Palmer Trinity School

69 F A L L 2 0 15 ALUMNEWS While at Palmer, Lee also played baseball under Coach Jim Higgins. Both Coach Capparelli and Coach Higgins greatly influenced Lee. "e lessons they taught me weren't ones that I picked up on right away, but by the time I got to college and was in my mid-20's, they made sense," Lee explains. "ese lessons included being held accountable for your actions and learning to be a leader. It wasn't about just winning games; it was about being a better person. Both coaches showed us by leading by example." "e thing that stood out to me the most about Lee was his enthusiasm and true commitment to want to be what he turned out to be, which was a student-athlete," Coach Higgins remembers. "When you see respect in a young person and a willingness to learn, you know it's these qualities that will serve them throughout their life. Lee was able to absorb lessons from his coaches and older players on the team. I'm sure the source of his inspiration was his listening." As Palmer approached its 10 th anniversary in the early 80s, the young school had come to be known as an institution with a strong academic and athletic presence. e school gave Lee the environment to succeed and grow with the inherent qualities of a champion. He recalls, "the teacher-to-student ratio, the fact they were always willing to stay after class, and the coaching one- on-one were some of the reasons why Palmer was a perfect match for me." Lee worked extremely hard on the fields and in the classrooms, and the class of 1981 seemed like a special one. "Our class was unique. We had really smart kids—five merit scholars out of 54 students! We had athletes and kids with different interests, but I was able to intermingle with all different groups. In a big school you are stuck with one group, but at a small school you can make good friends across the board." Upon graduation, Lee went to play football at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) and was a member of the 1981 NCAA Division II National Championship Team. It was an incredible experience for Lee, but after one year, he realized there was more in his future than football. "I was not going into the NFL," he remembers. "When you play college football, it's a job and they 'own' you. I wanted a better atmosphere for myself." He transferred to the University of Texas and graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in Finance. Lee joined the business world in Miami by managing and leasing shopping centers. However, he wondered if there was a way to make a living from the things he loved best: "I loved numbers, finance, and sports. I decided to give the handicapping service a try. No one was doing it on radio shows across the country. I felt there were people who didn't know how to talk about college and NFL games on the radio." Lee reached out to some fraternity brothers who were starting to analyze football on the radio in Houston and St. Louis. "I did well," Lee casually remarks. "I was able to break it down and give reasonable feedback." us launched the company Paramount Sports. Today, Lee speaks to 40 radio stations across the country every ursday and Friday during the football season, including ESPN and FOX. In the Miami Herald newspaper, Lee is the "pro" in the popular sports column "David vs. Goliath". His preparation for such analysis includes watching hundreds of weekly college and NFL games, either live or taped, writing extensive outlines of each game, and making predictions based on his experience and knowledge. "Today there are thousands of entrepreneurs like me. Once the Internet boomed, there was a wave, and then another with Twitter. Everyone thinks they're great. You have to run a business, serve your clients, and market your business all at the same time," he shares. But it takes hard work to ensure continued success, which Lee attributes to the lessons from his coaches at Palmer. "e greatest thing that Coach Jeff and Jim taught me: You have to lie down and bleed a while and [experience] pure failure. But get up. ey inspired me to work hard." Lee shared his advice to fellow Palmer Trinity Alumni and future graduates for finding a successful career: "I would say to find something you like, and something that you're good at and try to make it work. If you can't find both – go with one of the two. So many people do stuff that make them miserable. It's unfortunate that some people don't have parents who allowed them to be themselves. I didn't want to be a dentist – I wasn't that good with my hands or good at math and science but I was good with history and numbers. Happiness is what's most important." Lee, number 12 for the Palmer Pirates, was a powerful quarterback who led the Pirates to many victories. (above) Lee consulting with "Coach Capp" on the sidelines.

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