BATON ROUGE — LSU senior defensive end Marcus Spears has been named as one of 12 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award, the Rotary Lombardi Award selection committee announced on Tuesday.
Spears, a native of Baton Rouge, anchors an LSU defense that is currently ranked ninth in the nation in total defense, allowing only 268.8 yards per game. In addition, the Tigers are first in the Southeastern Conference in rushing defense, holding opponents to only 104 yards per contest.
In six games, Spears has recorded 14 tackles, 2.5 tackles for losses, a sack and he’s returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown. He’s also broken up three passes, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble for the 17th-ranked Tigers.
The Lombardi Award goes each to year to the college football lineman, offensive or defensive, who, in addition to displaying outstanding performance and ability, best exemplifies the character and discipline of Vince Lombardi.
The winner of the 2004 Rotary Lombardi Award will be announced at the conclusion of the 35th anniversary Rotary Lombardi Award Dinner, which will be held at the Hilton Americas Hotel in Houston. Since its inception in 1971, the Rotary Lombardi Award has raised over $3 million for the American Cancer Society.
| NAME | SCHOOL | POS | HT | WT | YR | HOMETOWN |
| Elton Brown | Virginia | OG | 6-6 | 338 | Sr. | Hampton, Va. |
| Jamal Brown | Oklahoma | OT | 6-6 | 313 | Sr. | Lawton, Okla. |
| Dan Cody | Oklahoma | DE | 6-5 | 270 | Sr. | Ada, Okla. |
| Shaun Cody | USC | DE | 6-4 | 295 | Sr. | Hacienda, Calif. |
| Greg Eslinger | Minnesota | C | 6-3 | 285 | Jr. | Bismark, N.D. |
| Jonathan Goddard | Marshall | DE | 6-0 | 245 | Sr. | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| Spencer Havner | UCLA | LB | 6-4 | 236 | Jr. | Nevada City, Calif |
| A.J. Hawk | Ohio State | LB | 6-2 | 238 | Jr. | Centerville, Ohio |
| Erasmus James | Wisconsin | DE | 6-4 | 263 | Sr. | Pembroke Pines, Fla. |
| Derrick Johnson | Texas | LB | 6-4 | 230 | Sr. | Waco, Texas |
| David Pollack | Georgia | DE | 6-3 | 260 | Sr. | Snellville, Ga. |
| Marcus Spears | LSU | DE | 6-4 | 298 | Sr. | Baton Rouge, La. |