2011 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List Announced

NEWPORT BEACH, Ca. – The 2011 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List, honoring the top collegiate defensive player in the country, was announced today at a luncheon hosted by Ronnie Lott and the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation.  

 

          This is the eighth year that the IMPACT Foundation has recognized the student-athletes throughout the nation who have had the biggest IMPACT on their teams both on and off the field.  IMPACT is an acronym for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity, characteristics that Ronnie Lott exhibited throughout his brilliant Hall of Fame career at both USC and in the National Football League.  

 

          The 2011 list of 42 (Lott’s uniform number) includes 19 defensive backs, 14 linebackers and nine defensive linemen.  There are 11 players from the ACC, eight from the SEC, seven from the Big Ten, six from the Pac-10, six from the Big 12, one from the Big East, one from the Mountain West, one from the Western Athletic Conference and one from Notre Dame.

 

          Eleven of the nominees received All-American honors a year ago and 10 were accorded academic honors in their respective conferences.  

 

          The Lott Trophy has now donated nearly $850,000 to charities since its inception in 2004, including $275,000 to 23 different universities.  The winners’ school receives $25,000 annually, each of the three runner-ups $5,000 and the Lott IMPACT Player of the Week $1,000.   

 

          A national voter panel, made up of more than 200 former collegiate stars, former college coaches, members of the media and both the Lott IMPACT Board of Directors and Board of Advisors, will select the four finalists who will be honored at the annual Lott IMPACT Trophy banquet Dec. 11 in Newport Beach. 

 

 

The 2011 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List

 

Emmanuel Acho, Texas, LB,

Ray-Ray Armstrong, Miami, DB

Mark Barron, Alabama, S

Jake Bequette, Arkansas, DL

Omar Bolden, Arizona State, CB

Nigel Bradham, Florida State, LB

Brodrick Brown, Oklahoma State, CB

Tank Carder, TCU, LB

Quinton Coples, North Carolina, DE

Jared Crick, Nebraska, DL

Lavonte David, Nebraska, LB

Matt Daniels, Duke, S

Tony Dye, UCLA, S

Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina, CB

Cliff Harris, Oregon, CB

Aaron Henry, Wisconsin, DB

Dont’a Hightower, Alabama, LB

Joe Holland, Purdue, LB

Jayron Hosley, Virginia Tech, CB

Delano Howell, Stanford, DB

Brandon Jenkins, Florida State, DE

Janois Jenkins, Florida, CB

Mychal Kendricks, Cal, LB

Jordan Kovacs, Michigan, S

Luke Kuechly, Boston College, LB

Travis Lewis, Oklahoma, LB

Chris Marve, Vanderbilt, LB

T.J. McDonald, USC, S

Matt Merletti, North Carolina, S

Chase Minnifield, Virginia, CB

Tyler Nielsen, Iowa, LB

Kendall Reyes, Connecticut, DT

John Simon, Ohio State, DT

Shayne Skov, Stanford, LB

Jacquies Smith, Missouri, DE

Sean Spence, Miami, LB

Kenny Tate, Maryland, S

Brandon Taylor, LSU, S

Manti Te’o, Notre Dame, LB

Prentiss Waggner, Tennessee, S

Billy Winn, Boise State, DE

Jerel Worthy, Michigan State, DT

 

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

          2009 – Jerry Hughes, TCU

          2010 – J.J. Watt, Wisconsin

 

 

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. To date, the Foundation has donated more than $850,000 to various charities throughout the country.  The eighth annual Lott Trophy dinner will be held December 11th at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California. For more information on The Lott Trophy visit: www.LottTrophy.com.

 

HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS TO HONOR TOMMY LASORDA

“The Ambassador of Baseball” to Receive Award from the Ambassadors of Goodwill on Feb. 14 at STAPLES Center

(PHOENIX, Feb. 8, 2010) —Two of the sports world’s most beloved ambassadors—legendary L.A. Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda and the World Famous Harlem Globetrotters—will come together on Sunday, Feb. 14 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, when the Globetrotters honor the baseball Hall of Famer with a special award for his lifetime ambassadorial contributions that embody the Globetrotters spirit of goodwill.  The presentation will take place prior to the team’s 1 p.m. show at Staples Center.

In much the same way that the Globetrotters helped introduce the sport of basketball throughout the world in bringing their showmanship to 120 countries on six continents during their history, Lasorda has played a similar, instrumental role in growing the sport of baseball overseas.

