IOWA CITY – University of Iowa senior defensive back Desmond King is one of 42 players named to the 2016 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List. The announcement was made Wednesday by the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, sponsors of the annual award.
The winner will be announced at the 13th annual Lott IMPACT Trophy Banquet in December at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California. The university of the winner will receive $25,000 for its general scholarship fund, while each of the other finalists will receive $5,000 for their schools’ general scholarship fund. Iowa linebacker James Morris was a finalist for the award in 2013.
King (5-foot-11, 203 pounds) is a senior from Detroit. King earned the Jim Thorpe Award as a junior while collecting consensus first team All-America honors. He also earned the Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year Award and the Jack Tatum Award.
King ranked second in the nation with eight interceptions, matching Iowa’s single season record previously reached by Heisman Trophy winner Nile Kinnick (1939) and Lou King (1981). King had multiple interceptions in two games (Pittsburgh and Wisconsin), becoming the first Hawkeye with multiple multi-interception games in a season since Tyler Sash in 2009. King has two interception returns for touchdowns in his career.
King recorded 72 tackles and 13 pass break-ups to go with his eight interceptions as a junior in 2015. He also handled kickoff (24.4) and punt returns (14.2) throughout the season. King shared Most Valuable Player honors and earned the Reggie Roby Special Teams Award.
The Watch List of candidates for the 2016 award includes 21 defensive backs, 13 linebackers and eight defensive linemen. King is one of 10 players from the Big Ten Conference on the Watch List. For more information on The Lott Trophy, visit: www.LottImpactTrophy.org.
Named after Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Ronnie Lott, The Lott IMPACT Trophy is awarded to college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. Founded in 2004 by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, The Lott Trophy is the first and only college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player.
Iowa opens the 2016 season with three straight home games, with the opening contest against Miami, Ohio, on Sept. 3.
