Lee Roy Selmon, who many consider the greatest Sooner to play football on Owen Field, has suffered a stroke and is hospitalized in serious condition at a Tampa, Florida hospital.
A Tampa, Florida television station reported Selmon, 56, had died, but officials at his alma mater and family members denied those reports. The station, WTSP, changed its report to quote Selmon’s brother Dewey as saying he was alive and “showing signs of progress.”
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OU Head Coach Barry Switzer called the Eufaula native 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 was part of the most famous set of brothers in OU history. He and his brothers Lucious and Dewey, gave Oklahoma one of the greatest defenses in history. Selmon was named a consensus All-American in 1975 and also in 1974 by Newspaper Enterprise Association. His long list of achievements includes the Vince Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy.
Selmon was the first player taken in the 1976 draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1988 and the NFL Hall of Fame in 1995. An expressway in Tampa is named after him.
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The Selmons also has a Great BBQ sauce. It’s one of the best that I’ve ever tasted!