Save the Date: Oklahoma Will Reveal Selmon Brothers Statue Next Week

Between Lucious, Dewey and Lee Roy, the Sooners had national defensive players of the year, No. 1 overall picks, NFL All-Pros and Hall of Famers.

The University of Oklahoma will dedicate a statue honoring three of its greatest defensive football players in program history — brothers Lucious, Dewey and Lee Roy Selmon — on Saturday, Sept. 24, before the Kansas State game.

The ceremony, which will be open to the public (free), will occur at 3:30 p.m. at the southeast corner of the Jenkins Avenue and Brooks Street intersection, near the northeast corner of Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The Sooners host the Wildcats that evening at 7, and the Selmons will be honored on the field between the first and second quarters.

Lee Roy, Lucious and Dewey Selmon (left to right) :: Rich Clarkson / NCAA Photos via Wochit

Lucious and Dewey Selmon will be present for the statue dedication, as will family members of Lee Roy Selmon, who passed away in 2011. Former OU head coach Barry Switzer, OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. and OU Vice President and Athletics Director Joe Castiglione will also speak at the ceremony.

The Selmon brothers' reputation as fierce and dominating defensive linemen is matched by their legacy of being humble human beings who have exhibited a penchant for serving others. They starred for OU from 1971 through 1975, leading the Sooners to a 54-3-1 record, four Big Eight championships and two national championships (1974 and '75). Playing under head coaches Chuck Fairbanks and Barry Switzer, they combined for 96 career starts, 915 tackles, 96 tackles for loss and 16 fumble recoveries. In 1973, the trio from the small town of Eufaula, Okla., made history when all three were starters on the Sooners' line.

Lucious starred at OU from 1971-73 and as a senior was named Chevrolet/ABC National Defensive Player of the Year, Big Eight Conference Athlete of the Year and Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the 1974 NFL Draft and returned to OU as an assistant coach (1976-94) before coaching in the NFL.

Dewey and Lee Roy made an immediate impact as freshmen in 1972 and went on to earn All-America honors in 1974 and '75 when the Sooners went a combined 21-1 (both were consensus picks as seniors). Lee Roy, who won the 1975 Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award, was a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete in 1975 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988.

Lee Roy was the No. 1 overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1976 NFL Draft and was joined on the Buccaneers by Dewey, who was the first pick of the second round the same year. Lee Roy, who later served as athletics director at South Florida, was a five-time NFL All-Pro selection and made six consecutive Pro Bowls. He was also the 1979 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1995. Dewey played seven years in the NFL between the Buccaneers and San Diego Chargers, and was an All-Pro in 1979. All three Selmons were inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

As great as the Selmons were on the field, they were even better off it, and they exemplified the term "student-athlete." All three graduated from OU with honors, Lucious earning Academic All-Big Eight recognition and Dewey and Lee Roy earning Academic All-America accolades two times each (they are both CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame members).