It’s Award Season for FWAA; Time to meet at the Rose Bowl December 2005 Presenting awards is what the Foot- by the entire FWAA membership will be Vol. 43, No. 5 ball Writers Association of America does from Dec. 5-15. The winner will be an- best in December and January, including nounced during a BCS bowl game and during the annual meeting at the Rose honored at an event in the winning Inside this issue: Bowl on Jan. 3-5. coaches’ city next fall. The FWAA awards season kicked off The FWAA’s annual meeting will be President’ Alan on Dec. 5 when Louisville senior end Jan. 3-5 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in 2 Schmadtke’s column Elvis Dumervil became the first Cardinal Los Angeles, in conjunction with the Bowl to win the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Championship Series 1-2 game at the which the FWAA awards to the best de- Rose Bowl. Six named finalists for fensive player in college football. The FWAA Board meeting will be the Eddie Robinson Coach 3 Dumervil received the trophy at a gala afternoon of Jan. 3. And the awards of the Year Award banquet at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, breakfast and meeting the next morning N.C., where a sellout crowd of 900 at- at the media hotel. Commissioners Kevin tended and Notre Dame coach Charlie Weiberg of the Big 12 and Mike Slive of Weis gave the keynote address. the SEC will be in attendance and an- Next up was the presentation of the swer media questions about the BCS . FWAA’s Outland Trophy on the ESPN The Scripps FWAA Freshman All- College Football Awards Show on Dec. 8 America team will be announced at the from Disney World. Minnesota center breakfast as well as the 2006 Bert Greg Eslinger became the third Golden McGrane winner. The FWAA will also Gopher to win the award, which is given recognize winners of the Best Writing to the best interior lineman in college Contest and reveal the name of the Vol- football on either side of the ball. ney Meece Scholarship winner. The 25-man FWAA All-America The presentation of the Grantland (Pages 4-5) Team was announced on Rice Super 16 Trophy is scheduled for television during a one-hour ABC show the morning of Jan. 5 at the media hotel. FWAA All-America 4-5 sponsored by Cingular from Disney MGM The winner will be the FWAA’s national Team Studios on the afternoon of Dec. 10. The champion as selected by 16 FWAA team was presented to the public the members who vote in the weekly poll. Minnesota’s Greg previous evening at a banquet, which On Jan. 12 in Omaha, the annual Eslinger wins Outland 6 was sponsored by Florida Citrus Sports Outland Trophy presentation banquet will Trophy at Disney/MGM Sound Stage. be held at the Doubletree Hotel. Eslinger Six finalists for the FWAA/Eddie Rob- will receive his trophy at the banquet inson Coach of the Year Award were an- sponsored by the Greater Omaha Sports Louisville’s Elvis nounced on Dec. 5. They appear on Committee and First Data Corporation. Dumervil wins 7 Page 3 of The Fifth Down. On-line voting Nagurski Trophy Page 2 THE FIFTH DOWN President Alan Schmadtke Orlando Sentinel First Vice President President’s column Dennis Dodd Sitting on the bowl director — and the hospitality suite CBS SportsLine dais at the Na- would have had a plentiful stock of full- Second Vice President tional Football bodied cabernet. Mike Griffith Foundation’s an- The FWAA may have had better Knoxville News-Sentinel nual awards din- days, but that’s difficult to fathom, given ner in early De- our current relationships with awards Executive Director cember, Mora- partners and the civility with which the Steve Richardson Dallas Morning News vian College BCS and others treat us. Coach Scot What Tiger has cultivated in a decade 2004 Directors Dapp, president on the job is easily seen at the end of a Jack Bogaczyk of the American president’s turn. The FWAA gives out or Charleston Daily Mail Football Coaches announces awards in Charlotte, N.C., Association, Orlando and then at a floating site. For- Al Featherston Freelance asked a question. mal banquets at several stops meticu- ALAN “How many years lously detailed and stunningly executed Paul Gattis SCHMADTKE do you serve?” by our partners. We just show up, smile The Huntsville Times “Just one,” I said. and say thanks. Tim Griffin “How about you?” Which is where we ran into Coach San Antonio Express-News “One,” he said, “and one is enough.” Dapp, who fights the good fight at Divi- Chad Hartley He’s right. For anyone who thinks sion III Moravian in Pennsylvania. Reno