2010-2014 Lombardi Award Finalists: Nick Fairley, Alabama & Auburn
Which Alabama and Auburn players were Lombardi Award finalists from 2010 through 2014? This archive lists each year's four-player group, identifies the winner, and marks the Iron Bowl-program connection. Auburn's Nick Fairley won in 2010; Alabama finalists in the period included Dont'a Hightower, Courtney Upshaw, Barrett Jones, and C.J. Mosley.
Alabama and Auburn Finalists in the 2010-2014 Award Archive
| Year | Winner | Other finalists |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Nick Fairley Auburn |
|
| 2011 | Luke Kuechly Boston College |
|
| 2012 | Manti Te'o Notre Dame |
|
| 2013 | Aaron Donald Pittsburgh |
|
| 2014 | Scooby Wright III Arizona |
|
Alabama and Auburn Connections
Fairley won the award during Auburn's undefeated 2010 season, which included the 28-27 Camback victory at Alabama.
Alabama placed two linebackers in the finalist group: Hightower and Upshaw.
Alabama center Barrett Jones was one of the four finalists.
Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley represented an Iron Bowl program in the finalist group.
No Alabama or Auburn player was among the four finalists that year.
What Counts As A Finalist?
The winner is one member of that year's four-player finalist group. For example, Nick Fairley won in 2010, while Da'Quan Bowers, Adrian Clayborn, and Jake Kirkpatrick were the other finalists. The same distinction applies to every year in the table.
This matters for Alabama and Auburn history because a player can be part of the official finalist group without winning the award. Hightower, Upshaw, Barrett Jones, and Mosley all reached the finalist stage during this period, while Fairley is the only Alabama-Auburn winner in the five-year window.
Name And Archive Notes
This page uses the standard spellings C.J. Mosley and Hau'oli Kikaha. Older award archive pages sometimes display variants of those names. School athletics pages and contemporary reports were used to confirm the standard spellings and the four-player groups.
The 2014 group is included to complete the stated five-year comparison even though it contained no Alabama or Auburn finalist. Iron Bowl History is an independent rivalry archive and is not affiliated with the Rotary Lombardi Award or its organizers.
Sources reviewedExpand
Reference notes
MethodologyThe Rotary Lombardi Award alumni archive was used as the primary list. School athletics announcements were used to confirm finalist groups and name spellings.
Primary year-by-year archive for winners and fellow finalists.
Official description of the award and its eligibility criteria.
School source confirming the 2010 group of Nick Fairley, Da'Quan Bowers, Adrian Clayborn, and Jake Kirkpatrick.
School source confirming Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw as 2011 Lombardi Award finalists.
School source confirming Barrett Jones in the 2012 finalist group.
School source confirming the 2014 finalist group.