Dome is destination for Lee brothers, Dallas (UGA) and Dillon (Bama)
Divided loyalties can't divide the Lee family, which includes Georgia guard Dallas Lee (L), Alabama linebacker Dillon Lee (R) and Lisa and Robert Lee. (Lee family photo)
ATHENS – The Georgia Bulldogs were scheduled to play Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Oct. 6th of this year until Missouri and Texas A&M accepted the SEC’s invitation to join the expanding conference last fall. That meant league schedules, booked years in advance, had to be reshuffled. The SEC replaced Alabama with Missouri on Georgia’s slate.
Nobody was happier about that change than Georgia alum and longtime fan Lisa Lee. Never mind win-loss implications.
Lee is the mother of Dallas Lee, who is the starting left offensive guard for Georgia. She’s also mom to Dillon Lee, who is a freshman linebacker at Alabama. She was sweating out that Oct. 6 date since the spring of 2011 when it first became apparent that her youngest son was not going to follow his big brother’s footsteps.
“We were relieved,” Lisa Lee said of the schedule change. “Lauren Murray (mother of Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray) had already made me a shirt that had ‘Heart Divided’ on it, with Alabama on one side and Georgia on the other and a big split down the middle.”
Her sons hope she still gets to wear it.
Georgia and Alabama could still meet. If they do, it will be on Dec. 1 in the Georgia Dome — in the SEC Championship game.
The Bulldogs, ranked No. 6 in both The Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches’ polls, can return there if they repeat as SEC Eastern Division champions. Alabama, ranked No. 2 in both polls, is favored to get there from the West. The Lee boys both plan to be there.
“It’s still our goal to play,” said Dallas, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound junior. “It’s just going to be a little later in the season.”
A request to interview Dillon was denied by Alabama, citing coach Nick Saban’s policy for true freshmen.
Lisa Lee is not particularly enamored about sitting through a championship game with her sons on opposing sidelines either. Though her Georgia roots have been growing longer than she has been alive, she can’t say for certain she’d be cheering for the Bulldogs or what she might feel.
“I’d root for everyone to stay healthy and for it to be decided on something other than Dillon’s defensive assignments or Dallas’ offensive assignments,” she said. “I would probably be in the bathroom freaking out anyway.”
If it were up to Lisa and her husband, Robert, they wouldn’t be facing such a dilemma. She and her parents have been sitting in the same club level seats in the East end zone at Sanford Stadium for 35 years. Her family was actually voted “Best Dawg fans” one year and featured on The Mark Richt Show. Robert was also a lifelong Bulldog fan, too, and played for Erk Russell at Georgia Southern.
So when Dallas began to draw interest from colleges, his was a relatively stress-free recruitment. Despite offers from Florida State, Tennessee, Georgia Tech and others, he committed to the Bulldogs in April of his junior year.
Naturally, they thought Dillon’s recruitment would be much the same when he came through Buford High three years behind Dallas. Dillon had been raised the same way as Dallas and, since his big brother first became a recruit, he’d literally been to Athens 100 times.
“He was staying with me pretty much every summer and every Saturday,” Dallas said. “He always had a blast hanging out with us. He’s friends with everybody here. The more he came, the more I was thinking he was going to come here.”
Turns out, Dillon likes to go his own way. “A typical last born,” his mom says. Saban and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart came after him hard and he was quickly swayed. Dillon committed to Alabama in May of 2011.
“You know, it’s kind of like when you’re 16 and you want a Mustang, but your parents could only afford a used truck,” Lisa explains. “Then you start driving that and you realize, ‘OK, I actually love a truck.’ . . . Dillon’s always surprising us.”
Now comes the hard part. Instead of their sons playing major college football together 40 miles away, they’ll be playing 275 miles apart. That has created some logistical challenges.
So Lisa and Robert Lee will be driving all over the place this fall in their Infiniti FX. You’ll recognize it from the No. 64 Georgia helmet sticker in the lower left corner of back window and a No. 25 Alabama “A” in the right.
“We’re doing it more based on big-game environments,” Lisa said of what games they’ll attend. “The first game was either Buffalo in Athens or Alabama versus Michigan in Texas Stadium. So we’ll be in Texas. The next week, Georgia goes to Missouri for the first time in SEC history, so we’re going there. And it just kind of continues on from there.”
And if all goes to plan, it will end in downtown Atlanta.
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118 comments Add your comment
Delbert D.
August 27th, 2012
10:34 am
Looks like Dillon got more of Mom’s genes, and Dallas got more of Dad’s. Check the eyes.
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
August 27th, 2012
10:44 am
@ Delbert D:
Mom has eyes????????????????
