UT’s Berry named Lott Player of the Week

NEWPORT BEACH, Ca. – Tennessee Safety Eric Berry  has been named the Lott Trophy IMPACT Player of the Week for the second time this season.

Berry, a 5-11, 195-pound junior from Fairburn, Georgia, had an interception, a fumble recovery and five tackles in Tennessee’s 56-28 win over Memphis.  It was the second time this year Berry was named the Lott Trophy Player of the Week.

Tennessee will receive $1,000 for its general scholarship fund in recognition of Berry’s achievement.

“Berry can flat out play,” said former Auburn Coach Pat Dye, a member of the Legends Coaches who selected the Player of the Week.  “He can dominate a team from the defensive side of the ball, which is awfully hard to do.  He’s the best safety in the country, in my opinion.”

Other players nominated for the Player of the Week were Rolando McClain of Alabama, Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska, Kyle Wilson of Boise State and Greg Jones of Michigan State.

2009 Lott Trophy IMPACT Players of the Week

Week 1 – Mike Nixon, Arizona State

Week 2 – Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech

Week 3 – Eric Berry, Tennessee

Week 4 – Pat Angerer, Iowa

Week 5 – Taylor Mays, USC

Week 6 – Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska

Week 7 – Rolando McClain, Alabama

Week 8 – Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska

Week 9 – Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri

Week 10- Eric Berry, Tennessee

Named after Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, the Lott Trophy is awarded to college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year.  Now in its sixth year, the Lott Trophy is the first college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player.

Sponsored by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation in Newport Beach, the award is given to the player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

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

In five years, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has donated more than $650,000 to various charities, including $25,000 to each of the winners’ universities.

Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the IMPACT Foundation, the IMPACT Foundation Board of Advisors comprised of retired NFL players and the Legends Coaches, a distinguished group of former college head coaches.

Watching The Watch List Kyle Wilson, Boise State – Had four punt returns for 83 yrds, including a long of 59, one interception and three tackles in 45-35 win over Louisiana Tech..

Rolando McClain, Alabama – Led team with nine tackles and had a quarterback hurry in 24-15 win over LSU.

Greg Jones, Michigan State – Had eight tackles, a forced fumble and two quarterback hurries in 49-14 win over Western Michigan.

Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska – Blocked a field goal (his third block of the season) and had three quarterback hurries in 10-3 win over Oklahoma.

Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri – 11 tackles, two for losses and a sack in 40-32 loss to Baylor.

Pat Angerer, Iowa – Team high 17 tackles in loss to Northwestern, 17-10.

Eric Norwood, South Carolina – Eight tackles, two for losses and a sack in 22-16 loss to Arkansas.

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. The sixth annual Lott Trophy dinner will be held December 13th at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California. For more information on The Lott Trophy visit: www.LottTrophy.com

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