Dec. 10, 2008

EVANSTON, Ill. -- For the third year in a row, head coach Pat Fitzgerald will be on hand at the annual Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards show in Orlando, Fla., to present the Chuck Bednarik Award to the nation’s outstanding defensive player. This year’s show airs on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m. CT.

Fitzgerald is one of only two players to ever win the Bednarik Award twice, a feat he accomplished in 1995 and 1996 while leading the Wildcats to consecutive Big Ten titles.

A year ago, Penn State’s Dan Connor took home the accolades, marking the third consecutive season a Nittany Lion had his name called for the award. Paul Posluszny joined Fitzgerald as the only two-time winners in 2006 and 2007.

Thursday night, another Penn State product, defensive end Aaron Maybin, will try to make it four straight for the Nittany Lions. Joining Maybin in the trio of nominees is another Big Ten representative, Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis, as well as USC linebacker Ray Maualuga.

ESPN’s Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit are set to host the awards show.

Fitzgerald, who on Tuesday was officially inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, is in the midst of preparing Northwestern for its Alamo Bowl match-up with Missouri on Dec. 29 in San Antonio.

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