University of Notre Dame linebacker Maurice Crum and safety Tom Zbikowski have both been named to the 2007 Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday. The award has been presented annually to the top collegiate defensive player in the country since 1995.
Crum is coming off a breakthrough 2006 campaign in which he paced the Notre Dame defense with 100 tackles, becoming the first Irish defender since Courtney Watson in 2003 to hit the century mark in tackles. Crum's 100 tackles were the most by a player with eligibility remaining since Jimmy Friday tallied 109 in 1997.
Elected captain for the 2007 season by his teammates, Crum has also been named to the preseason watch list for the Lott Award and the Nagurski Trophy.
Zbikowski, an All-American candidate who returned for his fifth season at Notre Dame, earned second-team All-America accolades from the Walter Camp Football Foundation last year and was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press for the second straight season. He recorded 79 tackles with one forced fumble and one fumble recovery on defense and averaged 9.0 yards on 16 punt returns with one touchdown return in 2006.
Maurice Crum and Tom Zbikowski Names to Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List :: Leaders on Irish defense among 65 players on the preseason list for the College Defensive Player of the Year
06-27-2007, 06:00 AM
Bednarik candidates Maurice Crum & Tom Zbikowski 
Linear Mode
