2008 Woodie Awards
Life's not always fair for Pollack
Jeff Demuesy
Issue date: 3/6/07 Section: Sports
I've learned a few new things since my last column. First, I learned that the Miami student body is ready to embrace the umlaut, electing Jens Sutmöller this past week to be our student body president. Congratulations go out to him. I also learned that Nick D'Amico is an abundantly better writer than I am, at least in the eyes of some critical editorial columns.
One thing I didn't learn since my last column - something I've known all my life - is that life has a tendency not to be fair, especially in the world of professional sports.
I'd like to tell you the story of current Cincinnati Bengal linebacker, David Pollack.
Pollack played collegiate football at the University of Georgia where he was a Bulldog through and through. A defensive end and a captain his senior year, Pollack led the Bulldogs to a 34-6 record in three years, with three bowl wins and a national ranking of no less than six to end the season.
Not only was he a team player, he was all over the individual awards. Get ready, because this is a laundry list longer than FDR's tenure as president: Three-time All-American (only Bulldog to ever achieve that honor), 2002 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, two-time Hendricks award winner (the award given to the best defensive end in the country annually) and 2004 SEC defensive Player of the Year award winner. All very impressive, indeed.
Pollack won another award in 2004 - the Ronnie Lott award - the award given to a player for "exemplifying integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community, and tenacity."
This is the most important award to those who win it, an award that goes unnoticed to the majority of college football. Not to sound like an American Express Coach K commercial, but David Pollack was a true hero when he stepped off of the football field.
Within a year of being the first-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, Pollack made good on his Lott award by establishing with his wife Lindsey, the EMPOWER foundation, that assisted at-risk kids in the Cincinnati area and their families by providing solutions through education.
One thing I didn't learn since my last column - something I've known all my life - is that life has a tendency not to be fair, especially in the world of professional sports.
I'd like to tell you the story of current Cincinnati Bengal linebacker, David Pollack.
Pollack played collegiate football at the University of Georgia where he was a Bulldog through and through. A defensive end and a captain his senior year, Pollack led the Bulldogs to a 34-6 record in three years, with three bowl wins and a national ranking of no less than six to end the season.
Not only was he a team player, he was all over the individual awards. Get ready, because this is a laundry list longer than FDR's tenure as president: Three-time All-American (only Bulldog to ever achieve that honor), 2002 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, two-time Hendricks award winner (the award given to the best defensive end in the country annually) and 2004 SEC defensive Player of the Year award winner. All very impressive, indeed.
Pollack won another award in 2004 - the Ronnie Lott award - the award given to a player for "exemplifying integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community, and tenacity."
This is the most important award to those who win it, an award that goes unnoticed to the majority of college football. Not to sound like an American Express Coach K commercial, but David Pollack was a true hero when he stepped off of the football field.
Within a year of being the first-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, Pollack made good on his Lott award by establishing with his wife Lindsey, the EMPOWER foundation, that assisted at-risk kids in the Cincinnati area and their families by providing solutions through education.
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