Oklahoma football: Selmon brothers statue to be dedicated on Saturday
By Chip Rouse
As well as the Oklahoma football defense has played so far this season, the timing couldn’t be more appropriate for the dedication of the statue honoring three titans of defensive football at OU.
On Saturday, before the Kansas State game, the University of Oklahoma will hold a dedication ceremony for a statue of the Selmon brothers, three of the greatest defensive players in Sooner history.
The Selmon brothers — Lucious, Lee Roy and Dewey — starred at Oklahoma from 1971 through 1975. All three were defensive lineman from Eufaula, Oklahoma.
Lucious was the first of the Selmons to arrive at OU. He played for Chuck Fairbanks and later Barry Switzer from 1971 to 1973. His senior season, the eldest of the Selmon brothers was named Chevrolet/ABC National Defensive Player of the Year, as well as Big Eight Conference Athlete of the Year and Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year.
Lucious was selected by the New England Patriots in the 1974 NFL Draft. He returned to Norman in 1976 and served as an assistant coach for 19 seasons.
Lee Roy and Dewey arrived in Norman a year after Lucious, in 1972. In 1973, the three Selmon brothers made history as starters on the OU defensive line.
Oklahoma was 21-1 in the four seasons Lee Roy and Dewey were at OU. They were the subjects of one of the famous sayings at that time in Sooner history: “Lee Roy buries them, and Dewey calls the next of kin.”
Lee Roy and Dewey were both consensus All-Americans in 1975, and Lee Roy won the Outland Trophy, as the best interior lineman in college football, and the Lombardi Award that same season. Lee Roy was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1976 NFL Draft, selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dewey was also selected by the Buccaneers, the team’s second-round pick that same season.
During the time that the three Selmon brothers played at Oklahoma, the Sooners produced an overall record of 54-3-1, won four Big Eight championships and two national championships (1975 and 1975). They combined for 915 tackles, 96 tackles for loss and 16 fumble recoveries.
The statue dedication will take place catty-corner across the street near the northeast corner of the football stadium Lucious and Dewey Selmon will be present for the dedication ceremony along with family members of Lee Roy Selmon, who died in 2011.
As good as the Selmon brothers were on the football field, they were equally accomplished in the classroom. All three graduated with honors from OU.
The Selmons will also be honored on the field at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium between the first and second quarters of the Kansas State game.