Brohm named Davey OBrien Semifinalist

FORT WORTH, Texas, 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. Louisville sophomore quarterback Brian Brohm was among the 15 semifinalists for the award, making him the youngest player on the list.

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 AwardTM 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. Air transportation is provided by American Airlines, the official airline of the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback AwardTM.

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.