Lyman, "Link" (William Roy)
Football
b. Nov. 30, 1898, Table Rock, NE
d. Dec. 16, 1972
The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Lyman didn't play football until he entered the University of Nebraska in 1917. He started for the next two seasons, then left school for a year to earn his tuition money and returned in 1921, when Nebraska lost only to Notre Dame. Despite his size, he had enough speed to be used frequently as a runner on the tackle-around play.
He entered pro football with the Canton Bulldogs of the NFL in 1922. They won two league championships, then moved to Cleveland in 1924 and won a third consecutive title. The Bulldogs returned to Canton in 1925 and Lyman was traded to the Frankford Yellowjackets in mid-season.
When the Chicago Bears went on their barnstorming tour with Red Grange after the season, Lyman joined them and he remained with the team through 1928. After a year of playing semi-pro football, he returned to the Bears in 1929. He took another season off in 1932 for business reasons, then re-joined the Bears for two more seasons. The Bears won the 1933 NFL championship and were division champions in 1934, Lyman's last season.
Lyman is credited with being the first defensive lineman to shift his position frequently, sometimes moving inside to play between the offensive guard and tackle, at other times moving out between the tackle and the end. He usually shifted at the last second, just before the ball was snapped. Steve Owen, an opponent who later coached the New York Giants, said, "It was difficult to play against him because he would vary his moves and, no matter how you reacted, you could be wrong."