Nov. 2, 2005

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's Tim McGarigle (Chicago, Ill./Saint Patrick) has been named one of the 12 semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which honors the nation's top defensive player.

The semifinalist list will be cut to three finalists, which will be announced later this month. The three finalists will attend the Home Depot College Football Awards Show that will be broadcast on ESPN on Thursday, Dec. 8.

Entering his senior season as the country's top returning tackler, McGarigle has picked up where he left off from his stellar junior season and ranks third nationally in tackles with 13.63 per game. He has totaled 498 career tackles in 44 career games and is just five tackles shy of tying Northwestern's all-time tackle mark.

Last month against nationally ranked Wisconsin, McGarigle was tabbed the national defensive player of the week by two organizations: the Walter Camp Football Foundation and the Bronko Nagurski Award. In that game, McGarigle racked up a career-best 25 tackles (personal-best 15 solo tackles), as well as 3.5 tackles-for-loss (two sacks). He had 21 tackles last week vs. Michigan. McGarigle has recorded double-digit tackle totals in 26 career games.

In addition to his team-best 109 tackles (tied for first in the Big Ten), McGarigle has 6.5 TFL's, 3 pass deflections, an interception, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 forced fumble.

Joining McGarigle on the Bednarik Award semifinal list from the Big Ten are the same players he joined on the Butkus Award semifinal list: Iowa's Chad Greenway, Ohio State's A.J. Hawk and Penn State's Paul Posluszny. The other eight semifinalists are Elvis Dumervil (Louisville), Aaron Harris (Texas), Spencer Havner (UCLA), D'Qwell Jackson (Maryland), Mathias Kiwanuka (Boston College), A.J. Nicholson (Florida State), DeMeco Ryans (Alabama) and Patrick Willis (Mississippi).

In 1995 and '96, former Northwestern player and current assistant coach Pat Fitzgerald won the Bednarik Award -- the only player to win the award multiple times.

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