Nov. 19, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Senior defensive end Carl Nassib (West Chester, Pa.) is one of five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy for the Nation's Top Defensive Player. Nassib and the other finalists will be honored at an awards banquet in Charlotte on Monday, Dec. 7. Nassib was previously named a finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award for the Nation's Top Lineman (offensive or defensive).
Nassib is the fifth Nittany Lion to be a finalist and the first finalist since Devon Still in 2011. In addition to Still, Tamba Hali (2005), LaVar Arrington (1999) and Courtney Brown (1999) have also been finalists for the Nagurski Trophy.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is given yearly to the National Defensive Player of the Year. The award is named for legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota, Bronko Nagurski, who dominated college football then became a star for the Chicago Bears in the 1930s.
In addition to Nassib, Duke's Jeremy Cash, Clemson's Shaq Lawson, Temple's Tyler Matakevich and Alabama's Reggie Ragland are also finalists.
Nassib sprung onto the national scene this year and leads FBS in sacks (15.5), tackles for loss (19.5) and forced fumbles (6). He has recorded a sack in each game this season and five multi-sack games. With one sack at Northwestern, Nassib broke the Penn State single-season sacks record by upping his total to 15.5. He surpasses the mark of 15 sacks set by Larry Kubin (1979) and Michael Haynes (2002).
Additionally, Nassib's six forced fumbles this season are the most by a Penn State player since Haynes had a school-record seven in the 2002. Nassib is the first Penn State player to force two fumbles in two games in a season since Maurice Evans did it in 2007. Evans had two forced fumbles against Indiana and two forced fumbles against Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl.
The West Chester, Pennsylvania native was recently named a semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy given to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on and the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which is given to a distinguished young men represent the qualities embodied by Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott -- Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity. Additionally, he was also a midseason All-America choice by SI.com, ESPN.com, USAToday.com and CBS Sports.
The award is 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 has a finalist for a fifth straight year.
Tickets for the Nittany Lions' Senior Day and Penn State White Out game against Michigan on Nov. 21. To purchase tickets or for more information, fans can visit PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 10 a.m-6 p.m.
The Penn State residence halls will remain open until Sunday at 10 a.m. to allow all students an opportunity to attend the football game heading into the week long Thanksgiving break from classes.