A Whole Lott Of Football
8/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
In politics there are dynasties that you think of when you hear names like Bush, Kennedy, or Clinton. In football and in the metroplex, it’s the Lott's.
Although they might not want to call it a dynasty, it has turned into one. Alex Lott is a walk-on receiver at North Texas who has caught the attention of many, and not because of his last name.
Thomas Lott is the father of three sons, Thomas Lott III, Alex, and Kris who all play football. Lott knows a little something about winning too. He was a member of the 1975 Oklahoma Sooner national championship team and a two-time first-team All Big 8 selection.
Alex was the middle child in the family more ways than one. Thomas Lott III was 5-7, Alex is 5-9, and the youngest of the all, Kris is 6-2. But don’t let his height fool you into thinking any less of Alex as a football player.
“Alex is that little spark plug that every team needs,” said his father Thomas Lott, now the offensive coordinator at Dallas Molina High School. “He is just so pleasant a person to be around and he seldom get’s down.”
Growing up he watched as his father transitioned from a professional football player to a coach.
“When Alex was young he was always around us at practice when I was coaching and when his youngest brother was playing. He played every sport you can think of, soccer, baseball, basketball, and tennis,” Lott said. “I encouraged him when he starting playing football to play as many positions as he could. He played quarterback, running back, linebacker, cornerback, safety, and even one time when we were an offensive lineman short he volunteered for that. But he always gravitated towards the wide receiver position.”
Even though Thomas Lott had experience success at the collegiate and professional level, he never steered any of his sons towards football.
“I always told my sons that I wanted them to be successful at whatever they chose to do. Because I played I knew the heart aches, the blood, sweat, and tears that it takes to be successful. I knew my sons would be compared to me because I was one of the fortunate ones to have success and I didn’t want my sons to have to try and live up to those expectations,” said Lott.
Lott found himself in a run-based offense at Plano High School, along with that and his size, only 5-9, his opportunities were limited. He had no scholarship offers and went to Texas Lutheran for a year before landing at North Texas last spring.
He caught the coaches eye during the spring and has carried that over into the fall camp.
“I’ve shown them I can compete and correct my mistakes. I just need to keep working on my steps and try to improve each day.” Alex Lott said.
His father keeps busy during football season but is trying to keep his Saturday afternoon’s open.
“It’s been so much fun for me to see all of my sons play. I know what each of them can do and not just as a father but as a coach too. You have to do the extra work and the little things if you want to be great and I know Alex can do that.”
If Alex continues his rise at North Texas, there will be a whole lot of smiling faces.