I dropped my fried twinkie
August 27th, 2012
10:54 am
They all look like they never saw a MEAL they didn’t eat.
Cy Young
August 27th, 2012
10:56 am
It looks like Roger Clemens and Mindy McCreedy between the 2 boys.
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
August 27th, 2012
10:57 am
@ Dawg Girl & Insider:
If you will recall in 2011 we had a lot of TROLLS and Dawg Fans In Name Only and even some who insisted they were true Dawg Fans, were on EVERY BLOG yelling to fire CMR and/or his staff. It was brutal even after UGA won 10 straight and the SEC East. All Smart was doing was using those people’s negatives and badmouthings to illustrate his points. It has cost Dawg Nation a number of highly ranked recruits as was deminstrated on 2012 Signing Day. Jordan Jenkins verified all this when he switched back to UGA before Signing Day.
Needless to say UGA has been hurt significantly by those people!!!!!!!!!!!
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
August 27th, 2012
10:59 am
@ Twinkie:
Is Fried Twinkies considered a meal????
You better check!!!!! All 4 may have been in your Fried twinkies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
August 27th, 2012
11:09 am
@ GT4ever:
Apparently you are an authority on “Complete idiots”. How do the OTHER 8 members of the GT Fan Base feel??????????????
DawginLex
August 27th, 2012
11:12 am
How many more cities in addition to Memphis TN and Waco Tx is the NCAA looking into recruiting issues with Auburn?
How many players suspended at Auburn in the last week? I know of 2.
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
August 27th, 2012
11:17 am
@ Ole Dawg:
You never can tell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When Bill Stanfill was a senior and his team played Douglas County for the State Championship, Bill was drunk according to players from BOTH teams!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DP
August 27th, 2012
11:21 am
7576Dawg can always be counted on for a rambling, idiotic post about any in state kid who turns down UGA. Of course he and the rest of Dawg Nation don’t mind it when out of state kids like Stafford, Green and Murray come to UGA. Thankfully the Lee parents are a lot more mature about their sons choosing what they want to do with their lives than many of the UGA homers on these boards.
With regard to those who are posting that Dillon Lee didn’t impress them that much while playing at Buford, it’s worth bearing in mind that (a) Saban and Smart are pretty good judges of talent, (b) Richt and Grantham thought he was talented enough to offer him and (c) reports from Alabama’s spring and fall practices are that Lee has impressed and is likely to be a key special teams player this season like Trey DePriest and Vinnie Sunseri were as true freshmen last year before becoming defensive starters this year as sophomores.
I dropped my fried twinkie
August 27th, 2012
11:23 am
Somebody needs to get the WHOLE LIST of suspended players from all the FBS teams and for how many games.
I know Tech has 2 players out for 1 game.
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
August 27th, 2012
11:24 am
@ Dawg In Lex:
Apparently those being suspended now were not as important as Cam(The Scam) Newton because they were not being “auctioned off” by Daddy Newton!!!!!
I still say that the Newton fiasco will bring The BARN to it’s knees(Not what you’re thinking) one day when the BARN high rollers get tired of anteing up and no championships!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
gt4ever
August 27th, 2012
11:38 am
@Brainiac… Pretty much the same….
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
August 27th, 2012
11:43 am
@ DP:
What is your problem with 7576 Dawg???
Doesn’t he have the same right as you to speak freely about his thoughts and analyses on the subject at hand?????
He is a severely disabled Vietnam Vet with little mobility, a ton of medals to his credit and was personally responsible for saving the lives of more than 30 Americans while ending up an invalid in order to preserve your right to say anything about anybody whether it be true or accurate. I don’t recall this American hero ever saying anything to deserve being treated like you are doing.
Have a nice life and continue enjoying the freedoms provided for you to degrade the very people who have continued to provide these for you!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
August 27th, 2012
11:46 am
@ GT4ever:
Just kidding dude!!!!
I pull for GT MOST of the time except the Saturday after Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
August 27th, 2012
11:50 am
@ DP:
Never heard of Trey DePreist or Vinnie Sunseri !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Homepage | MrSEC
August 27th, 2012
11:59 am
[...] 25. The mother of Dallas Lee (Georgia) and Dillon Lee (Alabama) is glad this year’s Tide-Dawgs matchup was 86′d. [...]
DAWGMAN
August 27th, 2012
12:02 pm
Children, please. Anybody know if all the Dawgs are ready to play on Saturday? How about the O-line? How about the D-line for that matter? Smarten up you knuckleheads! Can Russ get a few extra 20 pounder bags of ice? What if he were to be asked to make a victory stroll all the way up to the chapel bell? Heaven forbid! Don’t let the ASPCA hear about that!