Long acknowledged as “the ambassador of baseball,” Lasorda has traveled overseas to help introduce the sport around the world since 1965.  In 2008, the government of Japan presented Lasorda with their prestigious Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette medal for promoting friendship between Japan and the United States through baseball.

Ironically, Lasorda was born in 1927, the same year the Harlem Globetrotters played their first-ever road game in Hinckley, Ill., on Jan. 7, 1927.    Like the Globetrotters, Lasorda’s accomplishments, both on and off the field, are enormous.  On the diamond, the Dodgers won two world championships, four National League pennants and eight division titles under Lasorda’s direction.  At the age of 73, Lasorda piloted the U.S Olympic Baseball Team to the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

Lasorda recently visited U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to motivate and inspire the men and women of the Armed Forces. Similarly, the Globetrotters visited Iraq this past December as part of their 7th annual Holiday Military Overseas Tour. Lasorda still serves as the Dodgers’ Special Advisor to the Chairman, acting as an advisor and ambassador at more than 100 appearances to various charities and military personnel each year.

The Globetrotters have five games in the Southland area, taking the court Saturday, Feb. 13 for 1:00pm and 7:00pm games at the Honda Center in Anaheim; Sunday, Feb. 14 for 1:00pm and 6:00pm games at STAPLES Center; and Monday, Feb. 15, for a 1:00pm game at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario.

Sponsored by Campbell Soup Company, Spalding, Howard Johnson and America’s Best Contacts and Eyeglasses, the Original Harlem Globetrotters are in their 84th consecutive season of touring the world.

MATT KEMP AND ORLANDO HUDSON CAPTURE GOLD GLOVES

--Kemp wins his first while Hudson takes home his fourth Rawlings Gold Glove Award--


LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers and Rawlings today announced that center fielder Matt Kemp and second baseman Orlando Hudson were awarded the National League Rawlings Gold Glove for their respective positions. Kemp becomes a Rawlings Gold Glove winner for the first time in his career while Hudson captures his fourth award. Hudson has now won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award in four of the last five seasons, after winning one in three consecutive seasons from 2005-07.

Kemp led all Major League center fielders and ranked third among all big league outfielders with 14 outfield assists. His .995 fielding percentage was third among NL center fielders, behind Gold Glove winner Shane Victorino and Nate McLouth. The Oklahoma native made just two errors on the season.

Prior to Kemp, the last Dodger outfielder to win the Rawlings Gold Glove was center fielder Steve Finley in 2004, which was also the last time more than one Dodger won the award in the same season. The only other everyday Dodger centerfielder to win the Rawlings Gold Glove award was Willie Davis, who took home the honor three straight years from 1971-73.

Kemp logged 1,355.1 innings in center field, which is more frames than any other Dodger center fielder in a Gold Glove season. Over the last two years, his 30 outfield assists are tied for second in the Major Leagues with Baltimore’s Nick Markakis, trailing only Houston’s Hunter Pence (32).

In 145 games at second base, Hudson made just eight errors and posted a .988 fielding percentage (T-4th, NL), which ranked fifth on the franchise’s single-season list by a second baseman, behind Jody Reed (.993, in 1993), Jackie Robinson (.992 in 1951), Charlie Neal (.989 in 1959), and Mark Grudzielanek (.989 in 2002). In September, the 2009 All-Star was named by Baseball America as the best defensive second baseman in the publication’s annual tools issue.

Hudson becomes the third Dodger second baseman to win a Gold Glove and the first since Davey Lopes in 1978. Neal was the franchise’s first second baseman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove, taking home the honor in 1959, the club’s first championship season in Los Angeles.

In 2008, pitcher Greg Maddux was the lone Dodger to take home the Rawlings Gold Glove Award and 2009 marks just the eighth time since the inception of the award in 1957 that two Dodgers have won Gold Gloves in the same season. The Dodgers have never had more than two Gold Glove winners in a season and have now won 38 Gold Glove Awards in their history, led by Wes Parker’s six consecutive awards at first base from 1967-72.

Rawlings established the Rawlings Gold Glove Award in 1957 as the greatest measure of fielding excellence. The award is presented annually to 18 players – one for each position – in both the American and National Leagues. Winners are selected by Major League coaches and managers prior to the conclusion of the regular season. Managers and coaches may not vote for players from their own club and only vote for players in their own league.

Torii Hunter Wins 9th Straight Gold Glove

ANAHEIM, CA – Angels’ centerfielder Torii Hunter has been selected to the 2009 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® team, in an announcement made Tuesday by the Rawlings Sporting Goods Company. This marks the ninth consecutive Gold Glove honor for the three-time All-Star.

Hunter’s nine Gold Gloves as an American League outfielder rank tied (with Ichiro) for third all-time behind Ken Griffey Jr. (10) and Al Kaline (10).

Hunter, 34, is the fourth Angel outfielder to win consecutive Gold Gloves, joining Gary Pettis (1985-86), Devon White (1988-89) and Jim Edmonds (1997-98).

Hunter committed just one error in 115 games in centerfield (311 total chances). The miscue committed on Sept. 18th at Texas snapped a streak of 265 consecutive errorless games to end the longest active streak among MLB outfielders. The 11-year veteran has committed one error in 675 total chances over two seasons with the Halos.

The Angels have had a Rawlings Gold Glove Award® recipient in 20 of the last 24 seasons.

The Rawlings Gold Glove Award® acknowledges outstanding fielding achievement and is presented annually to 18 players, one from each position in both the American and National Leagues.

The award was introduced in 1957 and the winners are chosen by major league managers and coaches.

ETHIER WINS 2009 “MLB CLUTCH-PERFORMER OF THE YEAR AWARD”

--Outfielder led the Majors with six walk-off hits and four walk-off homers--

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Dodgers’ outfielder Andre Ethier has been named the recipient of the “2009 MLB Clutch Performer of the Year Award Presented by Pepsi”, it was announced today. Ethier is the winner of the officially-sanctioned Major League Baseball award, as voted by the fans, which recognizes the player who performed his best when the game was on the line.

The winner was revealed during a one-hour special, produced by Major League Baseball Productions, that aired on ESPN. Hosted by “Mr. October” Reggie Jackson, who is no stranger to clutch hits, The 2009 MLB Clutch Performer of the Year Award Show Presented by Pepsi celebrated the six nominees who consistently delivered clutch performances over the course of the entire 2009 Major League Baseball season. This year’s MLB Pepsi Clutch Performer of the Year nominees were: Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers; Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers; Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants; Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins; Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals; and Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees.

Ethier set career-highs in 2009 with 160 games played, 162 hits, 31 home runs, 106 RBI, 92 runs scored, 42 doubles, and 72 walks while hitting .272 with a .508 slugging percentage and a .361 on-base percentage. The 27-year old outfielder finished fifth in the N.L. with 76 extra-base hits, tied for fifth in doubles, and was tied for sixth in RBI.

Ethier led the Majors with six walk-off hits, including a Major League record four walk-off home runs (tied with Jimmie Foxx in 1940 and Roy Sievers in 1957): June 6th against the Phillies in the 12th inning; June 29th against Colorado in the 13th inning; August 6th vs. Atlanta in the 9th; and September 15th against the Pirates in the 13th. Ethier has a Major League-leading nine walk-off hits since the beginning of the 2008 season, and his six in 2009 are the most in a single-season by any player since at least 1974.

The left-handed slugger collected six multi-home run games on the year, tied for second with Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard behind Albert Pujols (10) of the Cardinals. The Arizona State product became just the fourth Dodger in franchise history to amass at least 40 doubles and 30 home runs in the same season, joining Babe Herman (1930), Raul Mondesi (1997) and Eric Karros (1999). On June 26th against Seattle, Andre drove in a career-high six runs and compiled his first career three-homer game, becoming the ninth Dodger in franchise history to accomplish the feat.

A second round selection in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft by the Athletics, Ethier recorded two nine-game hitting streaks during the season from June 1st-10th (.400, 14-for-35), and from July 19th-28th (.500, 17-for-24). Since August 2008, Ethier leads the Dodgers with 40 home runs.

During the month of October, Major League Baseball fans voted for the award on pepsiclutch.mlb.com, a site powered by MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, and created specifically for the MLB Clutch Performer Platform.

To further engage fans in the selection process each month, Pepsi introduced an online sweepstakes in conjunction with the award. As part of the program, fans were entered into a season long sweepstakes for a trip for two to the 2009 & 2010 Major League Baseball All-Star Games.

Monthly winners of the 2009 MLB Pepsi Clutch Performer of the Month awards include: Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals (April); Melky Cabrera, New York Yankees (May); Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants (June); Mark Buehrle, Chicago White Sox (July); Hideki Matsui, New York Yankees (August); and Michael Cuddyer, Minnesota Twins (September). Last season, CC Sabathia was named the recipient of the “2008 MLB Clutch Performer of the Year Award Presented by Pepsi.”