Kirkland, Ulofoshio Up for Lombardi Award, a Measure of Toughness
To receive the Lombardi Award, you have to be a college football player as tough as the NFL coach it is named for.
Initially you had to be a down lineman or a linebacker, or positions that exude toughness, duties that Vince Lombardi handled as a player at Fordham before he coached the Green Bay Packers to victories in the first two Super Bowls.
With that, the 51-year-old award on Thursday named a pair of University of Washington football players, junior offensive tackle Jaxson Kirkland and sophomore inside linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio, to its watch list.
The 6-foot-7, 317-pound Kirkland from Vancouver, Washington, is a four-year starter to be, a returning All-Pac-12 selection, a projected All-American and NFL first-round draft pick.
He's also a candidate for the Outland Trophy, which is given to the nation's most outstanding lineman.
A sophomore from Las Vegas with just seven starts to his name, the 6-foot-1, 235-pound Ulofoshio is a returning second-team All-Pac-12 pick and a projected All-American.
He's also on the watch list for the Bednarik, Nagurski and Lott awards, all defensive-minded recognition.
The two current Huskies are trying to match what just one other Husky has done with the Lombardi Award — win it.
In 1991, defensive tackle Steve Emtman accepted the Lombardi Award, as well as the Outland Trophy and Morris Trophy, and he became a consensus All-American and the No. 1 overall NFL draft pick for the Indianapolis Colts.
And, yes, he was an incredibly tough guy.
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