University of North Carolina Athletics
Stewart Named To Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List.
May 19, 2016 | Football
Newport Beach, CA - North Carolina junior cornerback M.J. Stewart is one of 42 of the top defensive players in the country to be nominated for the 2016 Lott IMPACT Trophy. Stewart tied for the ACC lead with 18 passes defended a year ago, and added 62 tackles and four interceptions en route to second-team All-ACC honors.
This is the 13th year the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has presented the Lott IMPACT Trophy that goes to the student-athlete who exhibits the characteristics displayed by Ronnie Lott during his legendary college and professional careers. IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.
The 42 nominated players represent 33 different universities throughout the country, including for the first time, a school from the Ivy League (Harvard). Alabama has three on the Watch List while Stanford, Tennessee, Virginia, TCU, USC and Michigan have two each.
The winner, announced in December at a gala black-tie dinner, will receive $25,000 for his school's general scholarship fund while each of three runner-ups will receive $5,000 each for their schools.
Additionally, one athlete is chosen as Player of the Week each week during the season, earning $1,000 for his school.
A National Voter Panel of more than 300 former college coaches, players and members of the media, vote on the award.
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
View the 2016 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List
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 $1.1 million to various charities throughout the country. The 13th annual Lott IMPACT Trophy Awards will be held Dec. 11th at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California. For more information on The Lott Trophy visit: www.LottImpactTrophy.org
