Sean Lee

Early life

He is the son of Craig Lee and Geralyn Lee of Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania. Lee's older brother Conor was the placekicker for the University of Pittsburgh and his sister Alexandra was a student athlete at Upper St. Clair High School. Sean is also a grandson of Federal Judge Donald J. Lee of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

High school

Lee was a multi-sport star at Upper St. Clair High School outside Pittsburgh, he was a three-year starter at point guard in basketball, averaging 21.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists as a senior, and winning a district title. In football, Lee rushed for 1,240 yards and 21 touchdowns while registering 95 tackles and four picks as a safety for an 11-1 squad his senior year.

College career

After graduating from Upper St. Clair High School in Upper St. Clair Township, Pennsylvania, Lee went on to play college football at Penn State. At this time he was rooming with fellow high school star Douglas Rheam, of Canon McMillan. He was not the star Sean was but they remained good friends during college. Heading into 2008, Lee was a starting outside linebacker for coach Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions for two consecutive seasons. In his junior year he was 2nd team all Big Ten, finishing second on the team in tackles with 138. He had a season high 17 tackles versus Illinois, and registered more than 10 tackles in all but three games. He also had two interceptions and three forced fumbles on the season.

In April 2008, Lee tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a non-contact drill at spring practice. Despite being forced to take a medical redshirt for the 2008 season, Lee's teammates elected him a team captain that season. While rehabbing, he opted to serve as an undergraduate assistant coach, participating in every practice and wearing a headset on the sidelines during games that season.

Lee was again elected team captain by his teammates prior to the 2009 season.

College awards and honors

Professional career

Prior to the draft, draft analyst Mike Mayock was quoted saying "I wouldn't be surprised if he snuck in late in the first round. If he doesn't, I think he's going to go in the front half of the second round. He's too good."

2010

Lee dropped in the 2010 NFL Draft after suffering major injuries to both of his knees during his final two years of college football, including a torn ACL on the right knee and partially torn ACL on the left knee. The Dallas Cowboys traded up with the Philadelphia Eagles moving from the 59th to the 55th position, in exchange for a fourth round draft choice (#125-Clay Harbor), in order to select him in the second round. After the draft, Wade Phillips said that he thought Lee could play both inside linebacker positions ("Mike" & "Mo") in the Cowboys 3–4 defense. He was bothered by nagging injuries in training camp; in doing so he failed to see a lot of action on the field.

He earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week and Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week honors for his December 5, 2010, performance versus Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, in which he recorded the first two interceptions of his pro career, including one he returned for a touchdown and one in overtime to set up the game-winning field goal.

2011

Promoted to starting inside linebacker in 2011, Lee thrived immediately in new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's scheme. In the opening game versus the New York Jets, Lee intercepted Mark Sanchez to earn the 3rd interception of his career. His key interception of Rex Grossman and fumble recovery in the final minute of the Cowboys’ Monday Night Football game versus the Washington Redskins were crucial in the 18-16 comeback.

By week three, Lee had a team-leading 36 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, a tackle for a loss, and three pass breakups, earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Month honors. He was the first Cowboys player in franchise history to win the award.

In the 7th game of the 2011 season against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Field, Lee suffered a dislocated left wrist in the first quarter when he hit his hand against Michael Vick's helmet, but opted against having season ending surgery. After 7 games, Lee led the team in total tackles with 51, 15 more tackles than the next leading tackler, Gerald Sensabaugh with 36 total tackles. Lee also ranked first on the team with 3 interceptions, the only player on the team through the first seven games with more than one interception. In the eighth game of the season, Sean Lee was inactive due to the wrist injury which he sustained the previous week.

2012

Lee ended up having a breakout season, becoming one of the defensive leaders, leading the team with 131 tackles and tying for the team lead in interceptions (four) and tackles for loss (eight). He also became only the second linebacker to have ever intercepted both Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. He had an excellent game against the New York Giants with 10 tackles, 2 assists and a forced fumble on David Wilson. He also registered 14 tackles against the Seattle Seahawks in the second game of the season, tying him with Lee Roy Jordan for the 41-year-old team record for most tackles in a game. Against the Carolina Panthers, Lee injured his right big toe and was placed on injured reserve.

2013

During the Week 4 game against the San Diego Chargers, Lee had 18 tackles and returned an interception 52 yards for his 2nd career touchdown. During the month of October, Lee led the Cowboys with 52 tackles (3 for loss) and 3 interceptions. One of his 2 interceptions against the Detroit Lions in week 8 included a career-high 74 yard return. His strong performances led to Lee being named NFC Defensive Player of the Month.

2014

On May 27, Lee tore his ACL for the third time in his career after being blocked to the ground by rookie offensive lineman Zack Martin during an organized team activity (OTA). On July 2, he was placed on the injured reserve list. He was replaced by Rolando McClain.

2015

After the emergence of Rolando McClain at middle linebacker the previous year, Lee was moved to weakside linebacker to protect him from direct hits by the offensive line and take advantage of his playmaking abilities. In the second game against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had 16 tackles (2 for loss), two passes defensed, an interception in the end zone, and sealed the 20–10 win with an onside kick recovery, although he also suffered a concussion. His performance earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week. On December 7 against the Washington Redskins, he posted 13 tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack.

He finished with 128 tackles (led the team), 2.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss (led the team), 6 quarterback pressures, one interception and 5 passes defensed. He appeared in 14 games, missing one contest because of a hamstring injury and the other because of a concussion. Lee was named to the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement for Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston.

2016

Lee helped lead the Cowboys defense to a 13-3 record in 2016. He was second only to Bobby Wagner in tackles, and named First-team All-Pro as a linebacker for the first time in his career. Lee was named to his second straight Pro Bowl as an injury replacement for Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly. He was also ranked 79th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.