BATON ROUGE — LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey will start a busy week of appearances on Monday as he will travel to Charlotte, N.C., for a gala to announce the recipient of the 2007 Bronko Nagurski Award.
Dorsey is one of five finalists for the award that is presented annually by the Football Writers Association of America and the Charlotte Touchdown Club. The award goes to the best defensive player in college football.
Dorsey will also make stops in Houston on Wednesday night for the Lombardi Award dinner followed by a trip on Thursday to Orlando, Fla., for the ESPN College Football Awards Show. Dorsey is also scheduled to be in Los Angeles on Sunday for the Lott Trophy Dinner.
Dorsey, who has already been named as a first team All-American by the America Football Coaches Association, is a finalist for a total of five national awards. In addition to the Nagurski Trophy, Dorsey is also a finalist for the Lombardi, Outland, Lott and Bednarik Awards.
Other finalists for the Nagurski Trophy include last year’s winner and Ohio State linebacker Jim Laurinaitis, Virginia defensive end Chris Long, South Florida defensive end George Selvie and Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib.
Dorsey is the undisputed leader for the second-ranked and SEC Champion Tigers. Behind the play of Dorsey, the Tigers posted an 11-2 overall mark and will play Ohio State for the BCS National Championship on January 7 in New Orleans.
Despite being slowed for the last month of the season with a knee and back injuries, Dorsey has still managed to 64 tackles, 11.5 tackles for losses and six sacks for a Tiger defense that ranks No. 3 in the nation in yards allowed.
The FWAA award is named after Nagurski, who dominated college football at Minnesota as a bruising fullback and tackle from 1927-29. He could have been an All-America at any position, playing 60 minutes and was the best player wherever he lined up.
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. The official website of the Charlotte Touchdown Club is www.touchdownclub.com.
The Football Writers Association of America, a non- profit organization founded in 1941, consists of nearly 1,000 men and women across North America who cover college football for a living. 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, a national poll and its annual All-America team.