BCS National Champion, Lombardi Trophy winner and Defensive MVP, Nick Fairley is a defensive tackle recently drafted by the Detroit Lions with their first pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.
In 2010, he became the 2nd player from Auburn to win the Lombardi Award. Coached by Lombardi winner and former Auburn player Tracy Rocker, Fairley is the first player to win the Lombardi and be coached by a winner of the award.
During the 2011 BCS National Championship Game against the Oregon Ducks, Fairley had five tackles, three behind the line of scrimmage, a sack and a forced fumble earning the defensive player of the game award. The 6-foot-5, 298-pound All-American defensive tackle also led the Southeastern Conference with 24 tackles for a loss and had a school-record 11.5 sacks. Nick earned the nickname “The Beast” at Auburn with play that was both dominating and, at times, rough. He fully intends to keep the nickname in the NFL; “Of course, that’s a name that I want to keep in the NFL,” he said. “I’m looking forward to going to the NFL and trying to dominate for a couple of years.”
