Pacific's Jon Lee Named NWC Special Team S-A Of Week In Program's First Week
FOREST GROVE – In just the first week of the Pacific
University football program, a player who is in just his first year
playing the sport has earned one of the Northwest
Conference's weekly honors in the season's first
week.
Jon Lee (Sr., Kahalu'u, Hawaii) has been selected as the
Northwest Conference's Football Special Teams Student-Athlete
of the Week. The award, chosen by the league's sports
information directors, was announced on Tuesday. He is
Pacific's first NWC honoree in football in 26 years.
Lee, who was playing in his first ever football game, went 4 for 4
on field goal opportunities in the Boxers' 36-19 loss to
Puget Sound on Saturday. Lee was the top scorer for the Boxers in
the program's first game in 19 years, connecting on attempts
from 26 yards, 32 yards, 23 yards and 34 yards. He also connected
on the Boxers' lone PAT kick with 1:21 remaining in the
game.
"The kicking game can be very challenging for a young
football team," said Pacific Head Coach Keith Buckley.
"It was great to see Jon and the field goal team have such
early success as it gives us some confidence knowing we can get to
the red zone and count on points being put on the board."
Lee's first field goal came with 13:23 remaining in the
second quarter, accounting for the first points scored for the new
program. The kick proved to be unusual as, due to a bad snap, Lee
kicked the ball flat on the ground without the benefit of a
snapper.
A converted soccer player who played one season for the
Boxers' men's soccer team as a freshman, Lee is a
graduate of Honolulu's Castle High School.
Lee is the first Pacific player to earned NWC football weekly
honors since Oct. 8, 1984, when both Mike Connor and Wayne Carter
were selected for the league's offense and defensive awards,
receptively. The conference merged into the Columbia Football
Association before Pacific dropped the sport following the 1991
season.
The Boxers return to the field on Sat., Sept. 18, for the
team's first home game in 19 years. Pacific will host
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, with kickoff scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
