In December of 2005, nearly 15 years ago, Ronnie Lott, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, presented the first Lott IMPACT Trophy to David Pollack, a standout defensive end from the University of Georgia.
Pollack was everything the Lott IMPACT Trophy was about. In addition to being a three-time All-American and two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, he was the quintessential student-athlete who paid attention to his studies, gave of himself in the community and led by example in everything he did.
Lott, of course, had long ago proved his worth as a member of the Hall of Fame following a legendary career at USC and becoming a pivotal member of multiple Super Bowl champions in San Francisco.
Now, it appears Pollack will join Lott in the Hall of Fame. He is one of the leading candidates in a field of 81 nominees (76 players, 5 coaches) for the Class of 2020.
A highly regarded college football analyst on ESPN, Pollack has continued to make a huge impact off the playing field.
David and Lindsey Pollack, along with their kids Nicholas and Leah, created The Pollack Family Foundation based on three pillars: Whole–Life–Health, with the mission of raising awareness about childhood obesity. Their goal is to educate individuals, families and communities on the benefits of nutrition and exercise, and to provide them opportunities to embrace healthy living through eating well and physical activity. Their vision is a nation of healthy families.
Pollack would become the first Lott IMPACT Trophy winner to be elected to the Hall. But two other Lott IMPACT Trophy winners – Glenn Dorsey of LSU (2007) and James Laurinaitis of Ohio State (2008) – are also on the ballot. Besides Lott himself, other Board of Directors for the Lott Trophy are already enshrined – Marcus Allen (USC), Darrin Nelson (Stanford) and Sam Cunningham (USC) along with coaches Terry Donahue (UCLA) and John Robinson (USC).
The announcement of the 2020 Class will take place prior the College Football Championship game this season.
Notre Dame has the most members in the Hall of Fame (47) followed by USC (44) and Michigan (32).