Ronnie Lott was born on May 8th, 1959 in New Mexico. He started his illustrious football career playing at Eisenhower High School in Rialto, California where he played wide receiver and safety under Coach Bill Christopher. He was regarded as the best player on the team winning the “Ken Hobbs Award” given to the top California male athlete. Lott graduated in 1977 and went on to play college football at the University of Southern California as a defensive back, and received a degree in Public Administration during his college career. During his years at USC, the Trojans shared the 1978 national championship with Alabama, and Lott would play in the 1979 and 1980 Rose Bowl games. In 1980 he was named a unanimous All-american and the team captain. Lott would become an inductee of the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995. Out of College he was drafted in 1980 to the San Francisco 49ers in the first round under Coach Bill Walsh, and at the very first training camp earned had the starting job at left corner for the 49ers. During his first season Lott became the second rookie in NFL history to return three interceptions for touchdowns, and was runner-up in rookie of the year honors behind Lawrence Taylor. During his career, Lott was known as one of the most feared tacklers in professional football. In his 1985 season he switched from corner to the Safety position. One of his most notable career moments was a tackle against running back Tim Newsome where he mangled his finger which would require surgery. Lott decided to skip the surgery and have the portion of his injured finger amputated so he could be ready to play the following week. This showed the incredible dedication he had towards his team, and the game of football. Throughout his career with the 49ers Lott would go on to win four Super Bowls, and along with playing for the 49ers he played for the Los Angeles Raiders, New York Jets, and Kansas City Chiefs (15 years total in the NFL). He surpassed the 1000 career tackling mark while playing for the NY Jets in 1993.  Lott was inducted in the National Football League Hall of Fame in 2000, today he is a sports analyst, and is on the board of selectors for “Jefferson Awards for Public Service.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ronnie Lott career statistics

• Tackles: 1113

• Assisted Tackles: 67

• Interceptions: 63

• Sacks 8.5

• Games Played: 192

• Longest Interception Return: 83 yards

• Interceptions Returned for Touchdowns: 5

• Seasons Played: 15