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Vassallo: Robert Nkemdiche, a Cut Above
Photo by Joshua McCoy, Ole Miss Athletics (2014)
Ohio State has had six Rotary Lombardi Award winners while Ole Miss has never had one.
The eligibility for the award is limited to down linemen, end-to-end, either on offense or defense, who set up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball, or linebackers who set up no farther than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage. The candidates earned a place on the preliminary Watch List by receiving All-American recognition, being named to their respective all-conference teams or receiving 2015 preseason honors.
The 2015 list of semi-finalists includes Robert Nkemdiche, one of the greatest linemen who ever suited up for the Ole Miss Rebels. The 46th Rotary Lombardi Award will be held on December 9, 2015 at the Bayou Music Center in Houston. Last year’s winner was Scooby Wright III from Arizona.
The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi, for whom the Super Bowl trophy is also named. A nominee must show leadership, courage, desire, respect for authority and discipline. Robert qualifies on each and every one.
If you responded the way I did when Robert’s helmet hit the ground in Memphis, my heart stopped. A member of our Ole Miss family was in trouble at that moment and the only thought I had was that Robert would be ok as the game became immediately secondary. I have observed Robert grow and develop while at Ole Miss. His desire and passion for getting better and improving is off the charts. Cheering for Robert Nkemdiche is an easy assignment.
Let’s look at some of the previous winners from our conference. The last recipient was in 2010 with Nick Fairley of Auburn, 2007 Glenn Dorsey of LSU, 2004 David Pollack of Georgia,
1998 Dat Nguyen Texas of A&M, 1988 Tracy Rocker of Auburn and 1986 Cornelius Bennett of Alabama. The voting electorate is made up of the head coaches from all Division I schools, sports media personnel from across the country, and former winners and finalists of the Rotary Lombardi Award.
Regardless of the outcome of the vote, just being considered for it is honor enough. Robert Nkemdiche will always occupy a special place in Ole Miss football history. His decision in joining the Ole Miss Rebels turned a corner for us that can never be undervalued. For this, I will be forever grateful and wish him well in his pro career and beyond.
Thank you, Robert, for all you have done for Ole Miss football and just for who you are!
Special thanks to Wikipedia for the historical data and other pertinent information.
Steve Vassallo is a HottyToddy.com contributor. Steve writes on Ole Miss athletics, Oxford business, politics and other subjects. He is an Ole Miss grad and former radio announcer for the basketball team. Currently, Steve is a highly successful leader in the real estate business who lives in Oxford with his wife Rosie. You can contact Steve at sovassallo@gmail.com or call him at 985-852-7745.
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| Mon, Nov 4 |  | vs Long Island University | W, 90-60 |
| Fri, Nov 8 |  | vs Grambling | W, 66-64 |
| Tue, Nov 12 |  | vs South Alabama | W, 64-54 |
| Sat, Nov 16 |  | vs Colorado State | W, 84-69 |
| Thu, Nov 21 |  | vs Oral Roberts | L, 100-68 |
| Thu, Nov 28 |  | vs BYU | W, 96-85 OT |
| Fri, Nov 29 |  | vs 13 Purdue | L, 80-78 |
| Tue, Dec 3 |  | @ Louisville | W, 86-63 |
| Sat, Dec 7 |  | vs Lindenwood | W, 86-53 |
| Sat, Dec 14 |  | vs Southern Miss | W, 77-46 |
| Tue, Dec 17 |  | vs Southern | W, 74-61 |
| Sat, Dec 21 |  | vs Queens University | W, 80-62 |
| Sat, Dec 28 |  | @ Memphis | L, 87-70 |
| Sat, Jan 4 |  | vs Georgia | W, 63-51 |
| Wed, Jan 8 |  | @ 23 Arkansas | W, 73-66 |
| Sat, Jan 11 |  | vs LSU | W, 77-65 |
| Tue, Jan 14 |  | @ 5 Alabama | W, 74-64 |
| Sat, Jan 18 |  | @ 17 Mississippi State | L, 81-84 |
| Wed, Jan 22 |  | vs 13 Texas A&M | L, 62-63 |
| Sat, Jan 25 |  | @ Missouri | 5:00 PM SECN |
| Wed, Jan 29 |  | vs Texas | 8:00 PM ESPN2 |
| Sat, Feb 1 |  | vs 2 Auburn | 3:00 PM TBA |
| Tue, Feb 4 |  | vs 10 Kentucky | 6:00 PM ESPN |
| Sat, Feb 8 | | @ LSU | 7:30 PM SECN |
| Wed, Feb 12 |  | @ South Carolina | 6:00 PM SECN |
| Sat, Feb 15 | | vs 17 Mississippi State | 5:00 PM TBA |
| Sat, Feb 22 |  | @ Vanderbilt | 2:30 PM SECN |
| Wed, Feb 26 | | @ 2 Auburn | 6:00 PM TBA |
| Sat, Mar 1 |  | vs 12 Oklahoma | 1:00 PM TBA |
| Wed, Mar 5 |  | vs 1 Tennessee | 8:00 PM TBA |
| Sat, Mar 8 |  | @ 6 Florida | 5:00 PM SECN |
Hoppy Langley
November 13, 2015 at 7:36 am
Great article about Robert Nkemdiche. Robert has delivered as a Rebel for us every year he has been here and alongside Ben Williams will go down as one of the greatest lineman Ole Miss has ever had. In his defense, and as explained by Marcus Spears and Booger McFarland on the SEC network repeatedly throughout the year, he has faced double teams constantly since he came into the league. As for the Arkansas game, even an imbecile, except the one who commented above, could see that Arkansas ran bootlegs, rollouts, and play action constantly because of their respect for his ability to rush the passer and escape him! I am sick and tired of the idiots who remember the good old days when we were 3-9 & 4-8, no plans for the bowl season, and couldn’t dream of having players at Ole Miss who were of the caliber of Robert! His coming here is currently enabling us to get great players in greater numbers and the best is yet to come! Hugh is building something great in Oxford and we all need to be patient with the growing pains! Robert’s got great parents and is a good kid. He’s gonna be a great pro and you can bank on that! First defensive lineman to go in the draft on Mel Kiper’s list! Not to slight Channing, he’s gonna be a great pro too!