The event, as it has in years past, was a wonderful tribute to the game of football, complete with a roomful of dignitaries, a series of charity donations and a distinguished panel of luminaries.
Ronnie Lott, the namesake of the trophy, was all smiles as the luncheon unfolded in a cavalcade of highlights.

First the 42 players, from 41 different universities (only Michigan had two candidates) were announced via the big screen. In its first 15 years, it was noted, the award has honored players who have gone on to success both on and off the field. Some, like J.J. Watt (Wisconsin, 2010) and Luke Kuechly (Boston College, 2011), have become NFL stars. Others like David Pollack (Georgia, 2004), Jim Leonhard (Wisconsin, 2004) and Myron Rolle (Florida State, 2008) have excelled in other fields. Pollack as a respected broadcaster on ESPN, Leonhard as the defensive coordinator at his alma mater and Rolle as a neurosurgeon at Harvard Medical School. The Foundation has also raised $1.5 million for various charities throughout the country, including $688,000 for universities.
An additional $25,000 was donated to four high schools and one youth football program in Southern California.

A new program, the Alumni Ambassador Program was introduced with Joshua Perry (Ohio State, 2015) speaking on behalf of the program that will reach out to former winners and finalists to keep them involved in the Lott Trophy.

The highly entertaining panel was made up of former Harvard All-American Pat McInally, former USC and Los Angeles Ram Coach John Robinson, three-time Super Bowl Champion with the Patriots Willie McGinest and the general manager of the Los Angeles Chargers, Tom Telesco.

Their stories and comments proved to be insightful with four different perspectives on the game.

Also in attendance were Darrin Nelson (Stanford All-American), Mike White (Coach of Cal, Illinois and the Raiders), Stan Morrison (USC Basketball Coach), Pat Harlow (USC All-American), Bruce Rollinson (Mater Dei Football Coach), Neale Stoner (Cal State Fullerton, Illinois Athletic Director) and several former NFL players.

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The Watch List was announced at a luncheon at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach.

The 42 players on the Watch List are from 41 different universities.  Michigan is the only school with two candidates.

There are 18 linebackers on the list 13 defensive backs and 11 defensive linemen.

Four of the nominees were on the 2018 Watch List for the Lott Trophy—Troy Dye of Oregon, Jordan Fuller of Ohio State, Khaleke Hudson of Michigan and Colin Schooler of Arizona.

The voting panel for the Lott IMPACT Trophy is made up of former winners and finalists, former coaches and players, members of the media and the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation.

The Foundation has donated more than $1.5 million to various charities since its inception in 2004, including nearly $700,000 to universities

The winner’s school receives $25,000 for its general scholarship fund and three finalists receive $5,000 each for their schools.  A Lott IMPACT Player of the Week is selected each week during the season and $1,000 is awarded to the school of the player.

You can follow the Lott IMPACT Trophy:

Website (Lottimpactrophy.org)
Twitter (@thelotttrophy)
facebook (The Lott IMPACT Trophy)
Instagram (@lottimpacttrophy)

You can view the announcement at: https://lottimpacttrophy.org/2019-watch-list-announcement/

2019 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List

PAULSON ADEBO, Stanford, CB

MARKUS BAILEY, Purdue, LB

MOHAMED BARRY, Nebraska, LB

JOE BACHIE, Michigan State, LB

DeCALON BROOKS, Florida State, LB

DERRICK BROWN, Auburn, DT

MYLES BRYANT, Washington, DB

EDGAR CERENORD, Duke, DT

COLE CHRISTIANSEN, Army, LB

ANDRE CISCO, Syracuse, S

TROY DYE, Oregon, LB

A.J. EPENESA, Iowa, DL

PADDY FISHER, Northwestern, LB

JORDAN FULLER, Ohio State, DB

JEFF GLADNEY, TCU, CB

CALE GARRETT, Missouri, LB

ALOHI GILMAN, Notre Dame, S

RICHIE GRANT, UCF, DB

YETUR GROSS-MATOS, Penn State, DE

BRYCE HALL, Virginia, S

KHALEKE HUDSON, Michigan, LB/S

JAYLON JOHNSON, Utah, CB

BRANDON JONES, Texas, DB

RICHARD LeCOUNTE, Georgia, S

RASHARD LAWRENCE, LSU, DT

RAY LIMA, Iowa State, DL

JUSTIN MADUBUIKE, Texas A&M, DL

JOSH METELLUS, Michigan, S

DYLAN MOSES, Alabama, LB

KENNETH MURRAY, Oklahoma, LB

CHRIS ORR, Wisconsin, LB

SHAQUILLE QUARTERMAN, Miami, LB

CHRISTIAN RECTOR, USC, DL

MALCOLM ROACH, Texas, DE

COLIN SCHOOLER, Arizona, LB

ISAIAH SIMMONS, Clemson, LB

MYKAL WALKER, Fresno State, LB

CURTIS WEAVER, Boise State, DE

EVAN WEAVER, Cal, LB

TYLER WHILEY, Arizona State, LB/DB

DAVID WOODWARD, Utah State, LB

JABARI ZUNIGA, Florida, DE

Previous Winners of the Lott IMPACT Trophy

2004 – David Pollack, Georgia

2005 – DeMeco Ryans, Alabama

2006 – Dante Hughes, Cal

2007 – Glenn Dorsey, LSU

2008 – James Laurinaitis, Ohio State

2009 – Jerry Hughes, TCU

2010 – J.J. Watt, Wisconsin

2011 – Luke Kuechly, Boston College

2012 – Manti Te’o, Notre Dame

2013 – Anthony Barr, UCLA

2014 – Eric Kendricks, UCLA

2015 – Carl Nassib, Penn State

2016 – Jabrill Peppers, Michigan

2017 – Josey Jewell, Iowa

2018 – Joshua Allen, Kentucky

Named after Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Ronnie Lott, The Lott IMPACT 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 a distinguished group of former college football head coaches. To date, the Foundation has donated more than $1.5 million to various charities throughout the country. The 16th annual Lott Trophy dinner will be held Dec. 15th at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California. For more information on The Lott Trophy visit: www.LottImpactTrophy.org

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