Dana Lyons: Finally at home

When he came into football camp this fall, Dana Lyons didn't know if he would play. He hoped he could fit into the defensive backfield somewhere, but with three starters returning, there was not much room. The only opening was at free safety, where all-Ivy player Jim Magallanes used to reside. But at a mere 160 pounds and a natural cornerback, Lyons does not appear big enough to play safety. How is a 160-pound defensive back supposed to tackle 200-pound fullbacks? How is he supposed to knock down mammoth tight ends? "That was the thing everybody was concerned about," Penn coach Al Bagnoli recalls. "At 160 pounds, was he going to be that consummate safety who comes in there and knocks down the 210-pound halfback? Could he run the alley and make a play?" Lyons has heard this before. His size kept major colleges away when he was in high school. But he always believed in himself. Even after sitting on the bench nearly the entire 1993 campaign, he knew he was good enough to play. He never had a doubt. "Even though I am undersized, I always had confidence in my abilities," he says. "I'm not afraid to stick my head in there, even though I'm a little bit overmatched sometimes." Lyons has rarely been overmatched this year. Bagnoli knows he is not going to deliver devastating tackles like all-Ivy sensations Michael Turner and Pat Goodwillie. But when a tackle has to be made, Lyons will be there. It is his responsibility to stop big plays. But more importantly, it is his responsibility to make defensive adjustments on the field. "He's done a great job," Turner says. "He stepped into the position and has done a great job making the calls. That's really important because he's running the show on the field. He's basically the coach in the backfield." This success does not come easy. Lyons spends hours watching films, making sure he knows everything the opposition might throw at the nation's top-ranked defense. "Once I get the field, I don't want anything to surprise me, to shock me. I don't think you can ever be too prepared," he says. That preparation has paid off. In the season-opener against Lafayette, however, he still felt nervous. He never really felt comfortable in Penn's star-studded defense. But then with Dartmouth on the Penn 14-yard line and marching late in the first half of the first league contest, Lyons intercepted Ren Riley's pass. After that play, he finally felt like he belonged. "I didn't feel like I had an identity with the defense," Lyons says. "After the interception, I really felt like I could make an impact. I just finally felt comfortable out there." And as he grew into his new position, Lyons began to get noticed. Against Brown, he made a diving interception grab on the Brown 23-yard line to set up a Penn score. Then at Franklin Field the following week, he upended Yale's 6-foot-3, 220-pound running back, Keith Price, on a key third-and-one play. "A couple of our guys bounced off Price and pushed him back a little bit," defensive coordinator Mike Toop remembers. "Dana was the one who came up and took him down for a two-yard loss." "He broke a few tackles," Lyons says. "I was there. It was the play I had to make." That's what makes Lyons the ultimate safety. He possesses the speed and coverage ability of a top cornerback, but is still strong enough to make the big tackles. Beyond the physical tools, Lyons has proven he has mastered the mental aspect of playing the most important position in Penn's top-ranked 5-2 defense. "He's done a great job," strong safety Nick Morris says. "He doesn't get caught up in the game and he doesn't bite on fakes. Nobody's hit a big play on us, and a lot of that is a tribute to his play." And as the Quakers prepare for their final game of 1994, Lyons has found a home at free safety.

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