I dropped my fried twinkie
August 27th, 2012
12:12 pm
Get you one…….
http://www.englishbulldogpuppychase.com/english-bulldog-puppies-for-sale/index.htm
Uga of your own. great pups and family.
I dropped my fried twinkie
August 27th, 2012
12:17 pm
It looks like ISSAC is going to flush the NoLa toilet again.
Big Crimson 75
August 27th, 2012
12:49 pm
Brain — Brief bio on Sunseri & DePreist.
Vinny “the missile” Sunseri will be taking Mark Barrons spot @ SS. His father is former Tide LBs Coach & now the DC for the Vols.
Sunseri can play.
Trey DePreist is a LB from Ohio. Similar build & abilities as recently departed Dont’A Hightower. DePreist likely backs-up Nico Johnson & CJ Moseley in the middle. Saban has said we basically have 3 starters @ ILB. Man, We are in-deed Loaded!!!
Let me know of any other Bama players you’d like to know about Brain — I’ll help if I can!!
Lex — you do know the Barn Center got popped this week-end for public drunkenness. Suspended for the Clemson game.
DP
August 27th, 2012
12:55 pm
Brainiac, if what you say is true about 7576Dawg, that still doesn’t give him the right to run down a kid who turned down UGA to go somewhere else without a response. I’m an Alabama grad and fan but I wouldn’t think of running down Alabama high school players who turned down UA to go out of state, like JaMarcus Russell years ago or the Winston kid who is a freshman QB this year at Florida State. Where a kid wants to go to school, provided it is on the up and up (i.e. not being paid or induced with girls, etc.), is his own business. Sometimes a younger brother wants his own identity instead of riding his older brother’s coattails, having the same friends, etc. Maybe Dillon Lee sees a difference in work ethic and fewer off the field incidents among the players at Alabama versus Georgia. Maybe it’s because he’s seen a bunch of Alabama linebackers under Saban and Smart going to the NFL. Whatever the reason, it’s a credit to the Lee parents that they’re supporting Dillon at Alabama even though they’re long time UGA fans.
If you’re going to run down Georgia kids who turn down UGA to go out of state as turncoats or worse, doesn’t fairness dictate that you also run down A.J. Green for turning down South Carolina, Matthew Stafford for turning down Texas, Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley for turning down UNC, etc.?
DP
August 27th, 2012
1:01 pm
Big Crimson 75, from what I’m reading DePriest will probably start at one of inside linebacker spots ahead of Mosley. That doesn’t mean much as Mosley plays more on passing downs. I’d guess those two and Nico Johnson will get roughly equal snaps. If anything, even without starting Mosley might get the most snaps because he figures to play more than the other two in the nickel and dime packages with only one ILB on the field. As you say, having those 3 guys for 2 ILB spots is a luxury.
HoneyBadger Has the Munchies
August 27th, 2012
1:02 pm
So you see….UGA does NOT get to pick or make its schedule. Bama was in place to play and then the SEC…not UGA dropped in Mizzou in place of Bama. All you schedule haters send your cmplaints to the SEC commissioner. Not too many years ago the East was stronger than the West…now the shift in strength resides in the West.
Hard Truth Soldier
August 27th, 2012
1:09 pm
ALways One Bad Apple in the Crowd. ALABAMA BAD(:
Big Crimson 75
August 27th, 2012
1:13 pm
DP — I don’t like the idea of sitting Moseley.
Tit-for-tat, he’s our best LB.
The guy needs to be starting.
If anything, rotate Nico. DePreist was impressive last year.
I wonder if an are capable of playing outside?? That’s where we have inexperience replacing Upshaw & Harris.
I look for Sunseri to light it up this year. The kid brings it.
CJJScout
August 27th, 2012
1:23 pm
Wow, there mom is pretty cute!
DP
August 27th, 2012
1:36 pm
Big Crimson, I don’t think starting is a big deal if the players’ egos can handle it. My guess is that Mosley got a lot more snaps last year as a backup than Jerrell Harris got as a starter because he played on most passing downs and Harris often was off the field after first down if it resulted in second and long. Mosley, Johnson and DePriest are all effectively starters, just play in different packages. I haven’t seen anything about any of them playing outside. They’re expecting big things from Adrian Hubbard and Xavier Dickson, 2 more turncoats from Georgia, on the outside.
7576DAWG
August 27th, 2012
1:50 pm
Brainiac
I won’t take credit for being a Vietnam Vet , that would be an insult to the brave soldiers who did go to Nam. In fact being in college at Georgia in the early to mid 70’s is what kept me from being drafted.
