Saturday, March 12, 2016

A Familiar Name

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This morning's email tipped me off that Lloyd Lee '98 has moved into a senior leadership position as Vice President for Football Development of USA Football.

Lee, a safety who splayed for the San Diego Chargers, teamed with linebacker Zack Walz – who would go on to a nice career with the Arizona Cardinals – to help the '96 Dartmouth team go 10-0 and the '97 team go 8-2.

Back in the days before paranoia took over and the media could actually cover preseason football games, I went to Connecticut (Choate-Rosemary Hall?) to watch Dartmouth play Columbia before Lee's freshman season. I distinctly remember asking head coach John Lyons at the end of the scrimmage, "Who is THAT?" while pointing at Lee. I can also remember his smile as he talked about the young safety, telling me he already had as good a grasp of the defense as anyone on the team. And this was the preseason.

Lee made the Chargers as a free agent, scoring a touchdown on a 34-yard return of an onside kick in a preseason game against the Miami Dolphins in 1999. (LINK)

After his playing career ended, Lee was a scout for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before joining the Chicago Bears staff, eventually moving up to coach the linebackers.

Fun fact: One of the reasons Lee got into football was that Lane Kiffin was a neighbor and a good friend when he was growing up in Bloomington, Minn.

As for Lee's new role, you might be curious what USA Football is all about. From its web page:
USA Football evolves and grows the sport through innovative standards and best practices to advance coach and player development, participation and safety within the fun of the game and its inherent values. As the sport’s national governing body and member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, USA Football partners with leaders in medicine, child advocacy and athletics to support positive football experiences for youth, high school and other amateur players.