The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is a college football award for the defensive line players. The annual award is named after Bronko Nagurski, a former fullback and defensive tackle of the Chicago Bears and the University of Minnesota. The award is presented by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and Charlotte Touchdown Club. It is given to the best defensive player in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Players from all Division I schools get the nominees while members of the FWAA vote for them to decide the winner.
List of The Bronko Nagurski Award Winners Year by Year
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy came into existence in 1993 and Rob Waldrop from Arizona was the inaugural winner. Xavier Watts from Notre Dame is the most recent winner of the award, as of December 2024. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy was made as a counterpart of the Heisman Trophy, which had never been granted to a defensive player. This award supports regional high school and college scholarships. As per the Charlotte Touchdown Club's official site, all proceeds from the award benefit the Charlotte Touchdown Club Scholarship Fund.
| Player Name | Team | Position | Year |
| Rob Waldrop | Arizona | DT | 1993 |
| Warren Sapp | Miami (FL) | DT | 1994 |
| Pat Fitzgerald | Northwestern | LB | 1995 |
| Pat Fitzgerald | Northwestern | LB | 1996 |
| Charles Woodson | Michigan | CB | 1997 |
| Champ Bailey | Georgia | CB | 1998 |
| Corey Moore | Virginia Tech | DE | 1999 |
| Dan Morgan | Miami (FL) | LB | 2000 |
| Roy Williams | Oklahoma | S | 2001 |
| Terrell Suggs | Arizona State | DE | 2002 |
| Derrick Strait | Oklahoma | CB | 2003 |
| Derrick Johnson | Texas | LB | 2004 |
| Elvis Dumervil | Louisville | DE | 2005 |
| James Laurinaitis | Ohio State | LB | 2006 |
| Glenn Dorsey | LSU | DT | 2007 |
| Brian Orakpo | Texas | LB | 2008 |
| Ndamukong Suh | Nebraska | DT | 2009 |
| Da'Quan Bowers | Clemson | DE | 2010 |
| Luke Kuechly | Boston College | LB | 2011 |
| Manti Te'o | Notre Dame | LB | 2012 |
| Aaron Donald | Pittsburgh | DT | 2013 |
| Scooby Wright III | Arizona | LB | 2014 |
| Tyler Matakevich | Temple | LB | 2015 |
| Jonathan Allen | Alabama | DE | 2016 |
| Bradley Chubb | NC State | DE | 2017 |
| Josh Allen | Kentucky | LB | 2018 |
| Chase Young | Ohio State | DE | 2019 |
| Zaven Collins | Tulsa | LB | 2020 |
| Will Anderson Jr. | Alabama | LB | 2021 |
| Will Anderson Jr. | Alabama | LB | 2022 |
| Xavier Watts | Notre Dame | S | 2023 |
FAQs on Bronko Nagurski Award Winners
A. Xavier Watts from Notre Dame won the Bronco Nagurski Award in 2023.
A. Bronko Nagurski is known as the symbol of power football, as per the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
A. Bronko Nagurski died at the age of 81 in 1990, as per Wikipedia.
A. Bronko Nagurski had Ukrainian and Polish descent from his parents, according to Wikipedia.
A. Bronko Nagurski was enlisted in the Hall of Fame of Pro Football in 1963, based on Britannica.