DP
You completely missed my point. The Lee family situation is a completely different situation than any of the other examples when comparing kids that came to Georgia from other states. My point was the history the Lee family had with Georgia just doesn’t make any sense for Dillon to chose Alabama over Georgia.
His mothers family has had Club level seats, CLUB LEVEL SEATS for 35 tears. How many games do you think Dallas and Dillon saw in the years following their birth. The Lee family won Best Dawg Fans one year. How many thousands of families do you think was also considered , and didn’t win. Dillon loved Georgia or he would not have visited his brother hundreds of times . If he is as independent as he makes out himself to be, Dillon loved the kids he was hanging out with and wanted to be there. . His father was a big time Dawg fan even though he attended Georgia Southern. Then all of a sudden Alabama enters the picture and Kirby Smart brainwashes Dillon into thinking that Mark Richt was going to be fired so he chooses Alabama. After he decided on Alabama there was no way he was going to change his mind because that would have been too embarrassing.He threw away all the history that HE had with the Georgia program after a few visits to Alabama makes no sense.
Georgia has way more kids in Pro ball than Alabama and Georgia has had very good Linebackers in the past. With Grantham at Georgia that reputation will only grow. In fact as much as I hate Auburn , they have had a better reputation as Linebacker U , than Alabama or Georgia over the years.
Dillon can do what he wants I wouldn’t dare advocate anything different. He@@ only one of my own three kids went to Georgia and the other two had the grade to go there. I was just saying , this one case just didn’t make any sense because of the Lee family history.
DP
August 27th, 2012
1:54 pm
To UGA “Insider”, I’ve never seen anybody who used “Insider” or pretended to be an insider on a message board who wasn’t full of it, and you’ve certainly lived down to that. If Kirby Smart ever becomes head coach at UGA you and the other Dawg fans who lie about him and trash him will sing a different tune. Can’t get over him turning down a downward career move from Alabama DC to Georgia DC? I hope he stays at Alabama and becomes head coach when Saban retires. Wait a minute, I mean next year when Saban goes to the University of Texas or the Dallas Cowboys or whereever else it is he’s supposed to be going every year.
Howard, Williamson fired up about 20th season on UGA broadcasts | UGA sports blog
August 27th, 2012
2:03 pm
[...] Dome is goal for Lee brothers, Dallas (UGA) and Dillon (Alabama) [...]
DP
August 27th, 2012
2:33 pm
7576Dawg, I didn’t miss your point, which is that you think you know better than Dillon Lee what the right college decision for him was and throw around terms like “brainwashed” and lie about Smart running down Georgia when you have no idea of what Smart said to Lee or any other recruit. Of course it’s an entirely different situations for the players who turn down their state universities to go to UGA.
With regard to the lie about Kirby Smart claiming Richt was going to be fired, Smart went to Georgia, Dillon Lee’s brother was at Georgia, Dillon Lee had attended Georgia games all his life with his parents who were huge Georgia fans and you think Smart is going to denigrate Georgia to recruit Lee? There was no real serious discussion about firing Richt during Dillon Lee’s recruitment. Do you think Dillon Lee wouldn’t have told his brother and parents about this negative recruiting had it happened, and do you really think he would have ended up at Alabama with the support of his parents?
Why I Read This Blog!
August 27th, 2012
2:50 pm
“Kirby has been telling kids CMR was going to get fired each season and scares them to Bama.”
“Kirby is a slimeball on the recruiting trail and really does his best to hurt UGA. Kirby is good friends with Bobo but hates CMR and Garner.”
LMAO!
7576DAWG
August 27th, 2012
2:58 pm
DP
I do agree that Smart will get the Alabama job when Saban leaves. He made his choice when he turned down Georgia. All bridges have been burnt as far as further consideration at Georgia as far as I am concerned.
indianman
August 27th, 2012
3:02 pm
uncledaddy dont bet your farm on south carolina playing alabama because you lose your money it going to be georgia and alabama
pbt dawg fan
August 27th, 2012
3:25 pm
Has landon collins mom recieve her tickets to the BAMA games yet!
DP
August 27th, 2012
4:24 pm
7576DAWG, I doubt your views on Kirby Smart have anything to do with whether or not he would be offered the Georgia head coaching job at some point, given that you wouldn’t be involved in the decision. My guess is you and the rest of Dawg nation would take about 30 seconds to get over him turning down the Georgia DC job previously, saying “why would he have left Saban and Alabama with all the talent they had?” and be thrilled that you got him. Besides, you guys got Todd Grantham, the guy who taught Nick Saban defense according to the most delusional of Dawg Nation, so Smart turning down the UGA DC job worked out for everybody.
