University Press (Beaumont, Tex.), Vol. 64, No. 24, Ed. 1 Friday, February 5, 1988 Page: 8 of 8
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UNIVERSITY PRESS February 5,1988*8
s
Lee takes Highway NFL to earn his way to Pittsburgh
Photo by Lyra Katena
Completing his education is as important as his career in the National Football League to Danzell Lee.
By Lyra Katena
UP sports editor
Many boys in America have
dreams of becoming professional
football players — idolizing the na-
tional greats playing the
physically testing game.
But to these youths’ disappoint-
ment, they find out thaLit is not
easy to gefcpn Highway I^L.
Danzell Lee had the same dream.
But he was able to get on the
highway that led him to Pittsburgh.
“All through childhood, a lot of
people say they’re going to grow up
to play pro football. Odds are
against it, and it usually doesn’t
come true,” Lee said.
“Ever since I was a young boy, I
looked up to and admired the pro-
fessional football players, maybe
because they were big, strong and
fast,” he said.
“I can remember when I was 4 or
5 years old, I idolized 0. J. Simp-
son. I have a picture at home where
I’m standing in a football suit just
like O.J. Simpson’s. You could not
tell me I wasn’t him.”
“I knew back then that that’s
what I wanted to do,” the Cor-
sicana, Texas, native said. “I
wanted to play professional foot-
ball.”
Lee took his first step toward his
goal in fourth grade when he
started to play organized football.
He continued to pursue his dream,
as well as participate in other
sports throughout high school.
“I played everything all the way
up to high school — football, basket-
ball, baseball, soccer, tennis, and I
ran track.”
In high school, Lee was chosen as
an all-district, all-area performer
in three sports — football, basket-
ball and baseball. In football, Lee
was selected an all-district player
in both offense and defense.
Though he was being considered
by some Southwest Conference
teams, Lee turned down offers
made by those colleges. Instead, he
accepted the invitation given by
former head coach Larry Kennan
of Lamar University.
“I was being looked at by the
Southwest Conference teams, but
not given serious full-scholarship
offers,” Lee said.
“Lamar was there giving a full
scholarship; they showed a lot of in-
terest in%ie as a student as well as
a football player,” he said. “I think
that’s what made me make up my
mind to come here.”
During his freshman year at
Lamar, he did not see much playing
time and was limited to special
teams and a few junior varsity
games.
“As a sophomore, I became more
instrumental in offense, and I made
more catches — five catches,” Lee
said. “In my junior year, I started.
I guess my juniorsenior years, I
was the No. 2 receiver on the team.
I had 34 catches during those two
years.”
In 1985, Lee was drafted in the
sixth round, third choice by the
Washington Redskins. “It felt like
the beginning of a dream come true
for me,” he smiled as he recalled
the time when he heard the news.
“I felt really ecstatic at that
time. I think that’s one of the best
feelings I’ve ever had.”
Like many other college players
going into the pros, Lee experienc-
ed the challenge of transition from
NCAA to NFL ball playing.
“It was a big adjustment. The
main thing was that I had to leave
those college habits behind,” the
tight end said. “I had to start think-
ing differently. I had to start using
a lot of my talents the best I could.
“In college, a lot of time, you
could just get by with just ‘talent.’
Once you get to the pro level, it
becomes a thinking and reaction
game. It goes far beyond your
talents — you have to have great
technique, know what’s going on
around you, and have to be
knowledgeable of the game.”
Because of a preseason injury,
Lee stayed on the Redskins’ injury
reserve list for a season. After play-
ing the Pittsburgh Steelers in the
1986 training camp, he was placed
on waivers.
In May 1987, Lee was invited to
the Steelers’ mini-camp and then
the training camp. “It was a good
camp,” he said, “but at the last
release date, there was a tight end
controversy at the time, and I was
the one that was waived.
“It was frustrating. In both
camps (with the Redskins and the
Steelers), I felt that I was doing
well. It’s just that in both of the
times I was waived, I was caught in
a situation where there wasn’t too
much room for an extra guy.”
Shortly after the 1987 season
started, Lee received a call from
the Steelers coaching staff. “The
strike was coming up and they ask-
ed me, ‘If there is a strike, we’re
going to have replacement teams.
Would you like to come and play?’
And I said, ‘Yes.’ ”
In the Pittsburgh replacement
team, Lee proved himself to be a
productive part of the offensive line
by becoming one of the leading
receivers.
Luck turned his way thereafter.
“After the replacement game,
the starting tight end for Pittsburgh
was injured, the following week
after the replacement games,” Lee
said.
“Pittsburgh chose to keep me
around. Not only did they keep me,
but I guess they felt comfortable
and confident in what I had done in
the replacement games to make me
1 a starter,” No. 84 said. “From then
on, I was starting for the rest of the
season.
“I feel confident about this posi-
tion, but NFL is such a business
where you can never be sure,” he
said. “The job stability is not so
good, unless you’re in All-Pro, and
sometimes not even then.
“But I was a starter the last 13
games, and the coaches were
somewhat pleased with my perfor-
mance. At this point and time, I’m
not concerned about making the
team. That should come. I’m really
concerned about getting the play-
ing time that I had this past season,
or maybe the starting role, again.”
Looking into next season, Lee has
one goal in mind. “One thing that’s
important is to get better and to do
better than I did this past season,”
he said. “If I can do that, I’d be just
fine.”
Now, during the off-season, Lee is
far away from the Steelers’ train-
ing ground to pursue his second
goal. “First of all, I wasn’t too fond
of the idea of dropping out of school
when I went pro,” he said. “I in-
itially planned to go to school in the
off-season for every year I play
football and I would eventually like
to make it to the master’s.
“When I was in Washington, I
talked to a couple of coaches, and
they said, ‘Well, we know that you
want to go to school. Why don’t you
stay around here for a full year to
get a feel of the community and
transfer (the credits) to Lamar.’ So
I did, and when I had an opportuni-
ty to come back to Lamar, I did,”
the physical education major said.
“I’d like to coach with that
degree. I thought about opening my
own fitness center, but I’m still
weighing that right now. I’m sure
that the first level will be coaching,
just to stay in the game, because I
do love the game.”
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Ford, Steven. University Press (Beaumont, Tex.), Vol. 64, No. 24, Ed. 1 Friday, February 5, 1988, newspaper, February 5, 1988; Beaumont, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth499791/m1/8/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Lamar University.