Most people would say safety was my best position. To me, the biggest challenge and most gratifying thing I got out of playing football was playing corner, because it was a bigger challenge than playing safety. Playing corner provided me my biggest thrills and my biggest headaches.

The 2011 winner was Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly. The other four are quarterback Joe Montana linebacker Keena Turner cornerback Eric Wright and wide receiver Mike Wilson. The football stadium was recently named after Lott even though he never played in the stadium.

Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott (born May 8 1959) is a former American college and professional football player who was a cornerback free safety and strong safety in the National Football League (NFL) for fifteen seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. A first-round pick in the 1981 NFL Draft he played professionally for the San Francisco 49ers Los Angeles Raiders New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL. Lott was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000 and is widely considered one of the best defensive backs in NFL history.