A Tribute To Lee Roy Selmon
Cold, Hard Football Facts for September 05, 2011

By Kerry J. Byrne
Cold, Hard Football Facts swashbuckler

Pro football Hall of famer Lee Roy Selmon died Sunday two days after suffering a massive stroke. He was just 56 years old – another in a long line of football greats to die at a young age.
 
You know the basics: the former Oklahoma star was the first draft pick in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history, taken No. 1 overall in the 1976 draft. He certainly lived up to the hype, with six Pro Bowl appearances in his nine-career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995.
 
Selmon has appeared frequently in the pages of the Cold, Hard Football Facts. Here are some of the highlights.
 
Face of the Tampa franchise
We issued our all-time franchise rankings back in 2008, naming a “face of the franchise” for each team. Selmon earned that honor for the Buccaneers.
  
KC fantasy: Selmon to the Chiefs?
Selmon was Kansas City’s first-round pick earlier this year in our all-time NFL fantasy draft. He would fill plenty of needs for the Chiefs. “He could play inside or out, provide pass rush on the D-line and also stuff the run,” wrote CHFF’s Colonel Comey.
  
Dawn of two Eras
Selmon was not only the first draft pick in Tampa Bay history. His selection with the No. 1 pick in the 1976 draft launched a rare period of drafting excellence by NFL teams that included Earl Campbell, John Elway and Bruce Smith, wrote CHFF reader Neil Wicker in 2010.
 
Selmon’s mama’s meatloaf
You know Selmon was a great defensive end. You may not know that Selmon ran a restaurant chain in the Tampa area. We have his mama’s meatloaf recipe in our 225 Club tailgate team repertoire.
   
A rare defensive home-run draft pick
NFL teams have historically struggled to land big-time impact defenders with the No. 1 overall draft pick. As we reported back in 2007, Selmon was one of just three true defensive superstar defenders taken with the No. 1 overall draft pick, joined by Too Tall Jones and Bruce Smith.
  
In the shadow of greatness
Lee Roy was not the only Selmon that Tampa grabbed in the 1976 draft: his older brother, Dewey, a teammate at Oklahoma, was taken by the Bucs in the second round of that very same draft. Dewey had a decent pro career, but lived in the shadows of his little bro.