THE LOTT IMPACT
Lott Men Make a Difference
Honoring college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year.
I
Integrity
M
Maturity
P
Performance
A
Academics
C
Community
T
Tenacity
DeMeco Ryans Foundation
The 2005 Lott IMPACT® Trophy winner from Alabama began his foundation in 2007. Its mission is "to create innovative programs that provide access to educational, recreational and healthy living initiatives designed to positively aid in the development of youth."
Luke Kuechly, Project Life
The 2011 Lott winner from Boston College was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. Kuechly recently became a spokesman for Project Life, a nonprofit that was started at Davidson College in North Carolina. Since 1989, Project Life has connected with over 25 universities to register college students for bone marrow donation. "It’s an opportunity to do something simple to save someone’s life," Kuechly said. "With bone marrow, everyone thinks it’s a painful thing, but all you have to do is swab your cheek and you’re in the registry."
Sam Acho and Emmanuel Acho, Living Hope Christian Ministries
The brothers from Texas have both played in the NFL. Sam (2010 finalist) is with the Bears after four seasons with the Cardinals. Emmanuel (2011 finalist) spent two years with the Eagles before an injury sidelined him. Their parents founded a mission project in Nigeria and both brothers travel there every year. “Every summer, along with a team of medical professionals who have bought into the vision, our family returns to Nigeria with Living Hope Christian Ministries to provide medical care to those in need. Some of our teammates have even joined us on these trips.”
J.J. Watt Foundation
Watt, the 2010 Lott IMPACT® Trophy winner is now an NFL mega star with the Houston Texans. Here is the mission statement from his foundation: “Our mission is to provide after-school opportunities for children in the community to become involved in athletics, so that they may learn the basic character traits of accountability, teamwork, leadership, work ethic and perseverance while in a safe and supervised environment with their peers.”