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Selmon has genuine heart of a champion

Staff file photo (1979)

In a ceremony at Raymond James Stadium, Selmon will become the first Buccaneer enshrined into the team's Ring of Honor.

By JOE HENDERSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 8, 2009

Updated: 11/08/2009 12:33 am

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TAMPA - Judy Genshaft hadn't been at her job as president of the University of South Florida long when she was introduced to Lee Roy Selmon. He was an associate director of athletics at the time, and it's fair to say Genshaft didn't quite grasp who she was meeting.

"I didn't know him as a (professional) football player because I was always more into the college sports than the pros," she said. "But I have to say, he makes a fabulous first impression. After I came to know him a little bit, as I've said to him many times, I can't believe he was so ferocious on the field because he is such a gentleman off of it.

"Everybody I'm aware of really respects Lee Roy. If people don't treat him with respect, other people don't just get upset - they get furious."

Thus is the walking contradiction that is Lee Roy Selmon.

Is he the menacing former defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 1995? Or is he the gentle man, soft-spoken and generous, private and devoted to his family and to the greater Tampa community?

He is both, of course.

Today, in a ceremony at Raymond James Stadium, Selmon will become the first Buccaneer enshrined into the team's Ring of Honor. As the Bucs' only member of the Hall of Fame, he was an obvious choice. The honor comes 25 years after his playing career ended, during which time he has made the transition from celebrated athlete to a valued member of the area business and educational communities.

He serves as president of the USF Foundation Partnership for Athletics, a fundraising arm of the university involved in upgrading the school's athletic facilities.

"He is a treasure for USF, and I hope he knows that," Genshaft said. "I think he does. We value him tremendously."

Well, he should. After all, how many people have roadways named for them? The Selmon Crosstown Expressway is one of the area's major thoroughfares. But we'll get to that off-the-field side of Lee Roy's life in a bit.

On the field

That's because well before we came to know the refined and respected business and community leader, there was No. 63. He played right defensive end for the expansion Buccaneers.

On the football field, he was a monster.

He was the Bucs' first draft choice ever, a consensus No. 1 pick from the University of Oklahoma. He was 6-foot-3, 256 pounds and immediately won a place in the starting lineup in the Bucs' three-man defensive line. That formation was relatively uncommon at the time, requiring relentless pressure from three linemen against five or more blockers.

"If you've got a three-man line, you'd better hope Lee Roy Selmon is one of your ends," said former Bucs safety Mark Cotney, a teammate of Selmon's. "It really didn't matter how many blockers the other teams would put on him, he still got pressure on the quarterback. He made me a lot better player."

But his teammates noticed the same thing Genshaft would describe decades later. Selmon was quiet and reserved in the locker room. Only on the football field did he allow his inner beast to be released.

"I know (former Bucs assistant) Abe Gibron once said that if Lee Roy Selmon ever had a mean streak, they'd have to outlaw him from football," Cotney said. "He would get held all the time - blatantly, on every play - and he just wouldn't get upset. Anyone else would have, but not Lee Roy. It just made him play harder."

Even now, Selmon laughs when that contradiction is brought up.

"I enjoy competition, and it's just a competitiveness that comes out," he said. "Each player gets it out their own way. I enjoyed the game and had fun playing and competing with my teammates. You work hard to prepare for that, but once the game was over, well, that's it. I didn't carry it with me for very long. You were disappointed in the losses and excited about the wins, but after that it's back to regular life. I had a drive to be the best I could be and contribute as much to the team as I could. That was a motivating factor for me to just go out and play hard."

He was the National Football League's Defensive Player of the Year in 1979. That's not what he recalls about that year, though. It was always about the team with Selmon, and few seasons in Bucs history have been better than that one. The Bucs went to the playoffs for the first time and beat Philadelphia at home before losing the National Football Conference Championship Game 9-0 to the Los Angeles Rams, falling one game short of making the Super Bowl.

"That was one of the great experiences I had as a player," Selmon said. "It was a historic moment for the Bucs - the first playoff game we had ever played in. But the biggest thing I remember leading up to it - the thing was the attitude of the Bucs fans. There were the marquees all around town, wishing the team luck. I was really struck by that."

Selmon had two sacks in the 24-17 victory.

Pain of the game

In the years that followed, he continued to play at a high level. If you play football, though, you're going to hurt. He had sore knees, a sore neck, sore shoulders, but the worst problem was a herniated disk in his back. It forced him out of the game after the 1984 season.

"It was a hard decision. My wife and I gave it a lot of thought and a lot of prayer. We tried to gather as much information as we could about the injury, and we talked to two or three different doctors," Selmon said. "One of those doctors was real honest. I asked him to think of me as a human being and not just a football player. I said, 'From what you now see going on with me, what would you do?'

"He said, 'Well, I'd terminate my career.'"

So he walked away. Fortunately for Tampa, he didn't head back to Oklahoma. By then he had become a fixture in the community through his work with a local bank. It was the perfect job at a perfect time for a man who had more things on his mind than football.

"I wanted the community to know me, than just being a Tampa Bay Buccaneer football player. To have the opportunity through the bank to get out into the community through events and charities, it allowed me to meet a lot of different people and allowed them to meet me outside of just watching me play football."

He later joined USF, which is where Genshaft found him. Once again, fate thrust this quiet man into the spotlight.

The athletic department was in turmoil after a scandal in the women's basketball program. In 2001, Selmon was promoted to athletic director as part of a shake-up. He had been a central figure in launching USF's football program, and Genshaft said his influence in those rocky days after taking over the top job proved vital. "He was central to getting the program back on track," she said.

Later, he helped make the case for USF to join the Big East Conference, which brought its athletic programs to a national level. Health concerns led to his decision to step down as athletic director before the Bulls began play in the Big East.

Even now, he doesn't like to talk about specifics.

"I consulted with some doctors who told me if I could reduce some stress in my life, it would be helpful. You don't realize the stress you have because you're just doing a job," he said. "I enjoyed the job, but I didn't know what was going on with me healthwise."

The job he is in now is perfect for him - less stress, and it lets him be involved in the growth of a department he helped nurture.

When the Bucs established the Ring of Honor, the first inductee was a no-brainer.

"You know what excites me the most? It's the Buccaneers establishing the ring. It represents much more than me. It's the history of the Bucs and the players, and to be part of that history is humbling. To me, this is more about all of that," Selmon said.

"I'm looking forward to seeing some of the teammates and coaches. We're all getting older, and to have the chance to get together and get caught up is important. I'm excited about that. I'm excited that our fans will go into their trunks and pull out something orange to wear. I really think it will be fun."

It will be.

Even though the Bucs are having a miserable season, that won't matter today. It will be 1979 all over again. The Bucs will be dressed in their Creamsicle uniforms with the winking pirate helmets. You won't see No. 63 out there, though. That number was retired years ago.

It will always and only belong to Lee Roy Selmon.

"He's a good human being and one of the best ballplayers I've ever seen in my life. You couldn't meet a more loving person," teammate and linebacker Richard Wood said. "He was so quiet and unassuming, he doesn't come off as one of the best defensive linemen in the history of the game, but he is someone I'd want my children to be like.

"Something just happened when he put on that uniform, though. He became a changed man. You'd have to see it to believe it."

Columnist Joe Henderson can be reached at (813) 259-7861.

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