• THE GEORGETOWN BASKETBALL HISTORY PROJECT

Ron Lyons (1971-1973)
 

Georgetown fans of a certain age will remember Ron Lyons, the 6-9 center that was given the nickname "Hollywood" during his two seasons on the Hilltop, a nickname that has come full circle in Lyons' career after basketball.

According to The HOYA, the nickname emanated from one of Lyons' many travels growing up before his family settled in Philadelphia, where he played basketball at Edison HS and went on to Northwest Community College in Powell, WY, averaging 24 points and 16 rebounds, with a 68% shooting percentage that ranked third nationally. Unfortunately for Lyons, the school was dropping basketball, and he needed a new home.

"When Northwest decided to drop basketball, I looked around for a four year college where I could play ball," Lyons told former sports information director Keith Moore in the 1972 Georgetown media guide. "Paul Robinson [then a freshman at Georgetown] and I spent some time visiting a school in Pennsylvania and became friends. He suggested I come to Georgetown."

With John Connors' transfer to Manhattan that summer, a scholarship opened and Lyons arrived at Georgetown, marking the school's first junior college transfer. Lyons averaged 3.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in 24 games under coach Jack Magee, but when John Thompson arrived the following year, freshmen Merlin Wilson and Billy Lynn were elevated on the depth chart and Lyons played sparingly, causing him to leave Georgetown and play professional basketball in France.

Following basketball, Lyons began a career in executive security. In 2005, director Michael Bay approached Lyons in 2005 about acting while Bay was directing "The Island", but it was not until 2009 that Lyons began to focus on the craft, joining the Michigan Actors Studio and landing a small role in the Robert De Niro film "Stone". He has appeared in a number of films in recent years under the stage name Big Ron Lyons.

Season GP GS Min FG FGA % 3FG 3GA % FT FTA % Off Reb Avg PF Ast Blk Stl Pts Avg
1971-72 24 34 68 50.0 22 32 68.7 107 4.4 40 90 3.8
1972-73 19 7 20 35.0 2 5 40.0 32 1.6 8 16 0.8
Totals 43 41 88 46.8 24 37 64.8 139 3.2 48 106 2.4