SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Thirty-seven years ago, Marty Lyons walked into Bear Bryant's office at Alabama and told his coach he was dropping out of school. The All-America defensive lineman had just returned from two all-star games, and now he wanted to focus on the NFL. He was hopelessly behind in his classes.
"I explained the situation, and Coach Bryant just looked at me and said, 'Marty, just promise me one thing: You'll come back and get your degree,'" Lyons recalled Friday. "I said, 'Yes, sir, I will.'"
Lyons is a man of his word.
One month shy of his 60th birthday, Lyons will be decked out in a cap and gown Saturday in Coleman Coliseum on the Alabama campus.