ALABAMA’S McCLAIN NAMED LOTT PLAYER OF WEEK
NEWPORT BEACH, Ca. – Alabama Linebacker Rolando McClain has been named the Lott Trophy IMPACT Player of the Week for the second time this season.
McClain, a junior from Decatur, Georgia, led the Crimson Tide with 12 tackles in the 26-21 win over Auburn last Friday.
McClain, a Lott Trophy finalist, leads Alabama with 96 tackles on the season. He has 12 tackles for losses, four sacks, 11 quarterback hurries and two interceptions.
Alabama will receive $1,000 for its general scholarship fund in recognition of McClain’s achievement.
“In my opinion McClain is the best defensive player in the country,” said former Auburn Coach Pat Dye, a member of the Legends Coaches who selected the Player of the Week. “All you have to do is look at what he did against Auburn in a very tight game. He had a huge sack in the closing minutes, and then bats down the Auburn Hail Mary pass in the end zone on the final play to preserve Alabama’s win.”
McClain was also selected the SEC Defensive Player of the Week.
Other players nominated for the Player of the Week were Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska, Eric Berry of Tennessee and Jerry Hughes of TCU.
2009 Lott Trophy IMPACT Players of the Week
Week 1 – Mike Nixon, Arizona State
Week 2 – Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech
Week 3 – Eric Berry, Tennessee
Week 4 – Pat Angerer, Iowa
Week 5 – Taylor Mays, USC
Week 6 – Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
Week 7 – Rolando McClain, Alabama
Week 8 – Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
Week 9 – Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri
Week 10 – Eric Berry, Tennessee
Week 11 – Jerry Hughes, TCU
Week 12 – Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska.
Week 13 – Rolando McClain, Alabama
Named after Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, the Lott Trophy is awarded to college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. Now in its sixth year, the Lott Trophy is the first college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player.
Sponsored by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation in Newport Beach, the award is given to the player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.
Past winners of The Lott Trophy:
2004 – David Pollack, Georgia
2005 – DeMeco Ryans, Alabama
2006 – Dante Hughes, California
2007 – Glenn Dorsey, LSU
2008 – James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
In five years, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has donated more than $650,000 to various charities, including $25,000 to each of the winners’ universities.
Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the IMPACT Foundation, the IMPACT Foundation Board of Advisors comprised of retired NFL players and the Legends Coaches, a distinguished group of former college head coaches.
Named after Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Ronnie Lott, The Lott Trophy is awarded to college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. Founded in 2004 by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, The Lott Trophy is the first and only college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player. The Lott Trophy is given to the player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity. Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation and the Legends Coaches which is a distinguished group of former college football head coaches. The sixth annual Lott Trophy dinner will be held December 13th at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California. For more information on The Lott Trophy visit: http://www.LottTrophy.com