The Undefeated

Former Spider Paris Lenon made name in NFL

Jasmonn Coleman first met Paris Lenon at the University of Richmond in the mid-1990’s. At the time Lenon was a quarterback and safety at Lynchburg’s Heritage High, and had gone to UR for an official football recruiting visit. Coleman was a defensive end with Richmond Spiders.

Lenon eventually went on to join UR as a safety. Coleman, who is now an assistant athletics director at UR, remembers him as being very dedicated and unrelenting in his dream of making it to the top level in football. So it’s no surprise that he played in the NFL for 12 years.

On Saturday, February, 21, 2015 Lenon was inducted into UR’s Athletics Hall of Fame. His success is a tribute to the fact that he never let go of the dream he had in those early years. His dogged determination helped him stay focused, and is a life-lesson for others, on the importance of remaining committed to your vision.

Lenon was a standout at UR and made all-conference. When he first arrived there as a 17 year old, he didn’t look like a linebacker, so he did a great job playing safety.

But somewhere along the line the coaches saw something in him, perhaps it was his aggression, and also the fact that he started to develop physically as he matured. Whatever the reason, he made the switch to linebacker, and the rest as they say, is history.

Lenon played alongside linebacker Shawn Barber at Richmond. Barber was also a converted safety who played with Washington Redskins, Kansas City Chiefs, and Philadelphia Eagles. Lenon believes Barber helped gain recognition for the guys at UR, by making others see the talent that was there.

The road to the NFL wasn’t a straight one for Lenon; it had quite a few detours along the way. He wasn’t invited to the NFL combine after his senior year in 1999, and he wasn’t drafted either. But he kept playing football. He did a short stint with the Carolina Panthers as a free agent in 2000, and also played with the Memphis Maniax in the short-lived XFL, and the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe.

Coleman recalls the intensity Lenon showed while at UR, and he believes it was that internal drive that kept him fighting until he achieved his NFL dream in 2002. That was the year Lenon made the Green Bay Packers. During his professional career he also played for the Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, and Denver Broncos.

Lenon was an Art major in College, but now at the age of 37, he is involved in training athletes physically and mentally. He lives with his wife and 3 children in Phoenix.

Two standout athletes, basketball star Mike Skrocki, and multi-sport athlete Jane Wray Bristow McDorman, were also inducted into UR’s Athletics Hall of Fame, as well as former director of athletics Jim Miller.