The Lombardi Award, also known as The Rotary Lombardi Award, is dedicated to the former NFL coach Vince Lombardi, who was known for his value and spirit for football. The main feature of the Lombardi Trophy is a block of granite. This design is dedicated to Vince Lombardi's Fordham University days, where he played as an offensive lineman. During his time there, his offensive line was nicknamed the "Seven Blocks of Granite."
The award came into existence in 1970, after the demise of Vince Lombardi. The Rotary Club of Houston first presented the trophy after getting approval from Vince's wife Marie. It was first started for the interior line positions and later included linebackers, offensive and defensive guards along with other qualities such as desire, discipline, and respect.
List of Lombardi Award Winners Year by Year
One of the criteria to win the award is being a member of the NCAA FBS College Football team. All NCAA Division I head coaches, former winners and finalists of the award, and various sports media, are eligible to vote for the selected candidates. 500 voters can drop their votes for the award. Ohio State won the award six times which is the most for any team. Jim Stillwagon is the first winner of the award and their former offensive tackle Orlando Lamar Pace is the only player who won the award twice, as of December 2024.
| Player Name | Team | Position | Year |
| Jim Stillwagon | Ohio State | MG | 1970 |
| Walt Patulski | Notre Dame | DT | 1971 |
| Rich Glover | Nebraska | MG | 1972 |
| John Hicks | Ohio State | OT | 1973 |
| Randy White | Maryland | DT | 1974 |
| Lee Roy Selmon | Oklahoma | DE | 1975 |
| Wilson Whitley | Houston | DE | 1976 |
| Ross Browner | Notre Dame (2) | DE | 1977 |
| Bruce Clark | Penn State | DT | 1978 |
| Brad Budde | USC | OG | 1979 |
| Hugh Green | Pittsburgh | DE | 1980 |
| Kenneth Sims | Texas | DT | 1981 |
| Dave Rimington | Nebraska | C | 1982 |
| Dean Steinkuhler | Nebraska (3) | OT | 1983 |
| Tony Degrate | Texas | DT | 1984 |
| Tony Casillas | Oklahoma | DT | 1985 |
| Cornelius Bennett | Alabama | LB | 1986 |
| Chris Spielman | Ohio State | LB | 1987 |
| Tracy Rocker | Auburn | DT | 1988 |
| Percy Snow | Michigan State | LB | 1989 |
| Chris Zorich | Notre Dame | DT | 1990 |
| Steve Emtman | Washington | DT | 1991 |
| Marvin Jones | Florida State | LB | 1992 |
| Aaron Taylor | Notre Dame | OT | 1993 |
| Warren Sapp | Miami (FL) | DT | 1994 |
| Orlando Pace | Ohio State | OT | 1995 |
| Orlando Pace | Ohio State | OT | 1996 |
| Grant Wistrom | Nebraska | DE | 1997 |
| Dat Nguyen | Texas A&M | LB | 1998 |
| Corey Moore | Virginia Tech | DE | 1999 |
| Jamal Reynolds | Florida State | DT | 2000 |
| Julius Peppers | North Carolina | DE | 2001 |
| Terrell Suggs | Arizona State | DE | 2002 |
| Tommie Harris | Oklahoma | DT | 2003 |
| David Pollack | Georgia | DE | 2004 |
| A. J. Hawk | Ohio State | LB | 2005 |
| LaMarr Woodley | Michigan | LB | 2006 |
| Glenn Dorsey | LSU | DT | 2007 |
| Brian Orakpo | Texas | DE | 2008 |
| Ndamukong Suh | Nebraska | DT | 2009 |
| Nick Fairley | Auburn | DT | 2010 |
| Luke Kuechly | Boston College | LB | 2011 |
| Manti Te'o | Notre Dame | LB | 2012 |
| Aaron Donald | Pittsburgh | DT | 2013 |
| Scooby Wright III | Arizona | LB | 2014 |
| Carl Nassib | Penn State | DE | 2015 |
| Jonathan Allen | Alabama | DE | 2016 |
| Bryce Love | Stanford | RB | 2017 |
| Ugo Amadi | Oregon | S | 2018 |
| Joe Burrow | LSU | QB | 2019 |
| Zaven Collins | Tulsa | LB | 2020 |
| Aidan Hutchinson | Michigan | DE | 2021 |
| Will Anderson Jr. | Alabama | LB | 2022 |
| Laiatu Latu | UCLA | DE | 2023 |
FAQs on Lombardi Award Winners
A. Manti Te'o, Aaron Taylor, Chris Zorich, Ross Browner, and Walt Patulski has won the Lombardi Award for Notre Dame.
A. Vince Lombardi's most famous quote was “Winners never quit and quitters never win”, based on AsliceofBrooklyn.com.
A. Vince Lombardi's last words to his wife were “Happy anniversary. I love you” as per Mental Floss.
A. Vince Lombardi died of colon cancer in 1970 according to Vince Lombardi cancer Foundation.
A. Vince Lombardi had Italian-American ethnicity, as per Wikipedia.
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