GULFPORT, Fla. – Stetson University College of Law honored football legend Lee Roy Selmon for his years of community service with its inaugural Tower Award during a scholarship gala on May 2. 

The Tower Award recognizes those who reached the pinnacle of their careers and have made outstanding contributions to the Tampa Bay community. “I am humbled to be selected as Stetson’s first Tower Award recipient,” said Selmon, the first Tampa Bay Buccaneer inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. “With all of the joys I have had in life, I did not get here alone. This award represents those very special people who help us to become the very best that we can be.”

The event was held to raise funds for law student scholarships. As the Tower Award recipient, Selmon also designated a portion of the proceeds to his preferred charity, the USF Foundation Partnership for Athletics.

“I was the recipient of a student athletic scholarship at Oklahoma University, and I can attest that it made a big difference in my life,” Selmon said. “Scholarships make a big difference in the lives of young people.”

Selmon has been recognized as NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Bucs’ Rookie of the Year and the team’s Most Valuable Player. He was named to the College Football Hall of Fame, the GTE Academic All-America Hall of Fame, and the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame. In 1999, the Crosstown Expressway was named in his honor. Selmon was a three-time All-American at the University of Oklahoma, where he devoted an average of 10 hours per week to volunteer projects.

Selmon rose to the position of athletic director at the University of South Florida and now serves as president of the USF Foundation Partnership for Athletics. He also founded the Lee Roy Selmon’s restaurant chain.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers General Manager Mark Dominik served as guest speaker, and the emcee for the evening was Fox 13 anchor Cynthia Smoot.

Please link here to download a picture of Mr. Selmon with his Tower Award http://www.law.stetson.edu/tmpl/news/article.aspx?id=6746 .

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