Ronnie Lott

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Ronnie Lott
Date of birth May 8, 1959
Place of birth Albuquerque, New Mexico
Position(s) Defensive Back
College Southern California
NFL Draft 1981 / Round 1/ Pick 8
Pro Bowls 10
Honors NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
Retired #s San Francisco 49ers #42
Statistics
Team(s)
1981-1990
1991-1992
1993-1994
San Francisco 49ers
Los Angeles Raiders
New York Jets
College Hall-of-Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2000

Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott (born May 8, 1959 in Albuquerque, New Mexico) is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his hard hits on opposing players, rivaling fellow safeties Steve Atwater, Sean Taylor, John Lynch, and Jack Tatum as the hardest hitter of all time.

Contents

[edit] College career

Lott graduated from the University of Southern California in 1981 with a degree in public administration. During his years of play as a safety at USC (1977-1980), he helped the team to a share of the 1978 national championship and played in the 1979 and 1980 Rose Bowls. Lott was a unanimous All-American and team captain in 1980. He was inducted in 2002 as one of 15 new members (I-A class) of the College Football Hall of Fame, and was also a 1995 inductee to the USC Athletic Hall of Fame.

Upon entering college from Rialto Eisenhower High School, Lott and Marcus Allen were both considered for tailback and safety. Coach John Robinson after much consideration asked Lott to play defence because he was a better tackler than Allen.

While being interviewed by Byron Allen he said that he and Marcus Allen would not have graduated from college without cheating with the help of Byron Allen.[1]

[edit] Professional career

After college, Lott was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1st round (8th overall pick) of the 1981 NFL draft. The level of skill demonstrated by the 6-foot, 203-pound standout was instantly recognized, and from the very beginning of training camp he had the job as the 49ers' starting left cornerback. In his first season, he recorded 7 interceptions, helped the 49ers to win Super Bowl XVI, and also became only the second rookie in NFL history to return three interceptions for touchdowns. His outstanding play resulted in his finishing second for Rookie of the Year honors, behind New York Giants' Linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

He switched to the safety position in 1985. A 1986 injury sidelined him for the season's last two games, but he still led the league with a career-best 10 interceptions while recording 77 tackles, three forced fumbles, and two quarterback sacks. In his 10 years with the 49ers, he helped them to win 8 division titles and 4 Super Bowls: XVI (1981 season), XIX (1984), XXIII (1988), and XXIV (1989). He is one of the few players to play for the 49ers on all four of their Super Bowl wins during the 1980's.

After his career with San Francisco, he signed as a free agent in 1991 with the Los Angeles Raiders, and in 1993 with the New York Jets. In 1991 he led the league in interceptions(8) for a second time. He returned to the 49ers in 1995, but the injuries he had suffered over the previous four seasons continued to plague him, and he announced his retirement before the season began. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000, his first year of eligibility, and was also named to the NFL's 75th anniversary team.

In his 14 seasons, Lott recorded 8.5 sacks and 63 interceptions, which he returned for 730 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also recovered 17 fumbles, returned them for 43 yards, and gained 113 yards on kickoff returns.

Lott also played in 20 postseason games, recording nine interceptions, 89 tackles, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and two touchdowns.

[edit] Personal

His son, Ryan Nece, is a linebacker that plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

[edit] Other facts

  • 10-time Pro Bowl selection (1981-84, 1986-91)
  • High school - Eisenhower (Rialto, California)
  • The 49ers retired his uniform number 42 in 2003
  • The Lott Trophy, recognizing college football's defensive impact player, is named in his honor.
  • He had the tip of his left pinky finger amputated during the offseason so he wouldn't risk injuring it in the future and miss more football games.
  • His devastating hit against Ickey Woods was one of the early turning points of Super Bowl XXIII.
  • He is one of the few players to receive the award of 'All Pro' at three different positions (FS, SS, CB)
  • In 1999, he was ranked number 23 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. This makes him the highest-ranked safety, the second-ranked defensive back behind Night Train Lane, and the highest-ranked player to have played for the New York Jets, but only the third-ranked player to have played for the 49ers, behind Jerry Rice and Joe Montana.
  • Quoted as saying that Dallas Cowboys safety Roy Williams is his favorite player to watch.

[edit] External links

National Football League | NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team

Sammy Baugh | Otto Graham | Joe Montana | Johnny Unitas | Jim Brown | Marion Motley | Bronko Nagurski | Walter Payton | Gale Sayers | O.J. Simpson | Steve Van Buren | Lance Alworth | Raymond Berry | Don Hutson | Jerry Rice | Mike Ditka | Kellen Winslow | Roosevelt Brown | Forrest Gregg | Anthony Muñoz | John Hannah | Jim Parker | Gene Upshaw | Mel Hein | Mike Webster | Deacon Jones | Gino Marchetti | Reggie White | Joe Greene | Bob Lilly | Merlin Olsen | Dick Butkus | Jack Ham | Ted Hendricks | Jack Lambert | Willie Lanier | Ray Nitschke | Lawrence Taylor | Mel Blount | Mike Haynes | Dick Lane | Rod Woodson | Ken Houston | Ronnie Lott | Larry Wilson | Ray Guy | Jan Stenerud | Billy Johnson

National Football League | NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team

Brett Favre | John Elway | Barry Sanders | Emmitt Smith | Terrell Davis | Thurman Thomas | Cris Carter | Jerry Rice | Tim Brown | Michael Irvin | Shannon Sharpe | Ben Coates | Willie Roaf | Gary Zimmerman | Tony Boselli | Richmond Webb | Bruce Matthews | Randall McDaniel |
Larry Allen | Steve Wisniewski | Dermontti Dawson | Mark Stepnoski | Bruce Smith | Reggie White | Chris Doleman | Neil Smith |
Cortez Kennedy | John Randle | Warren Sapp | Bryant Young | Kevin Greene | Junior Seau | Derrick Thomas | Cornelius Bennett |
Hardy Nickerson | Levon Kirkland | Deion Sanders | Rod Woodson | Darrell Green | Aeneas Williams | Steve Atwater | LeRoy Butler |
Carnell Lake | Ronnie Lott | Darren Bennett | Sean Landeta | Morten Andersen | Gary Anderson | Mel Gray | Michael Bates |
Bill Parcells | Marv Levy

National Football League | NFL's 1980s All-Decade Team

Joe Montana | Dan Fouts | Walter Payton | Eric Dickerson | Roger Craig | John Riggins | Jerry Rice | Steve Largent | James Lofton | Art Monk | Kellen Winslow | Ozzie Newsome | Anthony Muñoz | Jim Covert | Gary Zimmerman | Joe Jacoby | John Hannah | Russ Grimm | Bill Fralic | Mike Munchak | Dwight Stephenson | Mike Webster | Reggie White | Howie Long | Lee Roy Selmon | Bruce Smith | Randy White |
Dan Hampton | Keith Millard | Dave Butz | Mike Singletary | Lawrence Taylor | Ted Hendricks | Jack Lambert | Andre Tippett | John Anderson | Carl Banks | Mike Haynes | Mel Blount | Frank Minnifield | Lester Hayes | Ronnie Lott | Kenny Easley | Deron Cherry | Joey Browner |
Nolan Cromwell | Sean Landeta | Reggie Roby | Morten Andersen | Gary Anderson | Eddie Murray | Billy Johnson | John Taylor | Mike Nelms | Rick Upchurch | Bill Walsh | Chuck Noll |

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