Wake Forest Athletics
Abbate Named Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week
10/4/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 4, 2005
Wake Forest sophomore linebacker Jon Abbate was named the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Demon Deacons' 31-27 win over Clemson.
Abbate intercepted two passes and made 13 tackles. Both of his interceptions came in the first quarter as he became the first Wake Forest player to pick off two passes in a quarter since 2002. After the game, he needed four stitches to patch up a cut on the bridge of his nose.
Abbate, a native of Powder Springs, Ga., 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, now with the Kansas City Chiefs, 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. 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.
