Posted on 09/02/2011 5:00:43 PM PDT by LibertarianInExile
Pro Football Hall of Fame member Lee Roy Selmon has reportedly died following a stroke on Friday...In 1995, Selmon was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Buccaneers honored Selmon in 2009, making him the first member of their Ring of Honor.
Sure, there were fair weather fans from every stinking Northern place, especially New York, that converged on the Bucs when they were up. Everyone had their favorites. A lot of New Yorkers imported the "you suck" to Tampa. But nobody ever said that about Lee Roy Selmon.
I hated a lot of things about where I grew up. The damn Yankees took my state and turned it into an asphalt parking lot. But they brought enough people that we got a pro football team out of it, and the Bucs are the one thing that has been a constant for me. I moved a lot when I was kid, and they started just about the time that I really got excited about sports.
And the Bucs, well, they proceeded to stink. I know it's silly to think of a team as yours. They belonged to the Culverhouse family and that family put Bucs fans through hell. My favorite team took a lot of hard knocks, and for a lot of years, nobody thought much of the Buccaneers.
Now, I don't aspire to much when it comes to the pros. I can't, as I'm a Bucs fan. But I have a Bucs jersey I found as an adult in the new non-creamsicle colors, as a castoff in Colorado after our Super Bowl win. Nobody anywhere but Tampa ever likes the Bucs--you can look it up. Long time Tampa fans are a rarity.
It's a nice thing to share something with people even though you have little else to connect with. As the southern guy in a room full of northeasterners, I felt out of place a lot of the time. But we all rooted for the Bucs when they were up, and Selmon was the only constant team leader, especially for guys like me. He shut up and played hard. There were a lot of noisy, flashy types. The Selmons were flashy when it counted. We knew the Selmon family was talent, and class, and Lee Roy the greatest of them.
So to the greatest member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ever, Godspeed, Number 63.
Just damn. RIP, Leroy. You were the face of the team for a long time.
I don’t like sports at all, but I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on Selmon. You have a great way with words. I’m sorry for your loss.
Good post, fine old boy from Oklahoma,
I’m seeing several reports on Twitter that say he is still ALIVE. I hope thats the case.
http://www.theledger.com/article/20110902/NEWS/110909873?Title=Lee-Roy-Selmon-Dies-of-Stroke
His brother says he is still alive.
St. Joseph's Hospital [Tampa] Confirms Lee Roy Selmon is Alive, in Critical Condition
I liked watching him and his brothers intercepting handoffs in the Nebraska backfield.
Sports Illustrated reported that one of them could bench press 464 pounds; can’t remember which brother.
Are you sure that they weren't bench-pressing each other? They were massive when they were in training. However, I fear that this early age stroke (56) can be attributed to his career in football. Very mixed feelings about this - remembering that poem "To an Athlete Dying Young" by A. E. Housman. Lee Roy is not young BUT far too young for this.
Very sorry to hear the Original Buc, Lee Roy Selmon, #63 has passed... RIP
He’s not dead
Who’s not dead, Jim?
I remember him at Oklahoma. That was when I started watching college football.
Selmon is still alive, but in bad shape.
http://www2.tbo.com/news/2011/sep/02/36/reports-lee-roy-selmon-ill-ar-254995/
Seems the media jumped the gun with good reason—someone from his restaurant spread the [evidently incorrect] story that he had “passed on.” He is, however, in serious condition after a stroke. I wish him a full recovery and hope he will be in your prayers.
Incidentally, best quote ever on the topic:
“I hope Lee Roy Selmon survives if only to personally fire the person at his restaurant who released that he was dead.” - Darren Rovell
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