It is unreal how much one man has influenced the Tampa Bay area. Aside from his HOF status, there wouldn't be USF football without him. He will definitely be missed. RIP.
A few excerpts from his wiki page:
He blossomed into a star in 1974, anchoring one of the best defenses in Sooner history. The Sooners were NCAA Division I-A national football champions in 1974 and 1975. Selmon won the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy in 1975. OU Head Coach Barry Switzer called him the best player he ever coached, and College Football News placed him as the 39th best college player of all time. He was known as "The Gentle Giant." In the Fall of 1999, Lee Roy was named to the Sports Illustrated NCAA Football All-Century Team as only one of six defensive tackles on the squad.He blossomed into a star in 1974, anchoring one of the best defenses in Sooner history. The Sooners were NCAA Division I-A national football champions in 1974 and 1975. Selmon won the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy in 1975. OU Head Coach Barry Switzer called him the best player he ever coached, and College Football News placed him as the 39th best college player of all time. He was known as "The Gentle Giant." In the Fall of 1999, Lee Roy was named to the Sports Illustrated NCAA Football All-Century Team as only one of six defensive tackles on the squad.Selmon stayed in Tampa, Florida, working as a bank executive and being active in many charities.
From 1993-2001 Selmon served as an assistant athletic director at the University of South Florida under Paul Griffin. When Griffin moved on to take the same position for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Selmon stepped up and took over the athletic department.
As the USF Athletic Director, Selmon launched the football program, spearheaded the construction of a new athletic facility and led the university's move into Conference USA and then into the Big East Conference. Citing health issues, Selmon resigned as the USF Athletic Director in 2004. He assumed the role as president of the USF Foundation Partnership for Athletics, an athletics fund-raising organization.
The Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway is named for him, as is a chain of restaurants.[4] The chain, aptly titled Lee Roy Selmon's, was named one of the 10 best sports bars in America in 2009. Its motto is "Play Hard. Eat Well. And Don't Forget to Share."[1] He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Roy_Selmon
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