The Lombardi Award |
Phil Steele is proud to be on the voting committee for this award |
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2015 ROTARY LOMBARDI AWARD CANDIDATES | ||
OL Ramadan Ahmeti, Central Michigan | DT Tylor Harris, Wake Forest | LB Montese Overton, East Carolina |
LB Dominique Alexander, Oklahoma | G Marcus Henry, Boise State | DE Denzell Perine, FIU |
G Vadal Alexander, LSU | LB Nick Holt, Western Kentucky | G Caleb Peterson, North Carolina |
C Jack Allen Michigan, State | C Alex Huettel, Bowling Green | LB Joseph Peterson, Georgia State |
LB T.T. Barber, Middle Tennessee | OL Matt Hugenberg, Army | DT Davion Pierson, TCU |
DL Alex Barrett, San Diego State | LB DJ Hunter, Marshall | LB Manoa Pikula, BYU |
OL Willie Beavers, Western Michigan | LB Great Ibe, Eastern Michigan | G Greg Pyke, Georgia |
OT Adrian Bellard, Texas State | LB Myles Jack, UCLA | OT Mykheal Quave, Louisiana |
OL Caleb Benenoch, UCLA | LB Jordan Jenkins, Georgia | LB Reggie Ragland, Alabama |
G Dalton Bennett, Troy | G Darius Johnson, Middle Tennessee | DE Sheldon Rankins, Louisville |
LB Vince Biegel, Wisconsin | DT Gerrand Johnson, ULM | OL Andrew Reue, Rice |
LB Zeek Bigger, East Carolina | OT Tyler Johnstone, Oregon | DE Tyler Roberts, Troy |
DT Andrew Billings, Baylor | DT Jarron Jones, Notre Dame | DT A'Shawn Robinson, Alabama |
OL Adam Bisnpwaty, Pittsburgh | DE Bronson Kaufusi, BYU | LB Jovan Santos-Knox, Massachusetts |
DE Ronald Blair, Appalachian State | DT Kingsley Keke, Texas A&M | C Joseph Scelfo, South Alabama |
DE Joey Bosa, Ohio State | C Ryan Kelly, Alabama | LB Joe Schmidt, Notre Dame |
G J.T. Boyd, East Carolina | C Kaydon Kirby, North Texas | DE Ian Seau, Nevada |
LB Jatavis Brown, Akron | LB Hunter Kissenger, ULM | DL Blake Serpa, Central Michigan |
DE DeForest Buckner, Oregon | OL Tejan Koroma, BYU | C Isaac Seumalo, Oregon State |
LB James Burgess, Louisville | OL James Kristof, Western Michigan | LB Ryan Simmons, Oklahoma State |
DT Vernon Butler, Louisiana Tech | LB Nick Kwiatkoski, West Virginia | C Matt Skura, Duke |
DE Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State | DE Royce LaFrance, Tulane | OL Pearce Slater, San Diego State |
LB Brandon Chubb, Wake Forest | OL Forrest Lamp, Western Kentucky | LB Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame |
DT Kenny Clark, UCLA | C Taylor Lasecki, SMU | LB Terrence Smith, Florida State |
OT Le'Raven Clark, Texas Tech | LB Darron Lee, Ohio State | OT Garrett Stafford, Tulsa |
OL Ben Clarke, Hawaii | DE Dadi Lhomme-Nicolas, Virginia Tech | OT Ronnie Stanley, Notre Dame |
DT Trevon Coley, Florida Atlantic | LB Steve Longa, Rutgers | LB Graham Stewart, Connecticut |
OT Jack Conklin, Michigan State | LB Alex Lyons, Rice | DE Chris Stone, Arkansas State |
DE Kamalei Correa, Boise State | C Nick Martin, Notre Dame | LB Eric Striker, Oklahoma |
DT Sheldon Day, Notre Dame | LB Blake Martinez, Stanford | LB Christian Tago, San Jose State |
OT Taylor Decker, Ohio State | DL Praise Martin-Oguike, Temple | G Chris Taylor, Tulane |
DE Hunter Dimick, Utah | LB Tyler Matakevich, Temple | LB Jeremy Timpf, Army |
OT Spencer Drango, Baylor | LB Boomer Mays, Northern Illinois | LB Dominique Tovell, Louisiana |
G Parker Ehinger, Cincinnati | LB Cassanova McKinzy, Auburn | C Max Tuerk, USC |
DE Ken Ekanem, Virginia Tech | LB Marc Millan, Idaho | OT Laremy Tunsil, Ole Miss |
G Pat Elflein, Ohio State | LB Mason Monheim, Illinois | G Landon Turner, North Carolina |
G Steve Elmer, Notre Dame | OL Alfredo Morales, Texas Tech | LB Tanner Vallejo, Boise State |
LB Kyler Fackrell, Utah State | LB Antonio Morrison, Florida | OT Clint Van Horn, Marshall |
G Dan Feeney, Indiana | DE Silverberry Mouhon, Cincinnati | DL Eddie Vanderdoes, UCLA |
G Sedrick Flowers, Texas | C Andrew Ness, Northern Illinois | LB Nick Vigil, Utah State |
LB Leonard Floyd, Georgia | DE Thomas Niles, UCF | DE Trent Voss, Toledo |
G Isaiah Folasa-Lutui, New Mexico State | DT Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss | DE Michael Wakefield, FIU |
C Kyle Fuller, Baylor | LB Reggie Northrup, Florida State | DT Adolphus Washington, Ohio State |
G Joshua Garnett, Stanford | DE Shawn Oakman, Baylor | OT Toby Weathersby, LSU |
DE Myles Garrett, Texas A&M | DE Pat O'Connor, Eastern Michigan | LB Scooby Wright III, Arizona |
DT Adam Gotsis, Georgia Tech | OT Rees Odhiambo, Boise State | DE Eddie Yarbrough, Wyoming |
OL Darrell Greene, San Diego State | DE Emmanuel Ogbah, Oklahoma State | OT Avery Young, Auburn |
OT Ike Harris, East Carolina | DE Joe Ostman, Central Michigan | DT Anthony Zettel, Penn State |
2014 Rotary Lombardi Award Winner: The 2014 Finalists: |
About the Rotary Lombardi Award |
