TrojanWire - Ronnie Lott

Trojan Legend Ronnie Lott on Dan Patrick Show

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:11:33 -0800

Before there was Taylor Mays, there was Ronnie Lott. Lott is one of the hardest players to ever wear Cardinal and Gold. He played at USC from 1977-1980. In 1978 he led the Trojans to a share of the national championship. In 1980 Lott was a unanimous All-American and team captain.

Lott won four Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers. He played 14 years in the NFL, killed multiple wide receivers that went across the middle, had 63 career interceptions (5 of which he returned for a TD), lost one pinky finger and was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2000.

Lott was on the Dan Patrick show this morning to talk about the start of the NFL season. To listen to the full interview click here.

Ronnie Lott thinks Vick-McNabb could work in Philly [SI.com]

Taylor Mays ESPN Interview

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:46:00 -0800

He wants to be like Troy Polamalu and Ronnie Lott. He wants a National Championship. He wants to take Lauren Conrad to the food court.

Taylor Mays wants it all, and TrojanWire wants him to have it.

via ESPN Taylor Mays Interview [TrojanNYC]

USC football: Big experiment, big payoff

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:17:24 -0800

Pete Carroll and his staff surprised many onlookers by moving sophomore Armond Armstead from defensive tackle to defensive end this spring. After all, Armstead showed flashes of great promise as a freshman, recording 10 tackles, including three for losses, in limited action. He also weighs 290 pounds.

But when a reporter asked Carroll on Tuesday if he could foresee a scenario where Armstead moves back to tackle, the coach said no way.

“He’s too good at what he’s doing,” Carroll said. “He’s just learning. I think he’s a real factor.”

Despite weighing about 20 pounds more than Kyle Moore, his predecessor at strong-side defensive end, Armstead has made as many visits to the offensive backfield as the rest of the Trojans’ young, active defensive line.

“I really like the way he’s doing his stuff,” Carroll said. “He’s physical, he can rush the passer and he’ll chase the ball, too. It’s a great move for him.

“We didn’t know it at the time. It was an experiment. But it didn’t take (more than) a couple of days to see this was a good move for him, and for us.”

More from the USC blog:

Post from: USC

Rivals Video: Bryce Brown Breaking Down His Recruitment; Leaning Towards Oregon and USC?

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:49:02 -0800

Doesn't look too promising for Miami fans. I'm a bit shocked that Bryce was so forward with his thoughts on Mark Whipple's, the Canes new offensive coordinator, philosophy:

"We basically talked Xs and Os," Brown said. "It's kind of hard for me to say what the offense is going to be like. Some of the stuff he was talking about – putting me out in space, and allowing me to get matched up with linebackers and cornerbacks one-on-one – sounds good, but inside something just tells me that his philosophy or the way he does things isn't what I really like.

Bryce talks about wanting to find a program that will be with him for life and not just his 3-4 year career; no better program than SC in this regard. You can catch Marcus Allen, Ronnie Lott, etc. on any given Saturday at games and past players still hanging out outside of the NFL.

Oregon appears to be in the lead at the moment with Bryce being so effusive about Chip Kelly:

"Oregon is just a place I see myself at," Brown said. "At night when I go to sleep, I try to imagine myself at each school. When I think about Oregon, I go to sleep and I feel like that's the place for me. But I know I'm not in tune with my spirit, and my spirit is heavily involved in this. I'm praying, and I have people praying for me.
"I really like Coach Kelly, and he wants the best for me. It's not even really about football anymore. If I don't choose to go to Oregon, Coach Kelly and I are still going to have the relationship. Anything I need, any questions I have, I know that I can call him. He truly and genuinely wants the best for me."

Also in the video, Bryce admits that he hardly knows anything about LSU, but the latest rumors are that Les Miles and LSU have made up a LOT of ground recently.

Lot of questions to be answered, but one undeniable truth from the video is Bryce's exceptional talent. Some of the runs he breaks off in the video are jaw-dropping. Should be interesting how this plays out.

T-WIRE SNAPS: STANFORD 2008 Pt I

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:24:12 -0800

Here is Part I from Timothy of Murietta. Tune in tomorrow for Part II from Chris McGuire.

A pep rally in San Francisco.

We're in agreement with our new live-blogger Ben Weiss, we got your next "video game action heroes" right here.

For fear of dismemberment, we would never even mention the words "video game" near this guy — Mr. Ronnie Lott.

USC, NFL teammates help Eric Scoggins battle ALS

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:08:27 -0800

Scoggins' wife, Shonta, says Ronnie Lott and Keena Turner stand by their friend and former teammate.

