Lee Roy Selmon, Pro And College Hall Of Famer, Passes Away At 56

The University of Oklahoma said Monday that there will be a public viewing Thursday at Exciting Central Baptist Church in Tampa and a funeral service Friday at Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Fla. A funeral service also is set for Saturday at The First Southern Baptist Church in Oklahoma City.

For more, head to Buccaneers blog Bucs Nation, Oklahoma blog Crimson And Cream Machine and USF blog Voodoo Five.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon passed away on Sunday just two days after he suffered a stroke. Reactions from across the football world are coming in. His college coach at Oklahoma, Jimmy Johnson, tweeted that Selmon was a “great player [but] a better person.” CBS Sports’ Brett McMurphy echoed a similar sentiment by calling him the “nicest man I’ve ever known.“

Sports Illustrated’s Peter King recalls Selmon’s legacy in the NFL, as he is the only Tampa Bay Buccaneer to make it into the Hall of Fame. The Bucs were a terrible team back in the 1970s when Selmon played there, but “Lee Roy Selmon [for the HOF] was a cinch. That’s how great he was.“ ESPN’s NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas recalls how influential and long-lasting Selmon’s impact on Tampa was:

Selmon had an excellent reputation both on and off the field, known for participating in charity and establishing himself as an entrepreneur.

USF coach Skip Holtz found inspiration in Selmon’s legacy before the Bulls’ Saturday game against Notre Dame, a victory many are thinking of as a tribute to Selmon’s memory.

NFL and college football great Lee Roy Selmon, 56, has reportedly passed away following a stroke on Friday, according to WTSP in Tampa. He suffered the stroke on Friday afternoon and was taken to the hospital after paramedics found him unconscious and not breathing. The cause of the stroke has not yet been ascertained.

Following his football career, Selmon joined the University of South Florida in the 1990s as the athletic director. He was the guiding force in starting the football program from scratch.

Oklahoma legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Lee Roy Selmon reportedly suffered a serious stroke in Tampa on Friday. While the exact details of Selmon’s condition are unclear, family members are reportedly flying in from around the country to be with him in the hospital.

The University of South Florida, where Selmon worked as an Athletics Director, released a statement confirming his admission to the hospital on Friday, giving few details on his conditions or what prompted the hospitalization.