The Rotary Lombardi Award is hosted by the Rotary Club of Houston and benefits the American Cancer Society. The Award was initiated by the Rotary Club in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi to cancer. Rotary Lombardi Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. The Rotary Lombardi Award goes annually to the college football lineman -- offense or defense -- who, in addition to outstanding performance and ability, best exemplifies the discipline of Vince Lombardi. As the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, Lombardi first made a name for himself as the smallest but toughest member of Fordham University's "Seven Blocks of Granite," renowned in their day (1934-37) for being the most unyielding line in college football. Appropriately, the trophy is a 40-pound block of granite atop a silver pedestal built over a foundation of discipline. The symbolic design was created by Houston Rotarian and professional artist, the late Mark Storm. A distinguished committee of nearly 400 of America's most prominent college football coaches, football writers, sports broadcasters and previous Rotary Lombardi Award winners and finalists, participate in a three-tiered balloting process. Each year the selection committee selects twelve semifinalists, four finalists and the ultimate winner in balloting conducted by the accounting firm of KPMG Peat Marwick. All four finalists, their head coaches and sports information directors are brought to Houston for two days of hospital visits , media interviews and local hospitality. The climax of the trip is the annual Rotary Lombardi Dinner, when a sellout crowd gathers to hear the announcement of the winner prior to its release to the national media. |
Vince Lombardi |
Just weeks after his death in 1970, the Rotary Club of Houston was authorized by Vince Lombardi's widow, Marie, to establish the Lombardi Award, an annual honor which not only recognizes the nation's best collegiate lineman but which also celebrates the memory of one of football's greatest coaches. As stipulated by Mrs. Vince Lombardi, net proceeds from all Award Dinners and associated activities are contributed to the American Cancer Society to help fight the disease that claimed the life o Coach Lombardi. Since the award's inception in 1970, over $3,100,000 has been raised to help the American Cancer Society's program of cancer research, public education and direct services to cancer patients. Vince Lombardi guided the Green Bay Packers to their first two Super Bowl titles, leading the Packers to six divisional championships and five NFL Championships in a coaching career that led to his induction into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1971. A fierce competitor on the field and a highly motivational man off the field, Lombardi first gained notoriety as one of the legendary "seven blocks of granite" while playing collegiately as a lineman at Fordham University in New York in the mid 1930's. He was a high school Latin and chemistry teacher before beginning a collegiate coaching career in his native New York. He was named head coach of the Green Bay Packers in 1959 at the age of 46 and immediately turned around the fortunes of the Pack, guiding the club from a 1-10-1 mark in 1958 to a 7-5 record in his first season. After the second of his Super Bowl titles in 1967 , he stepped down from his coaching duties in 1968 and served as Packers general manager. Missing the fast pace of the NFL sidelines, Lombardi accepted a position as general manager and head coach of the Washington Redskins in 1969 and guided Washington to a 7-5-2 mark. Tragically, he was stricken with cancer during that 1969 season and succumbed at the age of 57 in 1970. Today the legacy of Mr. Lombardi is carried on by his estate, which includes his son, Vince Lombardi as well as by the annual Rotary Lombardi Award. |
Previous Lombardi Award Winners | ||
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1970 Jim Stillwagon Ohio State 1971 Walt Patulski Notre Dame 1972 Rich Glover Nebraska 1973 John Hicks Ohio State 1974 Randy White Maryland 1975 Lee Roy Selmon Oklahoma 1976 Wilson Whitley Houston 1977 Ross Browner Notre Dame 1978 Bruce Clark Penn State 1979 Brad Budde USC 1980 Hugh Green Pittsburgh 1981 Kenneth Sims Texas 1982 Dave Rimington Nebraska 1983 Dean Steinkuhler Nebraska |
1984 Tony Degrate Texas
1985 Tony Casillas Oklahoma 1986 Cornelius Bennett Alabama 1987 Chris Spielman Ohio State 1988 Tracy Rocker Auburn 1989 Percy Snow Michigan State 1990 Chris Zorich Notre Dame 1991 Steve Emtman Washington 1992 Marvin Jones Florida State 1993 Aaron Taylor Notre Dame 1994 Warren Sapp Miami, FL 1995 Orlando Pace Ohio State 1996 Orlando Pace Ohio State 1997 Grant Wistrom Nebraska |
1998 Dat Nguyen Texas A&M 1999 Corey Moore Virginia Tech 2000 Jamal Reynolds Florida State 2001 Julius Peppers North Carolina 2002 Terrell Suggs Arizona State 2003 Tommie Harris Oklahoma 2004 David Pollack Georgia 2005 A.J. Hawk Ohio State 2006 LaMarr Woodley Michigan 2007 Glenn Dorsey LSU 2008 Brian Orakpo, Texas 2009 Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska 2010 Nick Fairley, Auburn 2011 Luke Kuechly, Boston College 2012 Manti Te'o, Notre Dame 2013 Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh |