The Gentle Giant, Lee Roy Selmon
Out of all the great Ironhead athletes from Eufaula Lee Roy Selmon is arguably the most decorated, beloved and admired of all time. Selmon was the youngest son of Jessie and Luscious Selmon. The country boy grew up on the Selmon farm west of Eufaula in a home that worshiped God and had a great understanding of the importance of family.
Leroy was known as the Gentle Giant for more than one reason.
“He was a terrific football player. He would knock your block off then he would tippy toe out of the pile making sure he didn’t step on anyone’s toes,” said Eufaula head coach Paul Bell.
“He could play tailback, defensive tackle and he was fast and strong. He could run the 100 yard dash in :22.8. He had great football intelligence and heart and desire to be the best, not just as a player but as a man,” added Bell.
Selmon had a remarkable high school career earning All-State honors, All High School All-American and High School Player of the Year.
Selmon graduated from Eufaula in 1971 and followed his brothers Lucious and Dewey Selmon in 1972 to the University of Oklahoma and played on the defensive line at the. He blossomed into a star in 1974, anchoring one of the best defenses in Oklahoma Sooners football history. The Sooners were national champions in 1974 and 1975. Selmon won the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy in 1975.
“Nobody outworked Lee Roy. I remember one time at OU everybody had already left the field after practice and Leroy would want to continue to work. I told him they were already better than most and Lee Roy responded, “We can always be better,” said Dewey Selmon.
“He was so compassionate about people. I awoke in the night one time in the dorms and found Leroy crying. I asked him why he was crying and he stated that there are people out there that need our help. They’re hungry, poor and need someone to help, that’s how much Leroy cared about people,” added Dewey.
Oklahoma 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.
“ Lee Roy was the finest gentleman that I ever played with in high school or college. He was by far the greatest player at OU and he was a super guy. He was very compassionate on and off the field. He was a true gentle giant,” said Eufaula and Sooner teammate Rusty Griffis.
In the fall of 1999, Selmon was named to the Sports Illustrated ‘NCAA Football All-Century Team.’
Selmon was named a consensus All-American in 1974 and 1975 by the Newspaper Enterprise Association. His list of achievements include the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete, GTE/ CoSIDA Academic All-American, and Graduate Fellowship Winner National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame. The 1996 Walter Camp “Alumnus of the Year” was voted to the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.
In 1976, Selmon was the first player picked in the NFL draft, the first-ever pick for the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He joined older brother, Dewey, who was a secondround pick of the Bucs. In his first year, Selmon won the team’s ‘Rookie of the Year’ and MVP awards. Selmon played in six straight Pro Bowls and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1979. Buccaneer assistant Abe Gibron said, “Selmon has no peers” at defensive end, while former Detroit Lions coach Monte Clark compared him to “a grown man at work among a bunch of boys”.
“Playing at every level of football with my little brother was sensational and a humbling experience. There was nothing like standing on the 45-yard line in the Cotton Bowl with Leroy while we were (OU) was beating Texas. He was a great player, friend, husband and brother and is missed everyday,” said Dewey Selmon.
On September 4, 2011 Lee Roy Selmon died at the age of 56 from complications of a stroke.
