A new tradition will begin this fall at USF and continue yearly thereafter, honoring Tampa native and former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Lee Roy Selmon.
Each year, one defensive lineman will be selected to wear Lee Roy Selmon’s number 63. Whoever is chosen to wear the number 63 must have excellent leadership, integrity, athletic achievement, academic excellence in the classroom, and be of service to others. All these attributes were key core principles in Selmon’s life and interactions with others.
Selmon made his mark first in college as a defensive lineman at Oklahoma, and then was the number one draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976. He was the heart and soul of the Buccaneers’ defense in those early years, nearly leading the Bucs to a Super Bowl in just their fifth season.
After his career ended prematurely, USF hired Selmon to lead the fundraising efforts for the school’s football program. He also served as the athletic director at USF from 2001 to 2004 and helped the Bulls gain admittance to the Big East Conference.
Selmon was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame, Academic All-American Hall of Fame, and the USF Athletic Hall of Fame, honoring his achievements on and off the field. In 2011, after Selmon’s death at 56, the athletic center on campus was named in Selmon’s honor.
The first honoree to wear number 63 is 23-year-old senior defensive lineman Josh Celiscar. Alex Golesh talked about Celiscar and what he brings to the USF program: “Josh plays with his hair on fire. We show attack clips every day, meaning guys who are playing harder for longer, guys who are standing out from an effort standpoint. And he consistently is on that film.”
Golesh added, “He has brought us veteran confidence because he has played so much football. Among all the craziness going on in college football, he just wanted to be closer to home. He and his wife are about an hour from home. He’s around family. He’s the first guy to give you a hug every morning. He’s just grateful to be here. And believe me, we are grateful for him being here.”
Celiscar has 156 career tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, and eight sacks. Celiscar has significantly impacted the team as a leader and mentor within the Bulls locker room. He was issued number eight when he joined the Bulls for his senior season. Still, he initially had concerns about switching his number to 63 before understanding its significance and what it means to the USF and Tampa communities.
“Man, I get to carry on this legacy just by playing the right way,” Celiscar said. “I have to do my part not just as a student athlete, but as a person that’s honoring his legacy.”
“I’ve heard about Lee Roy Selmon on the field, and I know he was amazing there. But it’s more impressive to hear what he did in the community and how he helped the USF student-athletes. I’m going to honor him by being myself every day, just being a leader and a solid person, and exemplifying his work ethic on the field. This is such an honor, and I want to live up to Lee Roy Selmon’s name.’’
Golesh said that Celiscar has always exuded those same values as Selmon, but will now do it in a leadership role, earning the respect of everyone in the building. “I couldn’t think of a better person to symbolize the very first one wearing No. 63 in our program,” Golesh said.
The Bulls will kick off the season on Thursday, August 28th, at home against 25th-ranked Boise State.