,1946360,1966603
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NOTE

(UPDATING - JOHNSON WINS)

*Texas LB Johnson wins Butkus Award*
------------------------------------

ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- Texas linebacker Derrick Johnson 
collected some more hardware Friday night when he received the
Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker.

Johnson, a senior, is the first Longhorn honored in the 20-year
history of the award, given by the Downtown Athletic Club of
Orlando.  He was a finalist last year, when Teddy Lehman of Big
12 Conference rival Oklahoma won it.

A native of Waco, Texas, Johnson received the trophy from Hall
of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus.

"This is such a great honor," Johnson said.  "It's a privilege
to join such an elite group and to be part of an award that
honors the greatest linebacker ever.  Mr. Butkus set the
standard for all of us with his intensity, determination and
unbelievable plays.  I can't put into words what a privilege it
is to win this award."

On Tuesday, Johnson won the Bronko Nagurski Award as the best
defensive player in the nation, beating defensive ends David
Pollack of Georgia and Erasmus James of Wisconsin and Auburn
defensive back Carlos Rogers, among others.

Johnson led the Longhorns with 128 tackles, including 19 for
losses, and two sacks.  He also forced eight fumbles, made an
interception and blocked a kick.

The other two finalists for the award were senior Matt
Grootegoed of top-ranked Southern California and sophomore Ahmad
Brooks of Virginia.

Big 12 players have won the award three times in the last four
years.

st 12-11-04 00:28 et