Buccaneers legend receives a special honor

While not anywhere close to Raymond James Stadium in Florida, Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend Lee Roy Selmon is to be honored at his alma mater in Oklahoma this coming weekend.

The University of Oklahoma will be unveiling a statue of Selmon and his two brothers Lucious and Dewey, all of which were stars for the Sooners during their college careers.

The Selmon brothers undoubtedly deserve a statue for their combined stats at Oklahoma. All three were defenseman, and in 96 total starts they had 915 tackles and16 fumble recoveries.

Both Lee Roy and Dewey would go on to have post-college careers in the NFL, while Lucious would play in various independent leagues before moving into coaching.

Of course, Lee Roy was the best of the brothers on the field. After college, he would go on to  be drafted first overall by the Bucs in the 1976 NFL Draft. This would also mark an important historic point for the Bucs franchise as it was their first season in the league, and therefore Selmon was the first player every drafted by the team.

And history has shown that the Bucs certainly did not waste that first pick. Selmon would play his entire career for the Bucs, winning defensive player of the year in 1979, and having six pro-bowl selections.

Selmon would eventually be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1995, becoming the first player to be inducted that spent the majority of their career with the Bucs. In 2009, Selmon would also be the first player to be inducted into the Bucs’ Ring of Honor.

Selmon continued to help Tampa Bay even after his playing days were over when he became the athletic director for the University of South Florida, through which he was instrumental in creating their football program, which is now a nationally respected team.

While Selmon and his brothers rightfully deserve their statue this weekend in Oklahoma, it would make just as much sense if one were to be placed outside Raymond James Stadium given Selmon’s contributions to the Bucs and Tampa Bay as a whole.

Want to write about the Buccaneers? Apply below!

Want your voice heard? Join the The Pewter Plank team!

Write for us!