Back to MackBrown-TexasFootball.com - The Official Home of Texas Football
| 11/29/04 Johnson named finalist for first Lott Trophy  Texas senior linebacker Derrick Johnson has been named a finalist for the first Lott Trophy. The other two finalists are Wisconsin Safety Jim Leonhard and Georgia Defensive End David Pollack.
Named after former NFL Hall of Fame star Ronnie Lott, The Lott Trophy will be the first college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player. The Lott Trophy will go to the Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year, a player who has had the biggest impact on his team both on and off the field. IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity, all characteristics exhibited by Lott during his illustrious playing career. The three finalists will fly to Newport Beach for a gala banquet Dec. 12 when the winner will be announced. Among those scheduled to speak at the banquet are Bill Walsh, John Robinson, Marcus Allen, Mark Carrier, Mike Garrett, Pat Haden, Jack Kemp and Lott. National media, college coaches, former collegiate standouts and coaches were among the voters for the award. "I was hesitant to put my name on yet another college football award until I understood that The Lott Trophy would be the first award to give equal consideration to the personal character of these athletes," said Lott, an All-American at USC. "We were thrilled that we had so many excellent candidates this first year. It was extremely gratifying to learn about the positive IMPACT these outstanding young men have generated both on and off the field. I congratulate them all." Johnson, a 6-4, 235-pound senior, also is a finalist for the 2004 Butkus (nation's top linebacker), Bednarik and Lombardi Awards, and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, as well as the only defensive player listed among 10 "players to watch" for the Walter Camp Player of the Year honor. He leads Texas with 128 tackles this season and ranks third on the school's all-time tackle chart (456). The 2003 consensus first-team All-American and two-time first-team All-Big 12 pick has posted 19 tackles for loss, 10 QB pressures, one interception, eight pass breakups and a UT single-season record eight caused fumbles (T-No. 1 on the NCAA all-time single-season list) and earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors three times this season. With three TFLs at Kansas he increased his career total to 63 and eclipsed a UT all-time TFL record that stood for 22 years (60, Kiki DeAyala, 1979-82). He added two versus Texas A&M and now has 65. Johnson also has posted nine career interceptions, a Longhorn record for LBs. His 30 career PBUs are a UT record for LBs while his 280 solo stops (No. 3 on the UT all-time list) and 10 forced fumbles (T-No. 5 on the UT career chart) rank among UT's all-time top five. Johnson has been lauded for both his leadership and organizational development skills at Texas where he served as a student coach in Leadership in the Community classes. Leonhard, a senior from Tony, Wisconsin, is a first team Academic All-American, winner of a National Football Foundation postgraduate scholarship and two-time Badger team captain. He has had 21 interceptions over the past three seasons and is the leading punt returner in Wisconsin history (102 returns, 1,313 yards, 12.9 yards per return, three touchdowns). The Badgers are 9-2 and will play in the Outback Bowl Jan. 1. Pollack, a senior from Snellville, Georgia, will be the first three-time All-American at the school since Herschel Walker. He is the Bulldogs' all-time leader in sacks with 33. He had three tackles for loss and two sacks in Georgia's 19-13 win over Georgia Tech Saturday. The Bulldogs are now 9-2. Pollack won the Hendricks award last season as the outstanding defensive end in the country. In addition to his prowess and leadership on the field, Pollack has been recognized for his impact in speaking to youth group around Athens and his involvement in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. All three players were given the highest recommendations from their respective athletic departments. One-third of the monies raised from the diner will go to the winner's university while one-third of the money will go the Boys & Girls Club of America and one-third to the Pat Tillman Foundation. An honorary Lott Trophy was presented to Pat Tillman Sr. Oct. 16 during the USC-Arizona State game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Tillman, the former Arizona State star and NFL standout, volunteered to serve in the Army and was tragically killed in Afghanistan in April. He was a man who clearly exemplified the highest ideals expressed by the Lott Trophy. |
