Marty Lyons

Lore & Background

Lyons was a key player in the set of fourth quarter plays known as 'The Goal Line Stand' in the 1979 Sugar Bowl. It was Lyons that delivered what would become a famous line amongst Alabama fans just before the fourth-down play of the sequence. When asked by Penn State quarterback Chuck Fusina how far the ball was from the goal line, Lyons replied, ''Bout a foot. You better pass.' Lyons was involved in one of the best-known plays in NFL lore. During the Jets' 14–13 victory over the Buffalo Bills at the Meadowlands on October 5, 1986, Lyons attempted to sack Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly then started to punch him repeatedly after the ball was thrown for an incompletion. Lyons was flagged for a personal foul by referee Ben Dreith for 'giving him the business.' Dreith mistakenly assessed the foul against number 99, which was Gastineau's number, instead of calling Lyons' number 93.

In Their Own Story

The rain hammered against the tin roof of the old press box at Shea Stadium, blurring the lights into streaks of gold. A veteran beat writer leaned over to a rookie, pointing to the muddy gridiron where a player in a faded green jersey was limping off the field after a brutal tackle. 'That's Lyons,' the vet muttered, shaking his head. 'He'll play tomorrow like nothing happened.' The rookie checked his notebook, looking for the name in the lineup card, but found only blanks and smudges. 'Who?' he asked. The veteran just smiled, watching the phantom fade into the fog of memory.

Reader's Guide

Lyons grew up in Pinellas Park, Florida and attended St. Petersburg Catholic High School. He attended the University of Alabama, where he played for coach Bear Bryant's Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 1975 to 1978. At Alabama, he had 202 tackles, 6 fumbles forced and 4 recovered. As a senior in 1978, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, and helped lead the Crimson Tide to a National Championship in 1978. Alabama was 31-5 during his years as a player. Lyons was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round (14th overall pick) of the 1979 NFL Draft. The following round, the Jets selected East Central Oklahoma State defensive end Mark Gastineau. The two joined Joe Klecko and Abdul Salaam on the Jets' defensive line to form one of the top defensive lines in the NFL, known as the 'New York Sack Exchange.' The four combined for 66 sacks in 1981 which helped propel the Jets to their first playoff berth since 1969. In November 1981, Salaam, Gastineau, Klecko and Lyons were invited to ring the ceremonial opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange that served as the inspiration for their nickname. The Jets made the playoffs again in 1982, 1985 and 1986 during Lyons' tenure with the team. In 1982, they made it as far as the AFC Championship Game, losing 14–0 to the Miami Dolphins. Lyons missed playing time during the 1987 season when his wife, Kelly and son, Martin Anthony 'Rocky' Lyons Jr., were involved in a serious traffic incident in Alabama. Later the same season, during a Monday Night Football game, Lyons blocked former Alabama teammate and Hall of Famer Dwight Stephenson in what Dolphins players and coaches labeled a 'cheap shot' that ended his career. Dwight Stephenson himself claimed it was a clean block, explaining that he caught his leg as he went down and never blamed Lyons for the injury. In 2002, Lyons joined the New York Jets radio network, spending 22 seasons broadcasting games alongside Bob Wischusen. He retired following the 2023 season and moved into what the team called an 'ambassador role'. While a player with the Jets, a series of events — the birth of his eldest son, the passing of his father, and the passing of a little boy to whom Lyons had been a Big Brother — inspired him to establish the Marty Lyons Foundation to work with terminally ill children, providing them wishes. He won the Walter Payton Man of the Year

Did You Know?

• Lyons was a consensus first-team All-American and SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 1978.
• He was a member of the New York Sack Exchange, which combined for 66 sacks in 1981.
• Lyons won the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 1984 for his work with the Marty Lyons Foundation.
• He spent 22 seasons as a radio analyst for the New York Jets from 2002 to 2023.