TENNESSEE’S ERIC BERRY NAMED LOTT TROPHY PLAYER OF THE WEEK
NEWPORT BEACH, Ca. – Tennessee Safety Eric Berry has been named The Lott Trophy IMPACT Player of the Week.
Berry, a 5-11, 203-pound junior from Fairburn, Ga., had 11 tackles and an interception in Tennessee’s loss to No. 1-ranked Florida, 23-13.
Tennessee will receive $1,000 for its general scholarship fund in recognition of Berry’s accomplishment.
“That guy is one of the most dominant players in the country,” said former UCLA Head Coach Terry Donahue, a member of the Legends Coaches who selected the layer of the Week. “There is no better safety in college football today. Maybe someone is as good, but no one is better. He breaks so well on the ball, which makes him superior to other safeties.”
Other players nominated for the Player of the Week were Sean Lee of Penn State, Roddrick Muckelroy of Texas, Alterraun Verner of UCLA and Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska.
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.
Watching the Watch List
Sean Lee of Penn State had 12 tackles, 2.5 for losses and a sack in Nittany Lions’ 31-6 win over Temple.
Alterruan Verner of UCLA had two interceptions (he now has three on the season and 11 in his career) in the Bruns’ 23-9 win over Kansas State.
Roddrick Muckelroy of Texas had 7 tackles, including 2 for losses of 15 yards in win over Texas Tech, 34-24.
Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska had four passes deflected in a 16-15 loss to Virginia Tech.
Joe Pawelek of Baylor had 21 tackles, including a sack, and a quarterback hurry in 30-22 loss to Connecticut.
Patrick Benoist of Vanderbilt had 13 tackles in a loss to Mississippi State, 15-3.
Darrell Stuckey of Kansas had a team best 11 tackles in a 44-16 win over Duke.
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.
Media Contact: Pete Donovan
Media Relations, The Lott Trophy
714.315.9575 /