Lee Royer

College coach infobox
Name = Lee "Rock" Royer


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Title = Former Head coach
College = Liberty University
Sport = Football
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DateOfBirth = c. 1938
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DateOfDeath = November 20 1973
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CFbDWID = 2976
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Coach = Y
CoachYears = 1962-1963
1973
CoachTeams = Widener College
Liberty University
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H. Lee "Rock" Royer (born circa 1938 - died November 22, 1973)was an American football coach best known for his role as the father of Liberty University football. He was the school's first ever head coach before dying in a plane crash while caught up in tornadic winds in his Cherokee 6 on November 20, 1973. [cite web|url=http://www.wilds.org/twca/newsletters/NewsLetterFall2K7.pdf|title=Bio by Ken Hay in The Wilds Newsletter, Fall 2007, p. 6|accessdate=2008-03-02] He also was a noted Baptist evangelist [cite web|url=http://message.abwe.org/features/Dr-Wendell-W-Kempton-is-Present-with-the-Lord.html|title=Dr. Wendell Kempton Obituary mentioning Royer's widow|accessdate=2008-03-02] and was known in collegiate football circles as "Coach Born Again". [cite web|url=http://yellowjackets.cedarville.edu/sting/thestingwin04.pdf|title=Dr. Don Callan on Royer in The Sting, Winter 2004, Vol. 21, No. 8, P. 2|accessdate=2008-03-02]

Coaching history

Royer left the U.S. Naval Academy where he had served as defensive coordinator to start up the football program at Lynchburg Baptist College (now called Liberty University). He served as the school's first head coach leading the Flames to a 3-3 record including three straight victories to end the inaugural season. [cite web|url=http://www.libertyflames.com/media/1912/football/Football%20Media%20Guide%20(2006)%20-%20Records%20Section%20-%20Part%202.pdf|title=Liberty Coaching History|accessdate=2008-03-02] He also served as an assistant coach at Maryland [cite web|url=http://www.themclub.org/about/history/history_1970_1980.html|title=The M Club History Records|accessdate=2008-03-02] and he spent two seasons early in his career as head coach at Pennsylvania Military College (now called Widener University). [cite web|url=http://www3.widener.edu/SiteData/docs/06fbguide/7c950bdfc7521141436f64c80286c3da/06fbguide.pdf|title=2006 Widener College Football Media Guide, p. 44|accessdate=2008-03-02]

Collegiate head coaching record

CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = PMC Cadets
conf = NAIA
startyear = 1962
endyear = 1963CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1962
name = Pennsylvania Military College
overall = 5-5
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1963
name = Pennsylvania Military College
overall = 3-6
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Widener
overall = 8-11
confrecord = CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = Liberty Flames
conf = NAIA
startyear = 1973
endyear = 1973CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1973
name = Liberty
overall = 3-3
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Liberty
overall = 3-3
confrecord = CFB Yearly Record End
overall = 11-14
bcs = no
poll = no

Playing history

References

External links

* [http://www.libertyflames.com/media/1912/football/Football%20Media%20Guide%20(2006)%20-%20Records%20Section%20-%20Part%202.pdf 2007 Liberty Football Media Guide - Coaching History p. 144]
* [http://www.theprojector.org/projectors/mar1974.pdf Royer Speech titled "Jerusalem or Jericho" delivered at 1973 Christian Education Association Convention - Published posthumously in The Projector, March 1974, p. 1]