USC’S TAYLOR MAYS NAMED LOTT TROPHY PLAYER OF THE WEEK
NEWPORT BEACH, Ca. – USC Safety Taylor Mays has been named the Lott Trophy IMPACT Player of the Week.
Mays, a 6-3, 235-pound senior from Seattle, had a team high 10 tackles and an interception in the end zone that ended Cal’s opening drive in a 30-3 win over the Golden Bears Saturday that moved the Trojans to 4-1.
USC will receive $1,000 for its general scholarship fund in recognition of Mays’ accomplishment.
“Mays’ interception sucked the air out of any confidence Cal might have had coming into the USC game,” said former USC Coach John Robinson, a member of the Legends Coaches who selected the Player of the Week. “That set the tone for the game. Mays’ play told the Cal players, ‘You can’t score on us.’ After that play, Cal folded.”
Other players nominated for the Player of the Week were Eric Norwood of South Carolina, Rolando McClain of Alabama, 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
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
Rolando McClain, Alabama – Forced a fumble that led to a touchdown and intercepted a pass (returned 21 yards) that led to a touchdown in 38-20 win over Kentucky. Led Tide with 10 tackles.
Eric Norwood, South Carolina- Blocked a field goal and had an interception in 38-14 win over South Carolina State. Also credited with 2 quarterback hurries.
Jerry Hughes, TCU – Recorded 2 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and 8 total tackles in 39-14 win over SMU. TCU held SMU to -16 yards rushing and no first downs on the ground.
Eric Berry, Tennessee – Had team high 14 tackles, one for a loss and a pass breakup in loss to Auburn, 26-22.
Reed Williams, West Virginia – Led team with 9 tackles and had 3 passes broken up in 35-24 win over Colorado.
Greg Jones, Michigan State – Had 8 tackles, one for a loss and a fumble recovery that he returned 15 yards in overtime win over Michigan, 26-20.
Pat Angerer, Iowa – Led Hawkeyes with 11 tackles in 24-21 win over Arkansas State.
Brian Duncan, Texas Tech-8 tackles, 1 for a loss and 2 pass breakups in 48-28 win over New Mexico.
INJURIES-Penn State Linebacker Sean Lee missed his second consecutive week with a sprained knee injury.
ALSO OUT-Ohio State Defensive Back Kurt Coleman sat out the Indiana game after being suspended by the Big Ten for a late hit the previous week.
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 /