Junior quarterback Brady Quinn was fourth in the balloting for the 2005 Heisman Trophy, marking the best finish for a Notre Dame player since 1990.

Brady Quinn One Of 15 Semifinalists For Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award

Nov. 8, 2005

The Davey O’Brien Foundation today announced fifteen semifinalists for the 2005 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback. The O’Brien Selection Committee, composed of national sportswriters and commentators, as well as former O’Brien Award winners, will vote later this month to narrow the field again. The three finalists will be announced Tuesday, Nov. 22 by the National College Football Awards Association in a joint effort among college football award programs.

The fifteen semifinalists, in alphabetical order, are:
Brett Basanez, Northwestern
Brian Brohm, Louisville
Brodie Croyle, Alabama
Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt
Cody Hodges, Texas Tech
Omar Jacobs, Bowling Green
Matt Leinart, USC
Drew Olson, UCLA
Paul Pinegar, Fresno State
Brady Quinn, Notre Dame
Michael Robinson, Penn State
Brad Smith, Missouri
Drew Stanton, Michigan State
Marcus Vick, Virginia Tech
Vince Young, Texas

The winner of the 2005 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award will be announced on the Home Depot College Football Awards Show at 7:00 p.m. (EST) on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2005. The show will air live on ESPN from the Atlantic Dance Hall on The Boardwalk at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The winner will be honored Feb. 20, 2006, at the 29th annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in downtown Fort Worth. Len Dawson, recipient of the 2005 Davey O’Brien Legends Award, and the O’Brien High School Scholarship Award winner also will be honored that night.

The Davey O’Brien Foundation was established in 1977 to present the O’Brien Memorial Trophy, recognizing annually the outstanding college football player in the five southwestern states of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. In 1981, the award was redirected to be national in scope but limited to quarterback, the favorite position of the award’s namesake, Davey O’Brien. O’Brien led the TCU Horned Frogs to the 1938 national championship and was the first player to win the Heisman, Walter Camp and Maxwell Awards in one season. A high school scholarship program began in 1986, awarding annually a $20,000 college scholarship to an outstanding senior student-athlete in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Since 1977 the Davey O’Brien Foundation has awarded over $248,000 to the various O’Brien winners’ universities and more than $380,000 to deserving high school students.

For more information visit www.daveyobrien.com.