|
One of a kind
Lott on being a player, family man
Latest: Friday July 28, 2000 09:26 PM
| |
Life after football: Ronnie Lott has shifted his trademark intensity into raising his kids. |
Ronnie Lott, one of the most feared defensive backs to play in the NFL enters the Hall of Fame in the class of 2000. Lott was a first-round draft pick of San Francisco in 1981 and played his first 12 years with the 49ers. Then it was one season each with the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets before retiring. As a hitter, the eight-time All-Pro selection left a lasting impressing on fans -- and anyone who carried the football.
Playing Defense
I wanted to be that athlete that was on that side. The athlete that said, "Yeah, he wasn't afraid to make a great hit. He wasn't afraid. He didn't blink his eyes." Those are moments where truth comes out in an athlete. The truth, the moment of fear and non-fear. The moment of, "Can you make it happen?"
The Injured Pinky
Tim Newsome, who was the fullback at the time for the Cowboys ... I was just going to try and bring him down. And before I could get my hands out, his helmet ran into my pinky and rammed it into my chest. And the tip of my finger, as my buddy said, "exploded" and I lost the front of it and fractured the tip fairly bad.
And the story goes that I cut it off right in the middle of the locker room -- which I didn't. But I did get ready for the following week. I wanted to sacrifice to succeed.
| Quest for Excellence |
Click the image to launch the clip
Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott looks back with pride on his career, but he has one major regret. Start |
| Multimedia Central |
|
Visit Multimedia Central for all the latest video and audio. |
| |
| |
The 49ers Dynasty
There were a number of guys that had a chip on their shoulders. They were trying to be overachievers. And every year we had this certain standard that we had to live up to and we had to try to accomplish within ourselves. It was more important to have excellence than to win games.
On Joe Montana
A guy that loved to play jokes, a guy who just liked to laugh. I called him a "beer and potato chips guy." I remember sitting there before games, every once in a while glancing over checking him out to see what he was like. And this guy was in his playbook, studying his playbook and looking at it. And I was like, "What are you studying for?" You know? "You are Joe Montana."
On being traded by the 49ers
It hurt that I didn't get a chance to walk off wearing gold and wearing that 49er uniform. I gave so much to the 49ers and to the fans. And the people in this community, it was a great bond. And for me not to be able to tip my hat to some of the fans and some of the people that I was associated with, yeah, that hurt.
Karen Lott: A wife's perspective
The truth about Ronnie is that he is as intense at home. He gives as much at home. He's as dedicated. He's as committed. He's as focused as a father and husband as he is on the field.
On his wife Karen:
I think that Karen knows that that intensity that I had on the field is the intensity that you have to have in a relationship. You have to have a person in the household who is intense, who commands discipline, who has a sense of order in the house. And that you have to have the other side of love and compassion.
|
Copyright © 2001
CNN/Sports Illustrated
An AOL Time Warner Company.
All Rights Reserved.
|
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.
|
| 
