The Fifth Down
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SEC again dominates December 2012 FWAA All-America team Vol. 50, No. 5 DALLAS — The powerful South- on the team. Inside this issue: eastern Conference, which has claimed Texas A&M and Alabama, two of the last six national football champion- the SEC’s powerhouse teams, placed ships and has a chance for a seventh four and three players on the FWAA Executive director’s 2 next month, placed 11 of the 26 players team, respectively. Alabama had center column on the 69th Football Writers Associa- Barrett Jones, offensive tackle Chance tion of America All- Warmack and defen- America team. sive back Dee Milliner. Among the star- Texas A&M Brian Kelly of Notre studded lineup of play- placed offensive tack- Dame named ers on the team was les Joeckel and Jake 3 Eddie Robinson Bronko Nagurski Tro- Matthews, Manziel and Coach of the Year phy winner Manti Te’o 2012 All-America Team defensive end Da- of Notre Dame, Out- montre Moore on the land Trophy winner Complete Team, Pages 4-5 squad. SEC teams Luke Joeckel of Texas LSU, Mississippi State, A&M and Heisman Trophy winner South Carolina and Georgia also had FWAA All-America 4-5 Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M. one player each on the FWAA team. Team The FWAA All-America team, the Manziel, who is the first freshman at second longest continuously published quarterback in the 69-year history of team in major college football, was an- the FWAA team, is the only freshman nounced on SiriusXM Radio on Dec. on the 2012 team. And there were only 14. Since 1944 the FWAA has named two sophomores — defensive end Texas A&M’s Luke an All-America team. This season, an Jadeveon Clowney of South Carolina Joeckel wins Outland 6 extra returner was added to increase and wide receiver Marqise Lee of Trophy the number of players on the team to Southern California. Barrett Jones of 26. Alabama and linebacker Jarvis Jones Besides the SEC, the other confer- of Georgia were the only repeaters ences to place multiple players on the from 2011. team were the Big 12 (three), Pac-12 The FWAA All-America Commit- Notre Dame LB (three), Atlantic Coast (two) and Mid- tee selected three wide receivers on Manti Te’o wins American (two). Nine of the 11 NCAA the team because of the depth of talent 7 Bronko Nagurski Bowl Subdivision Conferences, howev- at the position and dropped the tight Trophy er, were represented on the team. It is end. Another oddity was that the team the first time the Mid-American Confer- included two Outland Trophy win- ence has had more than a single player (Continued on page 8) Page 2 THE FIFTH DOWN President Lenn Robbins New York Post Executive director’s column First Vice President Chris Dufrense The end of the ence calls, selects the FWAA All-America Los Angeles Times calendar year team and three finalists for the Outland brings awards sea- and five for the Nagurski. By secret ballot, Second Vice President son to the Football the committee members select the Out- Kirk Bohls Writers Association land and Nagurski Trophy winners. Austin American-Statesman of America. Each It’s a system, with a few alterations, Board of Directors year, the FWAA that has stood the test of time for 69 hands out a number years. Lee Barfknect of awards to play- ■ Omaha World Herald ers, coaches and We hope you join us at the FWAA an- Vahe Gregorian sometimes support nual meeting at the BCS 1-2 game at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch personnel in college Discover Orange Bowl during the period of Greg Wallace football as well to Jan. 5-8. There are two major events open Anderson (S.C.) Independent STEVE its own members. to all members —the FWAA Eddie Robin- -Mail The December son Coach of the Year Reception on Sun- Jimmy Burch RICHARDSON Fort Worth Star-Telegram issue of the Fifth day, Jan. 6, and the FWAA Annual Matt Sign Down is annually Awards Breakfast the next morning on National Football Foundation devoted to those awards and the associa- Jan. 7. Both events will be held at the Malcolm Moran tion’s All-America Team (Pages 1 and 4- Marriott Harbor Beach Hotel in Fort National Sports Journal- 5), the second longest continuously pub- Lauderdale, Florida. ism Ctr. lished team in college football. We take FWAA members going to the game will Mark Anderson great pride in selecting the All-America receive invitations to these events and will Las Vegas Review-Journal team, which this year includes 26 players be asked to RSVP. Those emails should Jon Gold for the first time, up from 25 in previous get to you shortly. This will allow for us to CBS Sports years. The 12-member committee decided plan better for these events and anticipate John Silver to add a second returner on special