Dustin Lyman Class: Senior Hometown: Boulder, Colo. High School: Fairview High School Height / Weight: 6-4 / 248 Position: Linebacker Birthdate: 08/05/1976 Experience: 3VL

An outstanding football player and potentially one of the premier players at his position in the ACC … could also contend for national honors this fall after three years of preparation for what should be a very, very good senior year … the only questionmark surrounding him and the upcoming campaign is his physical status … was playing tremendous football last year, leading the Demon Deacons in tackles and ranking among the tops in that category in the conference, when he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee against Duke on October 10th … did not participate in spring drills in order to allow the injury to mend fully and there is every expectation that he will be completely recovered by the time August practice begins … if indeed he is back to full speed, then Wake Forest will have one terrific linebacker (two, including classmate Kelvin Moses who is also recuperating from a knee injury) … the team leader in total tackles, unassisted tackles, sacks, tackles-for-loss and pass breakups in 1997 as only a sophomore … would certainly have been at or near the top in each of those departments again last fall had he remained healthy … had started 19 consecutive contests until being sidelined last October … will be counted on to serve as a team leader on the '99 defensive unit, both with his performance on the field and his emotional inspiration on a daily basis … the type of player who just seems to have a knack for being around the football all the time, whether it's in the hands of a ball-carrier or in the air … was redshirted in 1995 but began working then to develop himself physically … has improved his ability to take on blockers and become more of a physical player while adding more size and strength to his frame … retained his level of speed and quickness throughout that transition, though … one of the leading candidates for postseason honors on the 1999 Deacon roster … all he really wants, however, is to be back on the field, playing as he has for the past two-and-a-half years … the rest will take care of itself.

1998: Undoubtedly was on his way to an All-ACC type of season … registered double figures in tackles in four of the first five games, leading the team in hits in all four contests … opened the schedule with 13 stops (9 solo) in his home state of Colorado versus Air Force … was all over the Groves Stadium turf the next time out, making 16 tackles (9 solo) in the nationally televised win over Navy … a key figure in the victory at Clemson with 10 tackles (4 solo), a sack, a TFL, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup … credited with 14 stops the following week against App State, then a season "low" of nine versus Duke … played more than 50 defensive snaps in each contest, with a high of 79 against the Blue Devils in his final performance … remarkably missed only one play that night and finished the contest (and his season) by nearly blocking the visitors' game-winning field goal in the final minute … final total of 62 tackles ranked fourth on the team for the season -- and he played fewer than half the games!

1997: Started all 11 games and was extremely consistent all season, collecting double-figures in tackles three times, nine tackles twice and eight stops on three occasions … single game high of 12 hits (9 solo) came at East Carolina, where he also had a sack, a TFL and two PBUs … credited with 11 tackles (9 solo) at North Carolina and 10 in the win over Northwestern … turned in huge play against Georgia Tech, picking off his first career interception and returning it 41 yards for a touchdown … five days later, played all 72 defensive snaps in victory over NC State … outstanding effort in victory over Maryland with eight unassisted stops and a pair of sacks totaling 19 yards in losses … on the field for at least 45 plays in nine of 11 contests … led (or tied for the lead) the team in tackles in six games.

1996: Played in 10 contests, starting five times … had five-or-more tackles in all but two dates, and twice reached double digits in total stops … outstanding effort at Georgia Tech when he was credited with what is still a career-high 17 hits (8 solo) … made 10 tackles in season finale at NC State while also recovering a fumble … began the year with a positive (8 tackles) outing vs App State, then started the following week against Northwestern … credited with nine stops in that win over the Wildcats … also had nine hits (team high) against Virginia two weeks later … progress was slowed by a pinched nerve in his neck which kept him out of the North Carolina game … came back strong from that setback, though, averaging over 50 plays per game the final five weeks … his final total of 79 tackles was third-best on the squad and helped earn him All-ACC Academic honors for the year.

BACKGROUND: Starred at both linebacker and tight end at Fairview High where he was coached by Tom McCartney, son of former Colorado coach Bill McCartney … named all-conference as a linebacker and all-county as a tight end as a senior … caught 19 passes for 307 yards (16.1 per catch) and two touchdowns in 1994 … chosen top defensive player and MVP of the team in his final year … had also achieved all-league status as a junior, an honor that he twice gained on the baseball diamond as well … batted a very impressive .431 as a senior outfielder … saw some brief action in that sport in spring of 1996 for the "Diamond Deacs" … majoring in economics … the first WFU player from the state of Colorado in 47 years (since end Ed Butler in 1950) … age 23 (born 8/5/76).

CAREER STATISTICS

        UT   AT   TOTAL   TFL     SACKS   FR/FC  PBU
1996    39   40   79      3/-14   1/-11   1/1    1
1997    57   34   91      9/-65   7/-58   0/1    8
1998    38   24   62      5/-16   1/-7    1/0    2
TOTALS  134  98   232     17/-95  9/-76   2/2    11

MOST TACKLES
17 at Georgia Tech, 9/14/96

DOUBLE-FIGURES IN TACKLES
17 at Georgia Tech, 9/14/96 16 vs Navy, 9/10/98 14 vs App State, 10/3/98 13 at Air Force, 9/5/98 12 at East Carolina, 9/13/97 11 at North Carolina, 10/11/97 10 at NC State, 11/23/96 10 vs Northwestern, 9/6/97 10 at Clemson, 9/26/98

MOST UNASSISTED TACKLES
10 vs App State, 10/3/98

INTERCEPTION
vs Georgia Tech, 9/20/97 (41-yd TD)