Maize product Derek Lee finds home with Bowling Green football

Bowling Green football coach Dino Babers had never seen anything quite like Derek Lee.

Not as a player at Hawaii, where he was a running back and defensive back in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Not in almost 30 years as an assistant coach at UNLV, Arizona, Texas A&M, Pittsburgh, UCLA and Baylor.

And certainly not in the last four years as coach at Eastern Illinois and then Bowling Green, where he led the Falcons to the Mid-American Conference East Division title last season.

“Never seen a guy roll in like that, as a senior, and be accepted so quickly,” Babers said. “He could be a mercenary, he could be a guy that just plays and leaves and doesn’t get to know anybody … but it’s the opposite. This guy, you look at him, and it’s like he’s been here for four or five years.”

Credit Lee, a 6-foot-4, 255-pound tight end/fullback from Maize, for the easy assimilation. He’s started both games at tight end for Bowling Green after transferring from Butler Community College in the spring, and scored a touchdown on a highlight-reel shovel play in last Saturday’s 48-27 win at Maryland. He has four catches for 34 yards in two games.

“We’re not just using him at tight end,” Babers said. “We play him at fullback, too. He grasped the offense very quickly and really bonded with the big guys, the offensive line, from the start. He’s a guy you rarely see make a mistake out there.”

After playing his first two years at North Dakota State – Lee started two games on North Dakota State’s FCS national championship team in 2012 – he transferred to Central Missouri, but never saw the field in 2013 after withdrawing from classes after the official drop date and being declared academically ineligible.

Lee’s only option was the junior-college route, and he came home to live with his parents and play for Butler, where he was two years older than most of his teammates.

“Coming back home and living around family again, they were the ones who helped me get back on my feet,” Lee said. “I know it’s kind of an unconventional way to do it, because I was already 20 years old when I started junior college, but Butler is a special place.

“I’ve always wanted to play Division I, to play at the highest level, and after I got to play a lot at North Dakota State I knew I could play at a higher level. I knew I could play big-time ball on Saturdays and, maybe, Sundays in the future.”

Lee was one of the top players in the Jayhawk Conference in his one season – an All-Jayhawk pick at fullback, he also played tight end and scored seven touchdowns. But that wasn’t where the most work needed to be done – people already knew Lee could play. He had to show he could get it done in the classroom.

With one year of eligibility left at an Bowl Subdivision school – he could’ve played two years in Division II – Lee racked up 58 college credits in the last year in order to get on the field this season, something he called “the hardest, most stressful thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

And while most schools from the power-five conferences shied away because of the academic uncertainty, Bowling Green stuck with him.

“I took 16 credits in the fall at Butler, I took six credits of intersession classes at an online college, then when I got (to Bowling Green) in the spring, I took 18 credits,” Lee said. “Then I took 18 credits in the summer … it all worked out for me, but it was really hard to balance football and that much school.

“I just kept my faith in God and relied on my family and friends for support. I’m really blessed to be in the spot I’m in.”

His hard work didn’t go unnoticed. As he slugged through coursework in between spring football and summer workouts, he began to develop a reputation among his teammates.

“They saw how badly he wanted to be a part of the team, how he was taking all these classes to get out there on the field,” Babers said. “I think the coaches and players both wanted him to do good, wanted to coach him up as much as they could and get him in the fold.”

Lee’s personality also went a long way toward fitting in. He’s quick to chat up strangers and jokes about his now-epic “man bun” are fair game. Even Babers weighed in.

“I’m not that guy who’s going to tell them how they need to look or they have to have this haircut or that haircut,” Babers said. “When I was young, it was afros, then Jheri curls then the fade … what I’ve learned about guys and their hair is they’re going to wear it how the girls like it. I can’t compete with that and I don’t even try.”

Bowling Green (1-1), picked to repeat as MAC East Division champion in the preseason, hosts Memphis on Saturday in its first home game. Lee’s parents, younger brother and grandfather will be there.

“Every single day, I’m thankful,” Lee said. “With everything I’ve gone through and for the opportunity (Babers) gave me.”

This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 11:32 AM with the headline "Maize product Derek Lee finds home with Bowling Green football."