databasefootball death_date death_place birth_place teams hof stats image_size article_title position birth_date image college name
lymanlin01 28 december 1972 barstow , california , united states table rock , nebraska , united states canton chicago bears bulldogs cleveland bulldogs canton bulldogs frankford yellow jackets 136 y 200px william r. lyman
 tackle november 30 , 1898 roy lyman.jpg nebraska `` link '' lyman
william r. lyman

william roy `` link '' lyman -lrb- november 30 , 1898 -- december 28 , 1972 -rrb- was a professional american football player .
he played tackle for the canton bulldogs , the cleveland bulldogs , the frankford yellow jackets and the chicago bears .
lyman was recruited out of the university of nebraska by guy chamberlin , to play for the canton bulldogs in 1922 .
playing alongside pete henry and chamberlin , lyman helped make canton the first true professional football powerhouse , with a 10-0-2 record that season .
they would have another undefeated season in 1923 , but when the canton franchise was sold after the 1923 season , lyman and many other players moved to cleveland , ohio , where lyman signed with the cleveland bulldogs .
in 1924 lyman would help the cleveland bulldogs win the championship .
in 1925 lyman played half seasons with two teams , the new canton franchise and the frankford yellowjackets .
joining the chicago bears after the 1925 season , he took part in the football barnstorming tour that featured football legend red grange .
he remained with the bears for the rest of his career , helping the bears win the championship in 1933 , and the divisional title in 1934 , after which he retired .
many professional football historians credit lyman with developing the `` shifting and sliding '' ploy used by many defensive linemen today .
in shifting while on the line he confused his opponents , and it helped him become one of the most respected players of his era .
including high school and his sixteen years of college and professional football , lyman only experienced one losing season .
after lyman retired , coaching legend george halas once commented that lyman had been stronger and tougher in his last two seasons than when he first joined the organization eight years earlier .
lyman was elected to the pro football hall of fame in 1964 .
