FORT GIBSON, Okla., Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Detroit Lions linebacker Teddy Lehman, who grew up in Fort Gibson, Okla., now has a highway named after him in his home state.
Lehman, 23, gained fame in his home state as a special player at the University of Oklahoma. He won the Butkus Award last year as college football's top linebacker and the Bednarik Award as the best defensive player, the Detroit Free Press reported Wednesday.
Lehman, a second-round draft pick last spring, was supposed to back up Earl Holmes at middle linebacker, but he replaced Boss Bailey at strong-side linebacker after Bailey suffered a knee injury.
Along the way he has become the only rookie linebacker to start every game this season.
The four-lane Teddy Lehman Expressway runs through Fort Gibson, a rural town of 4,000 in eastern Oklahoma.
