George Hypolite spends his Saturday afternoons in the fall bowling over mammoth offensive linemen, intent on crushing those carrying or passing the football. Wham, bam!
George Hypolite spends much of his other time working in soup kitchens, feeding AIDS patients, caring for seniors, helping distribute holiday gifts and generally doing good deeds on a routine basis.
In other words, he’s Mother Teresa in cleats. All 285 pounds of him.
The 21-year-old senior defensive tackle at Colorado might someday be a star in the National Football League. Or, he might volunteer at a children’s camp in Sri Lanka. Or, he might head the Peace Corps. Or be a lawyer. Or he may choose any one of dozens of other professions he seems fully capable of mastering.
And, while he’s a pre-season 2008 All-America selection by some publications, he’s already made one team he’s unusually proud of – The American Football Coaches Assn. Good Works team. He was recognized for the work he has done summers in his hometown of Los Angeles, donating between 300 and 400 hours preparing food for homebound AIDs patients as well as working at a L.A. area shelter for battered women.
“If I can give five minutes so people can take their minds off their problems, that’s five minutes of gold to me,” Hypolite told Natalie Meisler of the Denver Post. “Volunteering will always be part of my life, I love giving back, seeing a smile on a kid’s face. I was more blessed (making food) than those being helped.”
And now, he’s helped himself onto the 2008 Watch List for The Lott Trophy.
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 fourth 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 a player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.
David Pollack of Georgia won the initial Lott Trophy in 2004. DeMeco Ryans of Alabama won the award in 2005 Daymeion Hughes of Cal was the recipient in 2006 and Glenn Dorsey of LSU in 2007. Georgia, Alabama, Cal and LSU each received $25,000 for their general scholarship funds. In four years, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has donated more than $450,000 to various charities, including the four universities.
Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, The IMPACT Foundation Board of Advisers comprised of many retired NFL players and Master Coaches, a distinguished group of former head college coaches.
The winner will be announced at a gala black-tie banquet at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, Ca. on December 14th, 2008.
It would certainly be no surprise to see Hypolite as one of the finalists.
*As a player, he was named All-Big 12 last season when he led Buffalo linemen in tackles with 44, added 11 tackles for losses and recorded six quarterback sacks.
*As a student, Hypolite graduated this past May in less than three years on the Boulder campus. He has been named to the All-Big 12 academic team the past two years, majoring in ethnic studies with an emphasis in American Indian studies and a counter emphasis in African-American studies. His grade point average has been as high as 3.79
*His community service record is unparalleled and easily among the most impressive of any player nominated for The Lott Trophy in its first five years.
“I got where I am today by people telling me from an early age that I was special and that hard work will lead to success,” he told Conner Duffy of the Colorado Daily. “I would not be where I am if I wasn’t encouraged by special people in my life. So I try to encourage children so they can reach their potential. To look in their eyes and know I made their day is a great reward.”
Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins realizes what a special player he has in Hypolite: “One of the things that makes George a leader is he’s very smart. When some team is lining up in a formation, he will stand right up and say what they’re running.
“He (Hypolite) puts in a lot of time (volunteering) and it’s something we’re really trying to foster within our football program. I’m certainly glad that he got honored (The Good Works team) because he does his share and more.”
Defensive line coach Romeo Bandison on Hypolite: “He’s a very confident guy. He knows he wants to be a lawyer and I know he will achieve that. He’s an easy player to coach and is one of the most well-rounded individuals I know.”
Hypolite is on the Watch List for the Lombardi Award, the Nagurski Award and the Outland Trophy, as well as The Lott Trophy.
The word is out: Watch Out for George Hypolite, on and off the field.
For further information on The Lott Trophy, please visit our website at Lotttrophy.com.
Pete Donovan
Media Director, The Lott Trophy
760/360-0414