Aggie Hall of Fame Spotlight: Mike Lee
Aggie Football has had its share of great players over the years and currently owns seven spots in the OPSU Hall of Fame with six individuals and one team. This year the Aggie Hall of Fame will add two individuals and one team from the sport of football.
Former offensive tackle Mike Lee is one of the pair of players to be inducted on January 16, 2015. Originally from Lawton, the O-lineman played high school football in Shawnee, Okla. and was a member of the 1973 State Championship team; he recently earned a spot in the Shawnee High School Hall of Fame.
Lee came to OPSU in 1979 by way of East Central University. He said that, while he wasn’t sure at first, it did not take long to realize that OPSU was a great place for him. After his first season, Lee earned Honorable Mention All-District honors on a team that went 4-6 on the season.
He followed up in 1980 being named an NAIA All-District IX Honorable Mention player as his team improved to 7-3. By 1981 the Aggies were running full-throttle winning nine of ten games and competing in the NAIA Division II Quarterfinal Playoff game; Lee was named First Team All-District IX, Second Team NAIA All-American and Honorable Mention Associated Press All-American.
Upon graduating from OPSU in 1982, Lee joined his O-Line Coach Mike Wyatt in Atoka, Okla. as an assistant high school football coach where he stayed for the next five years. He then moved the Lake Highlands High School in Texas for a year and spent two years at Alva High School in Oklahoma before settling in Clinton, Okla.
Recently retired from coaching, Lee achieved a great deal in his 24 years at Clinton High School and is recognized as the most successful football coach in the school’s history; he led the Red Tornadoes to 271 victories and nine state championships. In 2011 he was inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Lee was “very surprised” when he received word that he would be inducted into the 2014 class of the Aggie Hall of Fame. When asked what stood out for him during his time at OPSU, Lee said, “Watching our team grow through the years and learning how to win. We were a tight-knit group of guys.”
Currently serving as the Co-Athletic Director and Dean of Students at Clinton High School, Lee looks forward to returning to the Panhandle for the banquet and ceremony. He and his wife Patritia plan to be in attendance and possibly their sons, Kenny and Grant.
The 2014 Aggie Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Banquet is set for Friday, January 16 with the banquet beginning at 7 p.m.
