GOAT Index

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Ronnie Lott: the case for the GOAT

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    Ronnie Lott: the case for the GOAT

    S · 49ers · Born 8 May 1959, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA · Career 1981–1994

    Defensive back who starred at cornerback and safety for the San Francisco 49ers before stints with the Raiders and Jets; famed for his fearsome hitting.

    Career highlights

    Why Ronnie Lott could be the GOAT

    Lott was an All-Pro at three different secondary positions and won four rings as the defensive heart of the 49ers dynasty. He famously had part of a finger amputated rather than miss games. He is the defensive back every other one is compared to.

    What fans say

    Ronnie Lott is #23 of 30 in the fan ranking, with a 0–2 head-to-head record from 76 NFL votes. See the full NFL GOAT ranking

    Ronnie Lott head to head

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

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