Lott Trophy

The Lott IMPACT Trophy is presented annually to the college football Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. IMPACT is an acronym for: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity. The award purports to equally recognize the personal character of the winning player as well as his athletic excellence. The award selection is voted on by members of the national media, previous finalists, the board of directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation. The award is named in honor of USC Trojan, College Football Hall of Fame, San Francisco 49er, and Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back, Ronnie Lott.

Purpose and criteria

The 2011 Lott IMPACT Trophy was awarded to the college football Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California on December 11, 2011. The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has donated $930,000 to charities including $400,000 for college scholarships since its formation in 2004. The IMPACT Player of the Week is selected each week of the college football season from the players on the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List. A $1,000 scholarship was awarded to the winner's university general scholarship fund.

Board of directors

The board of directors of The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation include: Ronnie Lott, John Hamilton, Chairman, Mike Salmon, Vice Chairman, Anthony Salerno, Secretary, Charles Hurst, Treasurer, Kermit Alexander, Marcus Allen, Jeff Bitetti, Thomas Brown, Steve Craig, Sam Cunningham, Terry Donahue, Ann Meyers Drysdale, Dick Enberg, Craig Gibson, Frank Gifford, Pat Haden, Jeremy Hogue, Darrell Hoover, Mike Izzi, Karl Jacobs, William Junkin, Dennis Kuhl, Steve Paulin, John Robinson, Jeff Spellens, Joe Tavarez, Peter Ueberroth, Mike White, Philip Wilson, Doug Wride.

Foundation board of advisors

The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation board of advisors include: Peter Arbogast, Steve Atwater, Harris Barton, John Brodie, Brad Budde, Dick Butkus, Mark Carrier, Chuck Cecil, Sam Cunningham, Jack Del Rio, Chris Doleman, Vince Ferragamo, Mike Giddings, Kevin Greene, Rosey Grier, John Hall, Phil Hansen, John Holecek, Ed Hookstratten, Keith Jackson, Tom Holmoe, Jim Jeffcoat, Brent Jones, Henry Jones, Chuck Knox, Willie Lanier, Jim Leonhard, Howie Long, Pat McInally, Mark May, Matt Millen, Joe Montana, Tory Nixon, Ken Norton, Jr., Mel Owens, Rodney Peete, Clancy Pendergast, Gary Plummer, Rich Saul, Junior Seau, John Seymour, Lynn Swann, Keena Turner

Winners

Trophies won by school

Honorary Lott IMPACT Trophy Recipients

On December 11, 2011, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation saluted Sgt. Dakota Meyer, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, with the fifth Honorary Lott Trophy. On September 8, 2009, Meyer was one of 13 American military trainers embedded with a unit of 80 Afghan soldiers headed for a routine meeting with local elders in the village of Ganjgal, located in a valley along the border with Pakistan. Four trainers at the front of the U.S.-Afghan force were immediately trapped by the heavy enemy fire believed to be coming from as many as 150 Taliban fighters. Positioned at the rear when the ambush began, Meyer and other members of his unit disobeyed orders to remain in place and used a Humvee to rush into the kill zone to try and rescue the four trapped at the head of their column. Manning the Humvee’s turret gun, Meyer killed at least eight insurgents and rescued 36 Afghan and American troops in his first four attempts to reach the four trapped trainers. He and his team members finally broke through to their position on the fifth attempt and moved on foot through a hail of gunfire only to find they had been killed in the fighting. Meyer then retrieved their remains. When he presented the award to Meyer in September, President Barack Obama said: “You did your duty above and beyond, and you kept the faith with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps you love. You represent the best of a generation that has served with distinction through a decade of war.” Meyer was presented the Honorary Lott Trophy by Major General Ronald Bailey. Before opening the envelope for the winner of the 2011 Lott IMPACT Trophy, Ronnie Lott paused and asked Meyer to come to the stage to do the honors. Meyer then announced, on behalf of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, that Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly was the 2011 Lott IMPACT Trophy winner.

In 2010, Tyrone Fahie (Nebraska) and Owen Marecic (Stanford) received Honorary Lott Trophies. Fahie (pronounced FOY) was the oldest walk-on (he’s 28) in Cornhuskers team history. Prior to playing college football, Fahie served his country in the U.S. Navy. Fahie was deployed twice to Iraq during his six years in the military, rising to the rank of Petty officer, second class. Upon completing his service time, he enrolled at Nebraska and a year later tried out for the team and made it. On September 11, 2009, Fahie, a 6-5, 255-pound defensive end, ran through the tunnel and into Memorial Stadium to a thundering applause. He had the honor of carrying the American flag on the anniversary of the terrorist bombings nine years earlier. Flanked by two policemen and two firefighters, all with American flags, Fahie represented his team and his teammates.

Marecic played fullback and linebacker at Stanford and also received the inaugural Paul Hornung Award in 2010, which is presented to a versatile, high-level performer in major college football.

In 2009, Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich was presented with the second Honorary Lott Trophy. Herzlich missed the entire 2009 season due to Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, which he overcame and earned numerous honors for his courage and outreach, including the Disney Spirit Award, Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award, and the ACC Commissioner’s Cup.

The first Honorary Lott Trophy was awarded posthumously to Pat Tillman, an American football player who left his professional career and enlisted in the United States Army in June 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks. He joined the Army Rangers and served several tours in combat before he died in the mountains of Afghanistan.

Trophy sculptor

In 2004, Los Angeles-based Michelle Armitage was commissioned to design the Lott IMPACT Trophy. Armitage is an experienced artist with an extensive and diverse background in sculpture, painting and design. The Lott IMPACT Trophy depicts the impact of Ronnie Lott's explosive hit, dominating the opponent player. The trophy defines Lott's legendary ability to disrupt a play, force a turnover and gain possession of the ball. Made of cast bronze on a marble base, the original trophy weighs fifty pounds and is 13" x 14" x 9".

External links

• The Lott IMPACT Trophy website
• Michelle Armitage official site
• The Lott IMPACT Trophy Facebook Fan Page
• The Lott IMPACT Trophy Twitter Feed