3 Hurricanes Named To Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List

April 13, 2002

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Charlotte Touchdown Club and the Football Writers Association of America have announced the 2002 watch list of candidates for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, awarded annually to the nation’s top defensive college player, and three members of the Miami Hurricanes defense are among the 64 players listed. Defensive tackle William Joseph, defensive end Jerome McDougle and middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma are the three Miami defensive stars who made the preseason list.

Joseph (Miami, Fla./Edison HS) led the team in quarterback sacks (10 for 69 yards) and tackles for loss (19 for 85 yards) last season and ranked fourth on the team in tackles with 61. He has started all 35 regular season games since coming to Miami and was one of the team’s most consistent tacklers last season, nabbing between three and eight stops in every game. Joseph posted quarterback sacks in six games, including the last four in a row.

McDougle (Pompano Beach, Fla./Ely HS) emerged as one of the nation’s finest defensive ends in 2001. He was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press and was named first-team All-BIG EAST by the conference’s head coaches. McDougle racked up an amazing 48 quarterback hurries last season and had seven quarterback sacks for 38 yards in losses. He also made 15 tackles for losses totaling 54 yards, ending the season with 59 tackles (30 unassisted) and three fumbles forced.

Vilma (Coral Gables, Fla./Coral Gables HS) led the team in tackles last year with 79 (54 solos) in his first season as a starter. An exceptional student-athlete, Vilma developed into a playmaker as the season progressed and earned first-team All-BIG EAST recognition from the league’s head coaches. Also a member of the BIG EAST All-Academic Team, Vilma had three games of double-digit tackles in 2001.

The 800-member Football Writers Association of America selects the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list candidates, identifies the players of the week throughout the regular season and names the trophy winner. The Charlotte Touchdown Club, a non-profit organization that raises funds for scholarships, has presented the trophy each year since 1995.

Two Miami Hurricanes – Warren Sapp (1994) and Dan Morgan (2000) – have been awarded the Bronko Nagurski Trophy in past years. Other winners have been Rob Waldrop (1993) of Arizona, Pat Fitzgerald of Northwestern (1995 and ’96), Charles Woodson of Michigan (1997), Champ Bailey of Georgia (1998), and Corey Moore of Virginia Tech (1999). The 2001 recipient was Roy Williams, a defensive back from the University of Oklahoma.

The award, named after Hall of Famer and University of Minnesota and Chicago Bears star Bronko Nagurski, recognizes the best all-around defensive players throughout the year with the Bronko Nagurski Player of the Week. In November, five finalists will be selected and the trophy will be presented to the winner at a banquet on December 9 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

2002 BRONKO NAGURSKI TROPHY WATCH LISTAnthony Allsbury, DL, Western MichiganPhil Archer, LB, MinnesotaFred Barr, LB, IowaLance Briggs, LB, ArizonaChris Brown, LB, HawaiiNick Burley, DE, Fresno StateA.C. Collier, DE, BaylorChris Crocker, DB, MarshallAngelo Crowell, LB, VirginiaRod Davis, LB, Southern MissSheldon Deckart, LB, UtahMike Doss, DB, Ohio StateRashad Faison, DB, South CarolinaAnthony Floyd, DB, LouisvilleLawrence Flugence, LB, Texas TechGreg Gathers, DE, Georgia TechJernaro Gilford, DB, BYUBrandon Green, DL, RiceMario Haggan, LB, Mississippi StateKen Hamlin, DB, ArkansasTommie Harris, DT, OklahomaGerald Hayes, LB, PittsburghE.J. Henderson, LB, MarylandVictor Hobson, LB, MichiganTerrance Holt, DB, N.C. StateBradie James, LB, LSUErasmus James, DL, WisconsinDerrick Johnson, LB, TexasTodd Johnson, DB, FloridaTerrell Jones, LB, Miami (Ohio)William Joseph, DT, MiamiCato June, DB, MichiganChris Kelsay, DE, NebraskaJimmy Kennedy, DL, Penn StateDan Klecko, DT, TempleRodney Leisle, DT, UCLAEric Manning, DT, Oregon StateRicky Manning, CB, UCLALaMarcus McDonald, LB, TCUJerome McDougle, DE, MiamiKindal Moorehead, DE, AlabamaChristian Morton, DB, IllinoisAntwan Peek, DE, CincinnatiTroy Polamalu, DB, USCKendyll Pope, LB, Florida StateCory Redding, DE, TexasBob Sanders, DB, IowaBenny Sapp, DB, IowaJerry Schumacher, LB, IllinoisStuart Schweigert, DB, PurdueIan Scott, DT, FloridaClifton Smith, LB, SyracuseDerrick Strait, CB, OklahomaDonald Strickland, CB, ColoradoTerrell Suggs, DE, Arizona StateVince Thompson, DB, Northern IllinoisJonathan Vilma, LB, MiamiDennis Weathersby, CB, Oregon StateDewayne White, DE, LouisvilleRonyell Whitaker, CB, Virginia TechMatt Wilhelm, LB, Ohio StateJimmy Wilkerson, DE, OklahomaEugene Wilson, DB, IllinoisAndre Woolfolk, CB, Oklahoma