Owens, Curran on Lott Watch List

From UGA Athletics...

University of Georgia junior linebacker Rennie Curran and senior defensive tackle Jeff Owens have been named to the 2009 Lott Trophy Watch List, it was announced Tuesday by Ronnie Lott at a luncheon in Newport Beach, California.

Curran, a 228-pound All-SEC linebacker from Snellville, Ga., finished second in the SEC with a team-best 115 tackles last year. Owens, a 300-pound tackle from Sunrise, Fla., went down with a knee injury in the 2008 season opener and missed the remainder of the year. He was on the Lott Trophy Watch List a year ago. Owens is one of 14 repeat nominees.

The Watch List features 42 of the nation's top defensive players who have had the biggest IMPACT on their teams on and off the field. IMPACT is an acronym: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.


Thirty-eight different schools are represented on the Watch List. Georgia, Alabama, BYU and UCLA each have two players nominated. 


Named after the Hall of Famer 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 only college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player. 


Former Georgia All-American David Pollack won the initial Lott Trophy in 2004. The other winners include DeMeco Ryans of Alabama (2005), Daymeion Hughes of Cal (2006), Glenn Dorsey of LSU (2007) and James Laurinaitis of Ohio State (2008).

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 IMPACT Foundation Board of Advisors. In five years, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has donated nearly $650,000 to various charities, including the four universities.

The 2009 winner will be announced on December 13th. For further information on The Lott Trophy, please visit www.Lotttrophy.com.