the crowds we may get. Manchester Journal Inquirer teams. The Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year John Wagner The FWAA’s All-America team serves Reception will welcome Notre Dame Toledo Blade as the bedrock for the selection of two Coach Brian Kelly, who won the award by Lee Feinswog major FWAA awards, the Outland Trophy virtue of the FWAA membership’s popular NCAA.com (Best Interior Lineman on offense or de- vote on the nine coaches sent out on a Tom Kensler fense) and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy ballot on Dec. 3, after the last of the con- Denver Post (Best Defensive Player in college foot- ference title games and regular-season Mike Huguenin ball). Notre Dame’s stellar linebacker games. The story on Kelly winning the Freelancer Manti Te’o claimed the Bronko Nagurski trophy is on Page 3. Kelly Lyell Trophy (Page 7) and Texas A&M’s stand- At the FWAA Annual Award Breakfast Fort Collins Coloradoan out offensive tackle Luke Joeckel took the on the Monday morning (Jan. 7) of the 1- Iliana Limon Outland (Page 6). 2 BCS title game, the FWAA will honor Orlando Sentinel th Wally Hall The process of honoring some of col- winners of the 20 annual Best Writing Arkansas Democrat-Gazette lege football’s finest players begins way Contest, including the Beat Writers of Brett McMurphy back in July when the FWAA puts out the Year Award: Steve Wieberg, former ESPN.com Watch Lists for both of the major player USA Today college writer and current awards. During the season, the FWAA freelancer, and Mark Blaudschun, former Ex-Officio selects a weekly Defensive Player of the Boston Globe college writer who now Week in conjunction with the Bronko Na- runs AJerseyGuy.com. In addition, the Joe Hornstein gurski Trophy. Then, in November, we FWAA will recognize the 2012 Courage Florida International ask the entire FWAA membership to sub- Award Winner and announce the winner John Paquette mit ballots for offensive, defensive and of the 2013 Bert McGrane Award (FWAA Big East-BCS special teams and nominations for the Hall of Fame) and the 2012 FWAA Fresh- Outland and Nagurski trophies. The final man All-America team. results of these votes are then sent to Here's to Happy Holidays and an en- each committee member. joyable Bowl Season! The committee, in two separate confer- THE FIFTH DOWN Page 3 Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly named Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year DALLAS — Notre Dame Coach Brian Kelly, who has Championships dur- taken the Fighting Irish to their first unbeaten regular ing his career spent season since 1988, has been named the recipient of the all at the same 2012 FWAA/Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. school. Kelly, in his third season at Notre Dame, won the Robinson, who award over eight other coaching finalists in a vote of the was named by the 1,200-member FWAA. He is the fourth Notre Dame FWAA in 1966 as coach to receive the award, which is sponsored by the “The Coach Who Fiesta Bowl. Other Fighting Irish coaches to win the Made the Biggest award are Ara Parseghian (1964), Lou Holtz (1988) and Contribution to Col- Charlie Weis (2005). lege Football in the The Fighting Irish finished a perfect regular season Past 25 Years,” often (12-0) with a victory over arch-rival USC at the Los An- took his show on the geles Coliseum. Notre Dame is the top-ranked team in road to places such college football in all the polls and will face Alabama in as the Louisiana Su- the Discover BCS National Championship Game on Jan. perdome, the Cotton 7, 2013. Bowl, the Astrodome, The 51-year-old Kelly will receive the Eddie Robinson Tiger Stadium and Trophy the evening before the national title game during Yankee Stadium. And a reception at the media hotel in Fort Lauderdale. Offi- with his star-studded cials from Notre Dame, the Fiesta Bowl, the FWAA and array of players, Rob- the namesake coach’s son, Eddie Robinson Jr., will be inson helped integrate in attendance. professional football. Brian Kelly “It is with great pleasure the FWAA presents the Ed- In 1949, Gram- die Robinson Coach of the Year Award to Brian Kelly,” bling standout Tank Younger was the first player from a said 2012 FWAA President Lenn Robbins. “Notre Dame, Historically Black College to sign with an NFL Team (Los under Coach Kelly, has returned to national prominence Angeles Rams). By 1963, Buck Buchanan became the in the college football ranks. This award recognizes that first player from a Historically Black College to be select- accomplishment for the 2012 season, a season that be- ed first overall in the professional draft (American Foot- gan with 124 teams vying for an elusive undefeated ball League by the Kansas City Chiefs).