Melvin E. "Sam" Lyle (June 18, 1924 – May 25, 2007) was an American football player, coach, and the founder of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.
| No. 33 | |
| Date of birth | June 18, 1924 |
|---|---|
| Date of death | May 25, 2007 (aged 82) |
| Place of death | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | E |
| US college | LSU |
| NFL draft | 1950 / round: 10 / pick: 120 |
| Drafted by | New York Bulldogs |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| 1951–1953 | Georgia Tech (ends) |
| 1954–1957 | Oklahoma (assistant) |
| 1958 | Edmonton Eskimos |
| 1959 | Florida (assistant) |
| 1960 | South Carolina (assistant HC) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Playing career
editLyle played end at Louisiana State University from 1947 to 1949. He was the captain of the LSU Tigers team that played in the 1950 Sugar Bowl.[1] He was drafted by the New York Bulldogs in the tenth round of the 1950 NFL draft.[2]
Coaching career
editLyle began his coaching career in 1951 as the ends coach at Georgia Tech under Bobby Dodd.[3] He was an assistant on the Yellow Jacket teams that won the 1952 Orange Bowl and the 1953 and 1954 Sugar Bowls. In 1954, he moved to Oklahoma, where he was an assistant under future College Football Hall of Famer Bud Wilkinson.[4] In his second and third seasons at Oklahoma, the Sooners won the College football national championship.
In 1958, Lyle succeeded another former Oklahoma assistant, Pop Ivy, as head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos. He resigned after only one season and returned to college football as an assistant at Florida.[5]
Head coaching record
edit| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| EDM | 1958 | 9 | 6 | 1 | .594 | 2nd in WIFU | 1 | 2 | .333 | Lost in WIFU Final 1–2 |
| Total | 9 | 6 | 1 | .594 | 3 | 2 | .600 | |||
Bobby Dodd Award
editIn 1976, Lyle created the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.[6] The award, named after former Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd, is an awarded annually to the college football head coach whose team excels on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. Lyle also served as the chairman of the executive committee of the American Sportsmanship Council, the group who sponsored the Bobby Dodd Award.[7]
Death
editLyle died of kidney failure on May 25, 2007, in Atlanta.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Gettysburg Times - Google News Archive Search". Gettysburg Times. August 16, 1951. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ "LSU Tigers in Professional Football Drafts".
- ^ "Gettysburg Times - Google News Archive Search". Gettysburg Times. August 16, 1951. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ "Lyle Joins Wilkerson". AP. March 30, 1954. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ "New Mission For Gator 3rd Team". AP. September 1, 1959. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ "SANDY SPRINGS: Sam Lyle, creator of award for college football coaches". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. May 30, 2007.
- ^ "Edwards 'Bobby Dodd Coach of Year'". AP. December 16, 1979. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ "SANDY SPRINGS: Sam Lyle, creator of award for college football coaches". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. May 30, 2007.