Hoeppner nominated for national award

Less than a month after having his second brain surgery in the past year, IU coach Terry Hoeppner was nominated on Tuesday for the FedEx Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award. The winner will be announced at the conclusion of the 2006 season.\nThe Football Writers Association of America nominates coaches, players and teams that have displayed courage on or off the field, including overcoming an injury or physical handicap, preventing a disaster or living through hardship, according to iuhoosiers.com.\nHoeppner underwent a second round of brain surgery Sept. 13 to remove a possible recurrent brain tumor. Last week, Hoeppner revealed that surgeons only removed scar tissue during the surgery.\nThe second-year coach missed two of IU's previous games but returned last weekend for the Hoosiers' Big Ten opener against Wisconsin, a 52-17 loss.\nGene Wojciechowski, an ESPN senior writer and FWAA member, created the award. At the end of the year, a select group of FWAA writers will vote on the winner.\nThe other nominees released so far this season include Clemson cornerback Ray Ray McElrathbey, who became the legal guardian of his younger brother when his parents were unable to care for him, and Oklahoma State cornerback Martel Van Zant, who was born deaf and without ear drums and collected his first career interception Sept. 9.