Marty Lyons

Marty Lyons

Position(s) Defensive Tackle Jersey #(s) 93
Born	January 15, 1957 (1957-01-15) (age 54) Takoma Park, Maryland
Career information
Year(s)	1979–1989
NFL Draft	1979 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14
College	University of Alabama
Professional teams
New York Jets (1979-1989)
Career stats
Sacks	29
Games	147
Safeties	2
Stats at NFL.com
Career highlights and awards
1978 All-American SEC Defensive Player of the Year (1978) Walter Payton Man of the Year (1984)
College Football Hall of Fame

Martin Anthony Lyons (born January 15, 1957) is a former American Football defensive tackle who played his entire eleven year career from 1979 to 1989 with the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was part of the famed New York Sack Exchange, a dominant Jets front four in 1981 and 1982 that also featured Mark Gastineau, Abdul Salaam, and Joe Klecko.

Alabama Crimson Tide

Lyons grew up in Pinellas Park, Florida and attended St. Petersburg Catholic High School. Lyons played college football at the University of Alabama where he was an All-American under legendary coach, Paul "Bear" Bryant. At Alabama, he had 202 tackles, 6 fumbles forced and 4 recovered; he also helped lead the Crimson Tide to a National Championship in 1978. He was a key player in the set of fourth quarter plays known as "The Goal Line Stand" in the 1979 Sugar Bowl. It was Lyons that delivered what would become a famous line amongst Alabama fans just before the fourth-down play of the sequence. When asked by Penn State quarterback Chuck Fusina how far the ball was from the goal line, Lyons replied, "'Bout a foot. You better pass."^[1] Alabama was 31-5 during his years as a player.

New York Jets

Lyons was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round (14th overall pick) of the 1979 NFL Draft. The following round, the Jets selected East Central Oklahoma State defensive end Mark Gastineau.

The two joined Joe Klecko and Abdul Salaam on the Jets' defensive line to form one of the top defensive lines in the NFL, known as the "New York Sack Exchange." The four combined for 66 sacks in 1981 which helped propel the Jets to their first playoff berth since 1969. In November 1981, Salaam, Gastineau, Klecko and Lyons were invited to ring the ceremonial opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange that served as the inspiration for their nickname.^[2]

The Jets made the playoffs again in 1982, 1985, and 1986 during Lyons' tenure with the team. In 1982, they made it as far as the AFC Championship Game, losing 14-0 to the Miami Dolphins.

Lyons was involved in one of the best-known plays in NFL lore. During the Jets' 14-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills at the Meadowlands on October 5, 1986, Lyons sacked Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly and then started to punch him repeatedly. Lyons was flagged for a personal foul by referee Ben Dreith for "giving him the business." Dreith mistakenly assessed the foul against number 99, which was Gastineau's number, instead of calling Lyons' number 93.^[3]

Lyons missed playing time during the 1987 season when his wife, Kelly, and son, Martin Anthony "Rocky" Lyons Jr., were involved in a serious traffic accident in Alabama.^[4] Later the same season, during a Monday Night Football game, Lyons ended former Alabama teammate and Hall of Famer Dwight Stephenson's career with what Dolphins players and coaches labeled a 'cheap shot.'^[5]

Seasons	Games	Starts	Sacks	FR	Yds	Sfty
11	147	135	29	8	10	2

Personal life

While a player with the Jets, a series of events — the birth of his eldest son, the passing of his father, and the passing of a little boy to whom Lyons had been a Big Brother — inspired him to establish the Marty Lyons Foundation to work with terminally ill children, providing them wishes. He won the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 1984 as a result of that work.

Lyons is currently the Jets radio analyst and chairman of the Marty Lyons Foundation. He has been enshrined in the State of Alabama Hall of Fame (2000), Suffolk and Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame (2001 & 2002, respectively), Maryland Sports Hall of Fame (2004), the Tampa Bay Sports Club Hall of Fame (2007), and the College Football Hall of Fame (2011).

Lyons and his wife, Christine, have three children including Luke, Megan, and Jesse Lyons. Rocky, his only child from his first marriage, is a physician in Alabama.

References

1. ^ Rick Rush (March 1979). "You Better Pass". http://rickrushart.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_98&products_id=108&zenid=b45r5j0sb9gj1aj25htgv9he64. 
2. ^ Cimini, Rich (September 6, 2008). "Jets defense looking to regain glory days of Sack Exchange". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2008/09/06/2008-09-06_jets_defense_looking_to_regain_glory_day.html. 
3. ^ Bickley, Dan (January 18, 2006). "NFL officials aren't as bad as they seem". The Arizona Republic. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0118bickley0118.html?&wired. Retrieved 2010-04-30. 
4. ^ Arias, Ron (December 14, 1987). "Five Year-Old Rocky Lyons, Son of the Jets' Star, Thought He Could Save His Mom's Life - and He Did". People Magazine. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20097833,00.html. 
5. ^ Anderson, Dave (December 9, 1987). "SPORTS OF THE TIMES; Was It a 'Cheap Shot,' or Was It Clean?". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/09/sports/sports-of-the-times-was-it-a-cheap-shot-or-was-it-clean.html?pagewanted=1. Retrieved 2010-05-01. 

External links

• Career statistics and player information from the NFL, or Pro-Football-Reference.com, or databaseFootball.com
• The Marty Lyons Foundation
• Virtual Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame

Persondata
Name	Lyons, Marty
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1957-01-15
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death