Dec. 13, 2009
HUGHES NAMED WINNER OF LOTT TROPHY
Newport Beach, Ca. – Jerry Hughes of TCU has been named the winner of the sixth annual Lott Trophy at a gala banquet Sunday night at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California.
Hughes is a senior Defensive End from Sugar Land, Texas and has been the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year each of the past two seasons. He led the undefeated Horned Frogs in sacks (11.5) and tackles for losses (15) this season.
Hughes was named the winner of the Hendricks Award earlier this week as the top defensive end in college football.
TCU will receive $25,000 for its general scholarship fund for Hughes’ accomplishment.
The other three finalists were Eric Berry of Tennessee, Rolando McClain of Alabama and Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska.
The award is sponsored by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation.
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. Hughes has been very involved in charity outreach programs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and was honored with a Local Hero award earlier this season. He will graduate on time from TCU in the spring after carrying 18 units this past semester.
TCU will play Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl Jan. 5 in Phoenix.
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
2009 – Jerry Hughes, TCU
In six years, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has donated more than $750,000 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.