Park.DONNIE SHELL HIGH SCHOOL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: David Paschal, Charlotte Latin.
HIGH SCHOOL COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Josh Secrest, Indian Trail Sun Valley.
LOCAL COLLEGE WINNERS: Brent Johnson, Catawba; Brett Dioguardi, Davidson; Kory Alston, Gardner-Webb; Edward Wilson, Johnson C. Smith; Kenwin Cummings, Wingate.
James Laurinaitis
SCHOOL: Ohio State
CLASS: Sophomore
POSITION: Middle linebacker
HEIGHT: 6-foot-3
WEIGHT: 244 pounds
HOMETOWN: Hamel, Minn.
HIGHLIGHTS: Laurinaitis had 8.5 tackles for loss this season for 44 yards, including four sacks for 40 yards. ... Had 13 tackles against then-No. 2 Texas. ...Is the son of Joe Laurinaitis, a pro wrestler during the 1980s and '90s known as "Animal" in the Legion of Doom.

[scarletngrey11]

The first ever sophomore.

Congrats James!

[OSUBucks22]

Originally Posted by Dryden

Nagurski will be awarded by the Charlotte TD Club tonight ...

http://www.touchdownclub.com/index.c...page&page_id=4

And the winner is...

James Laurinaitis!!!

Congrats Animal!

[buckiprof]

WOW! Congrats James!

[Crystal76]

CONGRATS JAMES!!!!

[Jt4prez]

Congrats James on this award and a great season. Next up: The Butkus Award

[osugrad21]

Awesome! Congrats Animal!

[OSUsushichic]

Amazing yet well deserved. Congrats, James!!!!

[sandgk]

Outstanding!!

[txbuckeye1983]

The 1st of many awards that will belong to Buckeyes.

[CleveBucks]

Way to go Animal.

Another late offer to a lowly three-star recruit. We'll be saying the same when Malcolm wins the Thorpe next year.

[Taosman]

Amazing!
And this is just the start!

[nickofthewoods]

http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/natlRank....ckles&site=org

No disrespect intended, but these numbers suggest other candidates
may be more deserving. J Leman was pretty impressive against the
Buckeyes. Given the tackling during the Michigan game, I am fearful
that accollades will mask concerns that still need to be addressed.

[SanClementeBuck]

Yeh, just like your spelling.

[Dryden]

Fickell accepted the award on Laurinaitis's behalf, as James was busy with exams.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2686512

Linebacker Laurinaitis awarded Nagurski Trophy
Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Ohio State middle linebacker James Laurinaitis won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Monday night, awarded to the nation's best defensive player by the Charlotte Touchdown Club.

Laurinaitis, the first sophomore to win the award, leads the top-ranked Buckeyes with 100 tackles and five interceptions. He also has four sacks.

The award was another victory for Ohio State over rival Michigan, with Laurinaitis edging Wolverines cornerback Leon Hall and three other finalists. The 6-foot-3 244-pound Laurinaitis also beat out Florida safety Reggie Nelson. The Buckeyes will face the Gators for the national championship on Jan. 8.

Clemson defensive end Gaines Adams and Mississippi linebacker Patrick Willis were the other two finalists.

Laurinaitis, the son of former pro wrestler Joe Laurinaitis better known as the "Animal," had to leave Charlotte before the award was given out so he could take a final exam on Tuesday. Ohio State co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Luke Fickell accepted the award in his place.

"It's easier for me to say a good thing about him when he's not here, especially since he's only a sophomore," Fickell joked. "He's got a great work ethic and attitude."

Laurinaitis, a native of Hamel, Minn., had only nine tackles as a true freshmen last season playing behind senior Bobby Carpenter. But after gaining 10 pounds in the offseason, he burst onto the scene this year for the 12-0 Buckeyes. He had an interception in four straight games early in the season and was named first-team All-Big Ten.

Fickell said it's fortunate he's not eligible for the NFL draft until 2008.

"He's a true sophomore so he can't go anywhere," he said.

The 14-year-old Bronko Nagurski Trophy is named after the late All-American at Minnesota in 1929. He led the Chicago Bears to three NFL championships and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Past winners include Warren Sapp, Charles Woodson, Champ Bailey, Dan Morgan and Roy Williams.

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, who won the award in 1995 and 1996, was the keynote speaker.