Lombardi Award


The Lombardi Award is awarded by the Lombardi Foundation annually to the best college football player, regardless of position, based on performance, as well as leadership, character, and resiliency. From 1970 until 2016 the award was presented by Rotary International specifically to a lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary International club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of famed National Football League coach Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which remained in place until 2016: A player should be a down lineman on either offense or defense or a linebacker who lines up no further than five yards deep from the ball.
The voting electorate is made up of the head coaches from all NCAA Division I schools, sports media personnel from across the country, and former winners and finalists of the Lombardi Award. The total number of voters is approximately 500. Ohio State University holds the record for most Lombardi awards with six. Orlando Pace, the only two-time winner, is the most recent offensive lineman to be honored.
The main part of the trophy used to be a block of granite, paying homage to Lombardi's college days at Fordham University as an offensive lineman when his offensive line was referred to as the "Seven Blocks of Granite". A new trophy designed by Texas sculptor Edd Hayes replaced the original block of granite.

Winners

YearPlayerSchoolPosition
1970Jim StillwagonOhio StateMG
1971Walt PatulskiNotre DameDT
1972Rich GloverNebraskaMG
1973John HicksOhio StateOT
1974Randy WhiteMarylandDT
1975Lee Roy SelmonOklahomaDE
1976Wilson WhitleyHoustonDE
1977Ross BrownerNotre DameDE
1978Bruce ClarkPenn StateDT
1979Brad BuddeUSCOG
1980Hugh GreenPittsburghDE
1981Kenneth SimsTexasDT
1982Dave RimingtonNebraskaC
1983Dean SteinkuhlerNebraskaOT
1984Tony DegrateTexasDT
1985Tony CasillasOklahomaDT
1986Cornelius BennettAlabamaLB
1987Chris SpielmanOhio StateLB
1988Tracy RockerAuburnDT
1989Percy SnowMichigan StateLB
1990Chris ZorichNotre DameDT
1991Steve EmtmanWashingtonDT
1992Marvin JonesFlorida StateLB
1993Aaron TaylorNotre DameOT
1994Warren SappMiamiDT
1995Orlando PaceOhio StateOT
1996Orlando PaceOhio StateOT
1997Grant WistromNebraskaDE
1998Dat NguyenTexas A&MLB
1999Corey MooreVirginia TechDE
2000Jamal ReynoldsFlorida StateDT
2001Julius PeppersNorth CarolinaDE
2002Terrell SuggsArizona StateDE
2003Tommie HarrisOklahomaDT
2004David PollackGeorgiaDE
2005A. J. HawkOhio StateLB
2006LaMarr WoodleyMichiganLB
2007Glenn DorseyLSUDT
2008Brian OrakpoTexasDE
2009Ndamukong SuhNebraskaDT
2010Nick FairleyAuburnDT
2011Luke KuechlyBoston CollegeLB
2012Manti Te'oNotre DameLB
2013Aaron DonaldPittsburghDT
2014Scooby Wright IIIArizonaLB
2015Carl NassibPenn StateDE
2016Jonathan AllenAlabamaDE
2017Bryce LoveStanfordRB
2018Ugochukwu AmadiOregonS
2019Joe BurrowLSUQB