As far as the lies about Kirby Smart badmouthing Georgia when he recruits against them, how about one of you Delusional Dawgs putting up a link to a legitimate newspaper article quoting an actual current or former high school recruit who has made that claim. Note, a legitimate newspaper article doesn’t mean some other anonymous Delusional Dawg Blogger who says he has inside sources who talked to a high school recruit that told him so.
Kirby Smart was one of your own, a “DGD”. Is this how Dawg Nation treats its own? If so, it’s no wonder so many Georgia kids turn down UGA to go out of state.
UGA Insider
August 27th, 2012
4:37 pm
Dawggirl,
Kirby was the DB coach at UGA when VanGordor asked for a raise. When CMR said no to raise it pissed Van Gordor and Kirby off and they left. As a result the UGA stunk in the coming years and cost CMR a mythical national championship in 2007.
UGA Insider
August 27th, 2012
4:40 pm
Kirby didn’t’ take the UGA DC job because CMR wouldn’t change the strength program or the nutrition program at that time. Kirby thought we were at a disadvantage at that time and didn’t want to hurt his career by risking it.
Chip Towers
August 27th, 2012
4:42 pm
UGA Insider: That’s complete bunk about Kirby Smart re: strength program.
DP
August 27th, 2012
4:47 pm
“UGA Insider” is not just some anonymous guy on the internet. He knows everything you know about what has gone on at Georgia, what Kirby Smart says to recruits, just about everything other than how to spell the name of the former Georgia defensive coordinator. And Kirby Smart and Mark Richt hate each other because Richt allegedly turned down Smart’s request for a raise, which is why a few years after that Richt offered Smart the defensive coordinator job.
DP
August 27th, 2012
4:55 pm
Thanks Chip. It’s pretty obvious everything “UGA Insider” has to say about Kirby Smart and probably just about anything else is complete bunk. As if UGA doesn’t have the money to do whatever Smart or Grantham or anybody else thinks is necessary to keep up in strength and conditioning. The “UGA Insider” is just making it up as he goes along.
Chip, I’m sure you talk to a lot of high school recruits and players at UGA and elsewhere. Have any of them told you that Smart speaks negatively about Georgia in recruiting and/or tells Georgia recruits that Mark Richt is going to be fired? Why would Georgia have offered their DC job to somebody who trashes them on the recruiting trail? Obviously, they wouldn’t and he doesn’t.
DP
August 27th, 2012
4:58 pm
Chip coming in here to point out that “UGA Insider” is full of it is like the scene in Annie Hall when some guy on line in front of Woody Allen is blabbing about Marshall McLuhan. Woody tells him he doesn’t know what he’s talking about and the big mouth says he teaches a communications course in college and is an expert on Marshall McLuhan. At which point Allen brings in McLuhan who says “I’ve been listening to what you’ve been saying. You know nothing of my work.” Allen turns to the camera and says “Don’t you wish real life was like this?”
DP
August 27th, 2012
5:04 pm
And to the another Dawg fabricator on here, “Brainiac”, pretty funny that after you came up with your story about 7576DAWG being a Vietnam War hero who saved over 30 lives, he, to his credit, says he didn’t serve in Vietnam because he was in college. Two Dawg fabricators called out on one thread, I love it.
Drago
August 27th, 2012
5:22 pm
No worries for Mrs. Lee.Georgia will be playing LSU on December 1st in the Georgia Dome.
Dawg Haus
August 27th, 2012
5:57 pm
Although the last time I stepped on a football field was in middle school, I can relate to this story. I am the only Dawg in a family of Bama grads. We don’t have any problems getting along during football season because we hate the same teams. Best of luck to the Lee family this year!
Ghost
August 27th, 2012
6:14 pm
UGA Insider,Kirby Smart was not a DB coach a Georgia when Brian Van Gorder was at UGA, Van Gorder left after the 2004 season, Smart coached RB in 2005 then went on to Dolphins with Saban in 2006. So why would Kirby be mad that Van Gorder didn’t get a raise ? Did Van Gorder owe Kirby some money?
DP
August 27th, 2012
7:12 pm
Ghost, good job of blowing another hole in “UGA Insider”. What a pathetic liar.
Ghost
August 27th, 2012
7:25 pm
DP, My guess is UGA insider lives on North Ave.
Knows something you don't
August 27th, 2012
7:28 pm
Ummm…or MAYBE someone didn’t take a certain class he needed to attend GEORGIA… GEORGIA did NOT “drop the ball” on recruiting and young Dillon will be very happy at Alabama. He made his decision looong before anyone knew anything about it..