The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Defining Moments: Hall of Honor inductee James Lott
10.04.2017 | Football, Track & Field / Cross Country
Longhorn Track & Field and Football standout James Lott will be inducted into the Men’s Hall of Honor Friday.
By Ryan Tewes
For many high school recruits, the decision of where to attend college and compete can be a difficult one. For track & field and football standout James Lott, there was never really a question of where to go.
A high school state record-holder in the high jump and a first-team all-state defensive back out of Refugio, Texas, Lott always envisioned himself competing for The University of Texas.
"Every year the Texas High School State Track Meet was held in Austin, so even when I was a seventh grader, I would go and watch Johnny "Lam" Jones and others compete," Lott said. "Coming up and being a part of that atmosphere I would think, 'I want to go to Texas, I want to go to Texas,' and when I had that opportunity that's who I chose."
Lott went on to have one of the most successful athletic careers in UT history, winning three NCAA championships, three Southwest Conference titles and collecting four All-American honors in the high jump, while also starting at safety and cornerback over three seasons with the football team.
While proud of his achievements, Lott sites being able to have worn the burnt orange and white and have Texas written across his jersey as a defining moment of his time as a Longhorn.
"I was able to play in several games against the likes of Bo Jackson and play in the OU games in that atmosphere and at the time you're doing it it's, 'Wow, this is what I worked for all this time,'" Lott said. "Playing in those types of games in front of 70,000 to 80,000 people, while also competing in track & field at a higher-level, that's something that you never forget."
Lott was the first Longhorn to win an NCAA Indoor Track & Field title when he took home the crown in 1986 with a leap of 7 feet, 6 inches, helping the Longhorns to a tie for fifth at the 1986 NCAA Indoor Championships. Lott captured his second high jump title of the year at the outdoor meet, helping boost the team to third-place finish. At the 1987 NCAA Indoor meet, he accounted for 10 of the team's 11 points with his winning clearance of 7-6. With the three NCAA titles to his name, Lott is one of six Longhorns to capture three or more career NCAA crowns in the sport.
In 1987, he set a then-outdoor school record of 7-7 at the Texas Invitational, then matched the 7-7 height at the 1988 TAC Championships for a then-indoor school record. Both heights currently rank third and tied for fourth, respectively, in UT history. Lott holds five of the top 14 indoor high jump performances and five of the 17 best outdoor high jump marks in in the Texas record books.
On the gridiron, Lott started as a defensive back for the Horns from 1983-1985. During the 1984 season, Lott played in 11 games, posting 20 tackles and a team-high 13 pass breakups. The next year, he registered 30 tackles and seven pass breakups, which ranked third on the team.
While competing at the international level in 1987, Lott placed 10th at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana with a clearance of 7-4.25 and took home the gold at the World Summer Universiade Games in Zagreb, Yugoslavia with a mark of 7-6.50.
Lott notes that much of his success in life can be attributed to what he learned during his time at Texas and the coaches that helped him along the way.
"Texas, it really prepared me for what the requirements were later in life, teaching me the qualities of hard work and determination and where that can get you," Lott said. "Coach David McWilliams was the defensive coordinator who became the head coach later on, but he made a huge impact on my life. The other person that really made a big impact on my life was Stan Huntsman, who was the head track & field coach and, boy, he really was a father figure for me that I didn't have and really made a difference in the way I turned out later on in life."
Following his Longhorn career, Lott secured an alternate position at the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials, placing fourth with a height of 7-6.
Lott's successful high school career led to induction into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 1994. As a high school athlete at Refugio High School, he was a member of three state championship teams, winning two in track & field (1982-1983) and one in football (1982). At the 1983 state championship he scored 34.5 points to lead Refugio High School to the state title. He placed first in the high jump (7-4 3/4), first in long jump (24-1), second in high hurdles (13.7) and third in 300-meter hurdles (37.4), and was a member of the sixth-place 1600-meter relay team. On the football field, Lott earned first-team all-state honors in 1982 and received All-American recognition.
Today, Lott serves as the Southwest Region Director of Scouting for XOS Digital, evaluating the top high school football talent throughout the region.
As Lott prepares for induction into the Longhorn Men's Hall of Honor, his time as a Longhorn student-athlete on the Forty Acres still has a strong hold on his life.
"UT means everything to me – I'm a Longhorn, through and through," Lott said. "It's interesting, as you grow older, the importance of being a Longhorn becomes more and more engulfed in who you are.
"My wife and I always go back for the Texas Relays and other events. At UT, there's a vibe that's hard to explain. You remember that routine of being a student-athlete at the best university in the country and that awesome feeling that even 30 years down the line, it still has an impact on me anytime I go back and visit."