TRACY, Calif. -- The first indication that something might be horribly, irreversibly wrong with Eric Scoggins materialized nearly two years ago.

Lott making no less impact these days

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:33:23 -0800

Ronnie Lott is about to follow in the footsteps of Mister Rogers, Dr. Seuss and the puppeteer behind Big Bird. To put that in terms the Sesame Street crowd might understand: One of those things is not like the other. As a Hall of Fame football player, Lott wasn’t exactly warm and fuzzy. He was arguably the hardest-hitting defensive back in NFL history. A Dr. Seuss book about his 49ers career might be called “Slam I Am.”

Catching Up with Curtis Conway

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:32:23 -0800

An All-American wide receiver at USC, Curtis Conway became a first-round draft pick and spent a decade in the NFL. Recently, he married Laila Ali (boxing champ, "Dancing With the Stars" contestant and daughter of Muhammad Ali) and the couple are expecting their first child. I ran into Curtis at the 710 ESPN Southern California Sports Awards and caught up with him on life, love and football ...

What's been the best part of your marriage?

We're a very positive couple. That's what I enjoy more than anything. It's her being a positive role model, myself being a positive role model, and wanting to give back to the community. Any time you can see a couple doing that, I think it speaks volumes.

Are you guys also compatible as athletes? Do you work out together?

When we met, she was training and I was training. It's funny, people think that she's just talented [because of her dad]. That girl works hard! When we work out together now she can't work out as hard because she's got the little one in the stomach.

How'd you meet?

There was a fight party at the house. A mutual friend brought her over.

Which fight?

I don't remember. My eyes were on her!

What's been the most exciting part of USC football for you lately?

I love what Pete Carroll has done. It definitely gives us something to look forward to, especially not having a pro team in L.A. Actually, I've never cheered for a pro football team in my life. I've always been a basketball fan. To watch USC play the way they've been playing, plus being a big Laker fan ... those are the two teams I cheer for.

What's been the best thing about being a Trojan?

Being able to meet some of the legends. At 'SC, we're a family there. When you get a chance to run across these guys, and they greet you with open arms, 'SC really is a family -- especially around football. You run into guys like Ronnie Lott, Marcus Allen, guys like that talk to you as if you've been their buddy all their life. That was just amazing to me.

What are you up to now?

I'm involved with USA Football. It's an organization trying to teach youth football coaches the proper way of coaching and giving back to the community. I'm really excited to be a part of that because that's where it all starts -- with the youth. Any time that I can give back and be hands on, I definitely want to do that.

Image courtesy USC Athletics.

Late Additions

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 09:46:56 -0800

Added to the USC celebrity list are actor Keanu Reeves, who just wanted to come to the game, and Heisman winner Marcus Allen, who came with Ronnie Lott.

Word is now that Will Ferrell may do the lineup announcement for USC. He and Larry the Cable Guy are down on the USC sideline now, some half-hour before the game.

TrojanWire Turns 1,000

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 15:04:49 -0800

Live from the Shrine Auditorium in the center of the universe -- sunny Los Angeles, California -- it's the TrojanWire 1,000th Post Spectacular Special. Featuring appearances by Reggie Bush, Salma Hayek, Matt Leinart, Paris Hilton, Pete Carroll, Carson Palmer, Stephen Colbert, Junior Seau, Snoop Dogg, Marcus Allen, Ted Knight, Bacon-wrapped Hot Dogs, Keith Rivers, Henry Winkler, Lofa Tatupu, Alyssa Milano, Charles White, Shrek, Anthony Davis, Kirsten Dunst, Oscar Lua, Judith Regan, and many more.

No Governor's Mansion Love for Swanny

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 16:53:17 -0800

TrojanWire's sincere condolences go out to Lynn Swann and his campaign staff; you ran what we consider to be an ideal campaign, complete with a real world demonstration of beer pong mastery, but in the end it wasn't enough to overcome the resounding wave of anti-GOP sentiment in these midterm elections.

Alas, we're sure there's good things ahead in your political future. We're still looking forward to a Swann/Ronnie Lott Presidential ticket, sometime around 2016-2020.

Lynn Swann Fails to Catch on With Voters [ABC News]

Who is the greatest Trojan of all-time?

Thu, 13 Jul 2006 10:01:06 -0800

USCFootball.com is asking.

It's down to OJ and Ronnie Lott. Vote at the link below.

Who is the greatest Trojan of all-time? [USCFootball.com]