Villanova Univeristy Athletics

A three-time selection during his career, Shaun Lyons led the Villanova defense in total tackles three straight seasons. He is one of only five Wildcats to record over 400 career tackles and capped his career by earning All-ECAC honors as a senior. Lyons played for Villanova from 1996-99 and graduated in 2000. He was inducted to the Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 2021.
 
Lyons was part of two playoff teams during his collegiate career, including the 1997 squad which had an undefeated regular season and was the first team in program history to ascend to No. 1 in the national rankings. In all the Wildcats were 33-14 (.702) during Lyons’ career, including a 24-8 record in conference play.
 
As a senior in 1999, Lyons had his best season with 123 total tackles. He recorded 73 solo stops and 50 assisted tackles while leading the team in total stops for the third consecutive season. Lyons was named to the Atlantic 10 second team defense and the ECAC first team defense for the year. He finished second on the team in tackles for loss with 10 and was tied for second on the squad with four sacks. Villanova’s 7-4 season included a 6-2 record in the Atlantic 10 standings.
 
Earlier in his career Lyons made an immediate impact on the Wildcats defense when he led the team with seven sacks his freshman year. He totaled 70 tackles for the 1996 season, including 47 solo stops, and recorded 11 tackles for loss along with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Lyons earned the first accolades of his career after a 20-3 win over Richmond in which he tallied a game-high 15 tackles and had three sacks for a total loss of 21 yards. That performance earned him Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week and ECAC Co-Rookie of the Week honors.
 
Lyons was named to the Atlantic 10 third team defense in both his sophomore and junior seasons. His second collegiate campaign was among Villanova’s best ever from a team standpoint. The Wildcats went 11-0 during the regular season, including an 8-0 sweep in conference play, and won the Yankee Conference title going away as the nation’s top-ranked team. When the FCS playoffs began, the Wildcats defeated Colgate, 49-28, for their first-ever postseason win as an FCS program.
 
The defense gave up just 19.8 points per contest for the 1997 season – less than half of what Villanova scored offensively – and the Wildcats finished the year with a plus-eight turnover margin. Lyons led the team in tackles for what would be the first of three straight seasons. He recorded 113 total stops and tied for second on the team with six sacks. He recorded 12 total tackles for loss and amassed seven quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and two pass breakups.
 
In his junior season Lyons recorded 104 tackles, including 64 solo stops and 40 assisted tackles. He was second on the team with eight tackles for loss while registering two fumble recoveries. Lyons recorded 10+ tackles in four games on the year, including a career-high 16 stops against Massachusetts and 14 tackles (three tackles for loss) in a win at James Madison.
 
Since the end of his collegiate career Lyons has stayed closely connected to the Villanova program. He is a Varsity Club board member and has served on the advisory board for the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation as well as on the board of the Villanova Football Club. Lyons works in commercial real estate and was named in July 2008 to the Philadelphia Business Journal ’40 Under 40’ list.