Gazette Journal being FWAA president is merely a line His presidential advice: “Show up, Dave Jones for future resumes, come serve. The rea- look good and try not to say anything The Patriot-News son it’s only a one-year team is because dumb.” most of us can’t fool our full-time bosses Exactly. Todd Jones for more than a year into believing this Before the end of the term, some Columbus Dispatch isn’t time consuming. thanks are needed: Rich Kaipust This year began with a flap over the To the members of the All-America Omaha World-Herald FWAA’s possible participation in the new Committee. Yes, you can consider four Steve Kiggins BCS poll and concluded with complaints hours on the phone as philanthropy, but Casper Star-Tribune about Joe Paterno’s last-minute decision your opinions are worthy. Brian Koonz not to make players available during To David Jones and Charles Durren- Danbury News-Times Penn State’s media day for the Orange berger, both of whom were instrumental Bowl. In between were the ins and outs in pushing a membership drive in early Ted Lewis of the NCAA’s new media guide policy, 2005 with e-mails and follow-up phone NO Times-Picayune access issues at Notre Dame and Texas calls. You did well. Joseph Person Tech and the usual handful of complaints To Chris Dufresne of the Los Angeles The State about cheering or noise in the press box. Times and Mark Blaudschun of the Bos- Damien Pierce The fight goes on — and that’s the ton Globe. You set the table for a seam- Fort Worth Star-Telegram point. While I tag out and CBS Sport- less Rose Bowl. Chip Scoggins sLine’s Dennis Dodd tags in, with the To Ted Gangi of HiTEX! Enterprises. Minneapolis Star-Tribune Knoxville News-Sentinel’s Mike Griffith We’ve got the best directory in the busi- waiting in the wings, FWAA Executive ness. Kalani Simpson Director Steve “Tiger” Richardson contin- To Kevin Ash and his staff at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin ues the hard labor. Rose Bowl. You have great foresight and Bob Thomas Richardson received our Bert even better grace. Florida Times-Union McGrane Award in August, a just honor To Charlie Fiss, Michael Konradi and Scott Wolf for someone who all but single-handedly everyone else at the Cotton Bowl and to Los Angeles Daily News saved the FWAA with his ability to organ- Shawn Schoeffler at the Fiesta Bowl. Ex-officio ize, persuade and manage. It’s difficult to How you keep Tiger in line I’ll never Bob Burda outline all that Tiger does, because any know, and your unwavering support of Big 12/BCS liaison description needs video of his ability to the FWAA does not go unnoticed. Jon Jackson work a room, charm a sponsor, cut a To sports information directors Jim Duke/CoSIDA. deal. Muldoon at the Pac-10, Charles Bloom He would have made a ferocious (Continued on page 8) THE FIFTH DOWN Page 3 Eddie Robinson award down to six finalists The FWAA All-America Committee has arrived at a list of six finalists for the association's Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. The six coaches — Texas' Mack Brown, USC's Pete Carroll, UCLA's Karl Dorrell, Central Florida's George O'Leary, Penn State's Joe Paterno and Notre Dame's Charlie Weis — will be on the online ballot made avail- able to all FWAA members. The FWAA final vote will be revealed during a BCS bowl game on ABC Television. The FWAA has honored a major college coach with its Coach of the Year Award since 1957. Among the six finalists, there is one previous winner — Paterno. Mack Karl Joe The FWAA coaching award is named after Robinson, Brown Dorrell Paterno a coaching legend at Grambling State University for 55 years. He has more Division I victories (408) than any Texas UCLA Penn State other coach. The winner of the FWAA/Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award also will be honored at his campus be- fore a football game next fall. Here's a capsule look at the FWAA/Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year finalists: ● Mack Brown has Texas poised to win its first na- tional title in more than three decades. The Longhorns have the second longest winning streak (19 games) in college football behind USC and won Brown's first con- ference title this year. The Longhorns (12-0) will be go- ing for their second straight Rose Bowl victory after beat- ing Michigan last season in Pasadena. ● Pete Carroll has led USC to another Pac-10 cham- pionship and has a shot at a third straight national title. The unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Trojans will meet No.