Northwestern linebacker Paddy Fisher has been named the winner of the 17th Annual Lott IMPACT Trophy.
The announcement came Sunday night at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach, at the Lott IMPACT Trophy Annual Award Show.
The award goes to the defensive player who has the biggest IMPACT on his team. IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.
Fisher is an All-American linebacker that was also named Big Ten Linebacker of the Year. During the 2020 season, Fisher recorded 86 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
Fisher is a three-time team captain, Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. In his career, Fisher received All-Big Ten honors three-times on the field, to go with 404 career tackles, the most among active players. Fisher is also involved in numerous local charities.
The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation will present a $25,000 check to the general scholarship fund at Northwestern in recognition of Fisher’s achievement.
Runner-ups were Talanoa Hufanga of USC, Joseph Ossai of Texas, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah of Notre Dame, Tarron Jackson of Coastal Carolina, and Patrick Surtain II of Alabama.
The Lott IMPACT Trophy was named in honor of Ronnie Lott, a two time All-American for USC and College Football Hall of Fame Inductee. Ronnie Lott went on to win four Super Bowl rings with the San Francisco 49ers, ten trips to the Pro Bowl and a spot in Pro Football’s Hall of Fame. He was a leader who made an IMPACT both on and off the field and continues to exemplify character in his personal life.
Established by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, The Lott IMPACT Trophy honors college football’s best in character and performance. The award is unique because it represents the first college football award to give equal weight to personal character as well as athletic performance from a defensive college player and is the first national college football award based on the West Coast.
The mission of The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation is to recognize and support both national and local charities that serve the youth of America with a focus on education and have a positive IMPACT on the lives of young men and women.
The Lott IMPACT Trophy has become a symbol of the positive attributes many college athletes represent. Several LIT alumni have gone on to excel in areas outside of football including medicine, business, broadcasting and charitable work.
Previous Winners of the Lott IMPACT Trophy:
2004 – David Pollack, Georgia
2005 – DeMeco Ryans, Alabama
2006 – Dante Hughes, Cal
2007 – Glenn Dorsey, LSU
2008 – James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
2009 – Jerry Hughes, TCU
2010 – J.J. Watt, Wisconsin
2011 – Luke Kuechly, Boston College
2012 – Manti Te’o, Notre Dame
2013 – Anthony Barr, UCLA
2014 – Eric Kendricks, UCLA
2015 – Carl Nassib, Penn State
2016 – Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
2017 – Josey Jewell, Iowa
2018 – Josh Allen, Kentucky
2019 – Derrick Brown, Auburn
2020 – Paddy Fisher, Northwestern
