Everything about Ronnie Lott totally explained
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Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott (born
May 8,
1959) 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 and
Jack Tatum as the hardest hitter of all time. A Pro Bowler at both cornerback and safety, Lott is widely considered one of the best defensive backs in NFL history.
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 USC, Lott and teammate and future NFL star
Marcus Allen were both considered for the
tailback and safety positions. After much consideration, head coach
John Robinson asked Lott to play defense because he was a better tackler than Allen.
Professional career
After college, Lott was drafted by the
San Francisco 49ers in the first 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'd the job as the 49ers' starting left
cornerback. In his first season, he recorded seven 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.
Lott switched to the safety position in 1985. He cut the tip of his left pinky finger off after the 1985 season, when it was crushed tackling RB
Timmy Newsome. He did so in order to continue playing football without risking further injury to the damaged finger. 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 ten years with the 49ers, he helped them to win eight division titles and four
Super Bowls: XVI (1981 season),
XIX (1984),
XXIII (1988), and
XXIV (1989). He is one of five players to play for the 49ers on all four of their Super Bowl wins during the 1980's. The other four are QB
Joe Montana, LB
Keena Turner, CB
Eric Wright, and WR
Mike Wilson.
After his career with San Francisco, Lott 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. In 1995 Lott signed a free agent deal with the
Kansas City Chiefs, but was injured in the preseason. He returned to the 49ers in
1995, but the injuries he'd 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 five touchdowns. He 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. He was also named All-Pro eight times, All-NFC six times, and All-AFC once.
Lott turned to broadcasting following his retirement, serving as an analyst on
Fox NFL Sunday in 1996-97 and working on that network's game coverage in 1998.
He now lives in Cupertino, California, with his wife Karen, and his children Haily, Isiah and Chloe.
Trivia
He serves on the national advisory board of Positive Coaching Alliance.Further Information
Get more info on 'Ronnie Lott'.
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