Notoriously known as a master motivator, Jim Tressel jumped at the opportunity this past summer to have a quartet of Super Bowl champions stop by Columbus to talk to the team. At the request of former 49ers owner and Ohio native, Eddie DeBartolo, former 49er greats Roger Craig, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Ronnie Lott visited camp to share their perspectives on what it takes to be a champion.
Despite maintaining very close ties to his alma mater, former Trojan Ronnie Lott jumped at the opportunity to speak to the Buckeyes, a team he holds in very high regards.
“It was an honor for me to be there,” said an impressed Lott. “Being in their presence I can say that their school and program and what they stand for are all going in the right direction.”
Leveraging Lott’s familiarity with the Trojan program, he gave the Buckeyes some clues on how to approach the upcoming season and showdown with USC.
“I told them don’t just lift to lift and go out to practice without a purpose,” Lott said. “I told them that the guys at SC are lifting and practicing with the thought of what it would be like to be a champion. If you don’t take time to think about your purpose, you are not allowing yourself the opportunity to expose yourself to greatness.”
Lott has remained close to the Buckeyes since his visit to Columbus, remaining in touch with Jim Tressel as well as linebacker James Laurinaitis.
Despite these ties to the Buckeyes Lott’s allegiance is not torn.
“I just hope on Saturday that they are not all firing on all cylinders against us,” quipped Lott.
A Lack of Respect From Other Trojans?
A lot has been made about the disparaging comments made by former Trojans Keyshawn Johnson, Carson Palmer, and LenDale White about the Buckeye program.
Asked if he condoned such comments, Lott replied by saying, “Those guys are friends and they have the right to express their opinions. However, we all have pride and bias, but we can’t lose sight of the respect factor. I have the utmost respect for coach Tressel and the Ohio State football and athletic programs.”
With Lott having a rooting interest on both teams and the stakes being so important, the question begs – Are these non-conference blockbusters good for their perspective programs?
“I think it is great for college football to have two schools with the tradition that these two schools have,” Lott said. “The way the BCS is set up, we’re getting to an age that a team with no losses might not necessarily be ranked over a great team who has one loss but played better competition.”
Own Personal History Against the Buckeyes
For younger Buckeye fans the upcoming games seems like the first chapter in what could be an upstart rivalry. However, USC and the Buckeyes have a storied history, one that Lott was personally involved in, in what he recalls as being one of the highlights of his USC career.
“They had the speed of Doug Donley and of course Art Schlichter who we were trying to keep under wraps,” recalled a nostalgic Lott. “They came in undefeated, and we were able to win it with Charlie White in the fourth quarter. It was on of those classic games.”
The Importance of Community
Lott also spoke to the Buckeyes about the importance of community and sense of family in relation to your teammates. The hall of famer is still very close with current and former Trojans alike and will be attending the game on Saturday.
Lott’s commitment to staying close to the Trojan community is exemplified in his devotion to working with charitable organizations started by former teammates where he specializes in helping to build and maintain the infrastructure needed for charitable non-profit groups.
Despite his commitment to his own charity, All-Stars Helping Kids, Lott’s new focus is bringing attention to ALS, a disease that has stricken former roommate and teammate Eric Scroggins.
Lott has lent his personal support by attending doctor’s appointments with Scroggins and other former teammates. In addition Lott, is very active in Scroggins’ charity group, Eric’s Vision, which has raised over $150,000 to help find a cure for ALS. Currently, Lott is helping to coordinate a raffle for Mercedes CLS 500 to raise money for Eric’s Vision.
While Lott has worked predominantly with former Trojan athletes, he has aspirations to work with Buckeyes as well citing a kinship with Greg Oden, who is also beginning to begin his own charitable endeavors.
