NFL Hall Of Famer Lee Roy Selmon Dead At 56

Added on Sep 05, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

NFL

Sad news out of Tampa where former Bucs’ defensive end Lee Roy Selmon has died after a stroke. He was 56. Selmon was hospitalized suddenly late last week for what was later revealed to be a stroke and passed away two days later.

Selmon was a beast on the field but by all accounts a complete class act off it. His gridiron dominance began in college where he spearheaded the defensive front at Oklahoma University, helping lead the Sooners to back-to-back National Championships. His coach at OU, Barry Switzer, once called him ‘the greatest player he’d ever coached’ which covers considerable ground given Switzer’s resume. Switzer had this to say about Selmon after his death:

“No Sooner player cast a longer shadow over its rich tradition than Lee Roy. Beyond his many and great accomplishments, I believe the true legacy of Lee Roy Selmon lies within the kind of man he was. Lee Roy possessed a combination of grace, humility, and dignity that is rare. His engaging smile and gentleness left you feeling blessed to be in his presence. Best of all, he was all genuine. One would be blessed to have a father, son, uncle, brother, or friend like Lee Roy Selmon.”

In the NFL, Selmon lived up to his #1 draft choice status with six consecutive Pro Bowl appearances while earning the love of the fans and respect of his teammates. Current Houston Texans’ assistant Bill Kollar played with Selmon:

“The guy just worked as hard as you could ever work and was just a great guy. Never got mad, was just always great to everybody and it’s hard to imagine that you could end up being a better person than Lee Roy was. Really, the guy was just a phenomenal person. … It’s obviously really a sad day. The guy was a great player and even a better person. It’s just a shame that this happened to him.”

The Glazer family, who owns the Bucs, released this statement:

“Tampa Bay has lost another giant. This is an incredibly somber day for Buccaneer fans, Sooner fans, and all football fans. Lee Roy’s standing as the first Buc in the Hall of Fame surely distinguished him, but his stature off the field as the consummate gentleman put him in another stratosphere.”

Current OU coach Bob Stoops displayed a surprising degree of eloquence in summing up Selmon’s legacy:

“There was a sense of awe every time you were in Lee Roy’s presence, and yet that was the last thing he would have wanted. He accomplished so many things in life, but remained a humble, unassuming champion. I hold up many of our previous greats as examples for our current players and Lee Roy is among the very best. All of our players would do well to follow in Lee Roy’s footsteps.”