Colleges

SPC to honor alum Lyons

By RODNEY PAGE
Published March 26, 2006

Marty Lyons, a 1975 St. Petersburg Catholic graduate and former NFL defensive lineman, will be honored Monday at the school's St. John Bosco Center for the Arts. The event will take place from 2-3 p.m., where City of St. Petersburg officials will proclaim Monday "Marty Lyons Day."

Lyons, a multi-sport athlete at St. Petersburg Catholic, went on to star as a football player at the University of Alabama and with the NFL's New York Jets from 1979-86. He had 31 sacks in his eight-year NFL career and was a member of the Jets' "New York Sack Exchange" that included Joe Klecko and Mark Gastineau.

In 1982, Lyons began the Marty Lyons Foundation, which grants special requests from children ages 3-17 diagnosed with terminal or life-threatening illnesses. In 1984, Lyons was named the NFL's Man of the Year for his work with the foundation. The Jets' annual Man of the Year award is named the Marty Lyons Award. Lyons remains active in his foundation.

At Monday's ceremony, Lyons will speak to SPC students about his high school experience and how students can make a difference in society. The ceremony is free and open to the public.

[Last modified March 26, 2006, 00:26:15]