George Daily-Lyles named Play It Smart National Student-Athlete of the Month

HA Note: "The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today that George Daily-Lyles, a senior linebacker from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, Calif., has been named the Play It Smart National Student-Athlete of the Month for February. A four-year member of Play It Smart at Long Beach Poly, 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."

Crediting his team for his award, Daily-Lyles said:
"[Play It Smart] has taught the whole Poly family, about family and that there are no individual successes without family success. So this honor is a team honor, not an individual honor." (HA)

About Play It Smart, Daily-Lyles said:
"Play It Smart is like a big brother standing over you and encouraging you to perform on and off-the-field. 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." (HA)

Praising Daily-Lyles, Long Beach Poly Academic Coach Monica Kim said:
"George's leadership skills have been invaluable to the football program. As team captain, he has taken on his younger teammates and stressed the importance of academics and discipline." (HA)

Praising Coach Kim, Daily-Lyles said:
"Coach Kim has helped me get to where I am today. Without Coach Kim, I don't know where I would be." (HA)

About honoring Daily-Lyles, NFF Chairman Archie Manning said:
"Each month we honor student-athletes who demonstrate excellence on the field, in the classroom, and in service to others. George is one these extraordinary student-athletes. We look forward to following the bright future of this remarkable young man." (HA)