March 2, 2012
Charlotte, N.C. – The Charlotte Touchdown Club in conjunction with the Football Writers Association of America officially announces Brian Kelly, Head Football Coach at the University of Notre Dame, as Keynote Speaker for the 2012 Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet scheduled for Monday, December 3.
“To be asked to serve as Keynote Speaker for the 2012 Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet is a tremendous honor,” Coach Brian Kelly said. “The Charlotte Touchdown Club and the Football Writers Association of America have worked hard to make the Bronko Nagurski Trophy the nation’s premiere defensive award for college football and I look forward to being a part of this year’s exciting event.”
“Everyone associated with the Charlotte Touchdown Club is thrilled to have Coach Kelly as Keynote Speaker for the 2012 Bronko Nagurski Banquet,” said John Rocco Executive Director of the Charlotte Touchdown Club. “We look forward to Coach Kelly’s remarks and the announcement of the 2012 Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner at our black tie banquet held December 3 at the Westin Hotel.”
Kelly has led the Fighting Irish to bowl games in each of his first two seasons as head coach and became the first head coach in Notre Dame history to guide the Irish to a bowl game victory in his first season. Under Kelly, the Irish have won 16 games the past two years – equal to the combined number of victories Notre Dame earned in the three seasons prior to Kelly’s arrival – and have been victorious in eight of the last 11 games and 12 of the past 17 contests.
Prior to being named Head Football Coach at the University of Notre Dame in 2009, Kelly was the architect of two consecutive Bowl Championship Series appearances at the University of Cincinnati, including a perfect 12-0 regular season in 2009 that earned him national-coach-of-the-year honors.
Kelly currently is the fifth-winningest active coach in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision with 187 victories. Since 2001, only two active FBS head coaches have registered more wins than the 110 victories Kelly’s teams have recorded. Kelly’s honors include:
ESPN/Home Depot National Coach of the Year Award in 2009
BIG EAST Conference Coach of the Year in 2007, 2008 and 2009
American Football Coaches Association Division II Coach of the Year Award in 2002 and 2003.
In ’09 Kelly was a finalist for four national awards:
Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award (Football Writers Association of America)
Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award (National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association)
Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award
George Munger Coach of the Year Award (Maxwell Football Club)
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s official website, ncfaa.org.
The Charlotte Touchdown Club was founded in 1991 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, N.C., region. The club’s activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding Citizenship, Scholarship, Sportsmanship, and Leadership of area athletes and coaches.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is presented annually by the Charlotte Touchdown Club and the Football Writers Association of America to the nation’s most outstanding NCAA defensive football player at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet in Charlotte, NC. All proceeds benefit the Charlotte Touchdown Club Scholarship Fund. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 704-347-2918 or visit www.touchdownclub.com.