Clyde Lee is regarded as the finest basketball player in Vanderbilt history. The success of Lee and his Commodore teams helped make Vandy basketball what it is today. The balconies in Memorial Gym, constructed to increase its capacity, are referred to as “the balconies that Clyde Lee built.”
Lee was a consensus All-American in 1966 and Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in 1965 and 1966. He finished his career as Vanderbilt’s all-time scorer with 1,691 points and averaged 21.4 points per game. His 1223 career rebounds also topped the list in Vanderbilt history books.
As a junior, Lee led Vanderbilt to its first SEC championship in any sport, as the Commodores posted a 24-4 record. Perhaps comments from contemporary coaches say it best. VU Head Coach Roy Skinner stated, “Clyde came up with a better performance every night. He was terrific. I’ve always said he was an All-American”. North Carolina’s Dean Smith simply said, “He is a great one.”
Lee went on to play professionally for ten seasons with San Francisco (1967-1971), Golden State (1972-1974), Atlanta (1975), and Philadelphia (1975-1976), where he was an all-star. But Tennessee will always remember Clyde for his years at Vanderbilt. Lee was named to the Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class. Every so often special players come along who can actually carry a program to the next level. Vanderbilt is forever indebted to Clyde Lee for doing just that.