Kiski Area graduate Scott McKillop is now one of the top 54 finalists for the 2008 Rotary Lombardi Award, presented yearly by the Rotary Club of Houston. McKillop, a Pitt Senior middle linebacker, played football for the Cavaliers. He also was a state finalist wrestler for Coach Chuck Tursky and was a track star there as well. Should he win the award (given in late 2008), Scott would be the University of Pittsburgh’s first Rotary Lombardi Award winner in 28 years.

The Rotary Lombardi Award is given to the college football offensive or defensive lineman who line up five yards from the line of scrimmage, embody the discipline of Vince Lombardi, and demonstrate incredible talent, skills and accomplishments on the field. Previous winners include Terrell Suggs (2002), Warren Sapp (1994), Cornelius Bennett (1986), and Pitt’s own Hugh Green (1980). The New England Patriots’ Tedy Bruschi was also a two-time finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award, and in 2008 played in his fifth Super Bowl in 12 seasons.

Scott McKillop was America’s top tackler in the NCAA last fall for Pitt’s defense. He averaged 12.58 tackles a game, and was the nation’s second-ranked solo tackler with 8.17 tackles a game. When the dust had settled at the end of the season, Scott had totaled 151 tackles. One of the sweetest had to be when he tackled West Virginia's Steve Slaton to shut down a comeback attempt late in the fourth quarter. The Pitt Panthers stunned the top-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers, who were expected to run away with a victory.

To many in the nation, McKillop was virtually unknown coming into last season. But as a sophomore and a freshman, he had quietly but efficiently been backing up All-American H.B. Blades. During Blades’ very infrequent absences during plays, McKillop established himself as a solid contributor and a reliable, rock-steady replacement. It may have been the rock-steadiness Scott has shown during his career that drew the Rotary Lombardi Award committee’s attention.

Vince Lombardi, for whom the trophy is named, was an aggressive, motivated competitor on and off the field and first came to American spotlight in the 1930s as a lineman in one of Fordham University’s ‘Seven Blocks of Granite’ (because they held the line like a rock wall.) Lombardi taught high school Latin and chemistry but later became a New York college coach. But by 1959 he was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers where he in his first season he guided the team to a 7-5 record after the previous coach’s 1-10-1 record in 1958. The Rotary Lombardi trophy has for its foundation a block of Granite, referring back to Lombardi’s legacy on the ‘Seven Blocks of Granite’.

(Find more information about the award at http://www.rotarylombardiaward.com/"> www.rotarylombardiaward.com )

McKillop, as a part of a Pitt defense that was fifth in the nation, was also honored by being listed on four All-America squads. And, Big East coaches all agreed to name him as a first-team All-Big East player. Scott was also named CollegeFootballNews.com's Big East Defensive Player of the Year, as well as earning Big East player of the week several times in his career.

Scott McKillop, son of Export’s Robert and Monika McKillop, is being touted by Pitt’s Athletic Department for several other awards, including the celebrated Butkus Award, earned by the nation's top linebacker, the Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy, both given to the nation's outstanding defensive player.

Redshirted as a freshman and now a senior, McKillop is a strong leader on the team and looks to be a serious force in the Pitt football team's annual Blue-Gold spring game has been set for Saturday, April 19 at 6 p.m. at Heinz Field. The Panthers begin spring practice March 25.