The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today that George Daily-Lyles, a senior linebacker from Poly, has been named the Play It Smart National Student-Athlete of the Month for February.
A four-year member of Play It Smart, Daily-Lyles has been an active participant in the program, inspiring his teammates to balance their powerhouse status on the field with equal success in the classroom and as leaders in the community.
"[Play It Smart] has taught the whole Poly family, about family and
that there are no individual successes without family success," said
Daily-Lyles. "So this honor is a team honor, not an individual honor."
Daily-Lyles, who has received numerous football accolades, recently signed
a letter of intent with the University of Hawai'i to play football in
the fall. On the field, the team captain led his team to a 14-1
record, a CIF Southern Section title (the school's 18th), and a runner-up finish in the CIF Open State Championships.
"Play It Smart is like a big brother standing over you and encouraging you to perform on and off-the-field," said Daily-Lyles. "While my friends from other schools were fumbling around trying to keep up with the recruiting process, I was already set thanks to Play It
Smart."
"George's leadership skills have been invaluable to the football
program," said Poly academic coach Monica Kim. "As team
captain, he has taken on his younger teammates and stressed the
importance of academics and discipline."
"Coach Kim has helped me get to where I am today," said Daily-Lyles.
"Without Coach Kim, I don't know where I would be."
"Each month we honor student-athletes who demonstrate excellence on
the field, in the classroom, and in service to others," said NFF
Chairman Archie Manning. "George is one these extraordinary
student-athletes. We look forward to following the bright future of
this remarkable young man."
Daily-Lyles recorded over 150 tackles this season and was named to several
All-State teams. In addition, he was crowned Moore League and CIF
Southern Section PAC-5 defensive MVP. Even with all the accolades on
the field, Lyles found the time to give back to his community,
volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, the Long Beach Rescue
Mission, Foundation for Kids' Long Beach One Million Toy Benefit,
Miller's Children's Hospital, and reading and mentoring local
elementary school children.
"Volunteering at the soup kitchen was one of the most beneficial
activities we did," said Daily-Lyles. "It really put life into perspective,
it reminds you to be humble."
"George is just a great kid, a hard worker, and an awesome leader,"
said Jackrabbits football coach Raul Lara. "He is a real student of the
game, and that's because his classroom ethics transfer over to the
football field."
"This young man is a tremendous talent on the field and he has become
a valuable asset to his community through his volunteer work," said
Len Stachitas, Play It Smart Executive Director. "Hawai'i is getting
a great football player but an even better young man."
Each month the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
honors one student-athlete as the Play It Smart Student-Athlete of
the Month. Winners are selected from nominations received by academic
coaches from 160 schools in 33 states. At the end of the school year
the "Student-Athlete of the Year" will be selected from the monthly
winners to be honored at the annual Play It Smart National Conference.
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