Roy Link Lyman Season 1921

Honors & Awards

• Pro Football Hall of Fame (1964)
• Nebraska Football Hall of Fame (1972)
• Member of Four NFL Championship Teams (1922, 1923, 1924, 1933)

One of the greatest players in the early years of Nebraska football, Roy "Link" Lyman was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in 1964.

A huge player for his era, the 6-2, 233-pount Lyman got his start in pro football thanks to fellow Husker and Pro Football Hall of Famer Guy Chamberlin.

Chamberlin, a player-coach for the Canton Bulldogs, recruited Lyman to his team and the pair helped the Bulldogs to a pair of championships in 1922 and 1923.

Lyman lettered for the Huskers in 1918, 1919 and 1921. Although Lyman spent 10 seasons in professional football, he was not an All-American or even an All-Missouri Valley Conference player at Nebraska. However, Lyman did help Coach Fred Dawson and the Huskers to a conference title and a 7-1 record as a senior in 1921, when NU outscored the opposition 283-17. Nebraska's only loss that season came with a 7-0 setback at Notre Dame on Oct. 22.

Lyman was a teammate of All-America end Clarence Swanson (1918-21), who went on to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973. While Swanson may have owned the spotlight at Nebraska, he did not play professionally.

Lyman was a legitimate star as a pro. Lyman pioneered a more sophisticated defensive play with a shifting, sliding style. He won four pro titles (1922, 1923, 1924 and 1933) and played on only one losing team in 16 seasons of college and professional football.

He played professionally for Canton, Cleveland, Frankford and Chicago from 1922 to 1934.

Lyman was born Nov. 30, 1898 in Table Rock, Neb. He passed away on Dec. 28, 1972 at the age of 74.