Marty Lyons

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“A winner in the game of life celebrates by putting other’s dreams before personal wants.”

– Paul William “Bear” Bryant, former Head Coach of the University of Alabama, 7x National Champion, Member of the College Football HOF

A legend both on and off the field, Marty Lyons has never once waivered in his commitment to granting wishes to critically ill children. From founding the organization in 1982 to remaining Chairman of the Board, fundraiser, wish grantor and everything in between – Marty has always given much more than his name when it comes to the children that we serve. He remains as involved as ever while constantly garnering new support for the mission.

Mr. Lyons’ career has always been a blend of both field and off-field accomplishments. Highlights include:

College Football Career

1975 thru 1978 – Played at the University of Alabama under the guidance of the late great Paul “Bear” Bryant
1978 – Voted by his peers as a Team Captain
1978 – Helped lead the Crimson Tide to a NCAA Division 1 National Championship
1978 – Recognized as a consensus 1st Team All-American
1978 – SEC Defensive Player of the Year
2011 – Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on his first appearance on the ballot (an elite accomplishment where less than 1% of all college football players achieve such a distinction

Professional Football Career

1979 – Drafted in the 1st Round of the NFL Draft by the New York Jets (14th overall pick
1979 thru 1989 – Played his entire NFL career with the Jets, playing both Defensive Tackle and Defensive End
- 1981 thru 1984 – Member of the infamous “New York Sack Exchange”, where they led the NFL in sacks for three of four seasons (1981, 1983 and 1984).
- Finished his career with 43 sacks over 11 seasons, playing in 147 games – a record for a Jets Defensive Lineman
1981 – He helped lead the Jets to a franchise-record 66 sacks and the team’s first playoff appearance since 1969
1982 – Led the Jets to the AFC Championship Game, losing 14-0 to the Miami Dolphins
1984 – Voted NFL “Man of the Year”
1990 – The Jets introduced the “Marty Lyons Award”, given annually to the player who gives the most back to his community as selected by the Jets staff. Marty was the first recipient.
2013 – Inducted into the New York Jets “Ring of Honor”

Present

Founder/Chairman of the Marty Lyons Foundation
Vice President of Public Relations at The LandTek Group, Inc.
Radio Color Commentator for the New York Jets on 98.7 FM ESPN Radio-NY since 2002
Motivational Speaker

University of Alabama:

1978, All-American
1978, SEC Defensive Player of the Year
1978, Alabama Defensive Player of the Year
1978, Outstanding Defensive Lineman in the Nation; Awarded by the Columbus Quarterback Club
Defensive Player of the Decade – 1970s
Election to the Alabama Team of the Century
Captain of the 1978 National Champions
2006, Sports Illustrated All-time Alabama Team
2011, National Football Foundation, College Football Hall of Fame
2013, SEC Living Legend Award
2016, University of Alabama, Bachelor of Science

National Football League – New York Jets:

1979, Number One Draft Choice
1981, Member of the New York Sack Exchange
1982, Pro-Bowl Alternate
1983, Pro-Bowl Alternate
1984, National Football League Man of the Year
1991, Retired after 12 seasons
2003, Member of All time New York Jets Four Decade Team
2013, The Jets Ring of Honor
2019, All Time NY Jets Team

Hall of Fames:

1993, Walk of Fame, St. Petersburg, FL
2000, State of Alabama Sports Hall of Fame
2001, Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame, New York
2001, Dowling College Sports Hall of Fame, New York
2002, Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame, New York
2004, Maryland Sports Hall of Fame
2007, Tampa Bay Sports Club Hall of Fame
2007, The Florida High School Athletic Association 100 Greatest Players of the First 100 Years
2011, St. Petersburg Catholic High School Hall of Fame, Baseball
2017, All-time Tampa Bay College Teams – First Team

Motivational Speaker:

1979 to Present: Among the long list of speaking engagements include Academy Bus Lines, Adelphi University, Bank of America, Bank of New York Mellon, Bethpage High School, Capital One, Coca-Cola, Coldwell Banker, Comsewogue High School, Continental Airlines, Custom Computer Specialists, Davis Vision, Entenmann’s George Weston Bakeries, Ernst & Young, Food Industry Alliance of New York State, Half Hollow Hills High School, Hartford Group, ING, J. Kings Food Service, J.P. Morgan Chase, JetBlue Airways, John Glenn High School, Long Island Association, Long Island Catholic Men’s Retreat, Magna Legal Services, Merrill Lynch, MetLife, Morris County (NJ) Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce, New Jersey Society of CPA, New York Jets, North Fork Bank, P.C. Richard and Son, Peeq Media, PepsiCo, Smithtown High School West; Smithtown Library Foundation, Smithtown Rotary, United Parcel Service, United Way, Washington Mutual

Professional Affiliations:

1993 – 1995, President, RBSLI Consulting
1995 – 1999, Financial Advisor, PaineWebber
2001 – 2007, Director of Marketing and Sales, The LandTek Group, Inc.
2007 – 2012, Senior Vice President, Operations, The LandTek Group, Inc.
2012 – Present, Vice President of Marketing Public Relations, The LandTek Group, Inc.

Broadcasting Qualifications:

1991, WPIX, New York Jets Preseason Games
1991 – 1995, Color Analyst, Sports Channel
1995 – 2001, Color Analyst, MSG/Fox Net
1996 – 2003, Co-Host, MSG New York Jets Journal Show
1996 – Present, Color Analyst for the annual United Healthcare Empire Challenge’s High School Football All-Star Game
1998 – Emmy Winner as Color Analyst for the annual United Healthcare Empire Challenge’s High School Football All-Star Game.
2000 – Co-Host, CBS Big Apple Sports Report, The NFL Recap on Sunday Night
2000 – 2001, Sideline Reporter, CBS, NFL-New York Jets Preseason Games
2002 – 2003, Color Analyst for the New York Jets, WABC-Sports Radio
2004 – Present, New York Jets Radio Network Color Analyst, 98.7 FM ESPN Radio-NY

Acting Career:

1981, Coast Deodorant Commercial
1982, NFL United Way Commercial
1983, Cast Member in the Invasion of the Body Snatchers
2005, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
2008 – Present, Taco Casa Restaurant Commercial

Civic Activities/Awards: