[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 135 (Tuesday, September 13, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1606]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TO HONOR THE LATE LEE ROY SELMON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KATHY CASTOR

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 13, 2011

  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life 
and career of Lee Roy Selmon, a Hall of Fame football player and a 
pillar of the Tampa Bay community. As a player, Lee Roy Selmon was one 
of the greatest Buccaneers of all time, and his post-football career 
was equally distinguished.
  The youngest of nine children, Lee Roy Selmon would join two of his 
older brothers on the defensive line at the University of Oklahoma in 
1972. Referred to as a ``Gentle Giant'' by his peers, he would go on to 
be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, leading Oklahoma to 
two national championships in 1974 and 1975. In 1999 Sports Illustrated 
magazine selected Selmon as a member of their NCAA Football All-Century 
Team.
  In 1976, Selmon would join the Tampa Bay community as the first-ever 
draft pick of the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He proceeded to 
distinguish himself as one of the greatest NFL players of all time; 
during his career with the Buccaneers, he was selected to six 
consecutive Pro Bowls and named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 
1979. The Buccaneers retired his number, 63, in 1986, and in 1995 he 
was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 2008, Lee Roy 
Selmon became the first-ever inductee into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
Ring of Honor, a fitting distinction for the original Buccaneer.
  Lee Roy Selmon's professional accomplishments after his retirement 
from football are numerous; he was a philanthropist and a banker, an 
athletic director and an entrepreneur. The University of South Florida 
football program will forever bear his mark--as the Athletic Director 
during the Bull's emergence as a Division 1-A football team, the 
program greatly benefitted from Selmon's able stewardship.
  Above all, those who knew Lee Roy Selmon speak of his decency, his 
kindness, his gentle nature, and his integrity as often as they speak 
of his athletic and professional accomplishments. He was undoubtedly 
one of the Tampa Bay area's greatest ambassadors.
  The Tampa Bay community is proud to honor the life of Lee Roy Selmon, 
a great athlete and a man of character. His greatness and his humility 
continue to inspire those who knew him, and I ask that you and all 
Americans join me in honoring such a remarkable man.

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