Dexter native David Lee has signed a two-year contract to coach quarterbacks for the New York Jets. Lee served as quarterbacks coach for the Buffalo Bills last season and is veteran in college and in the NFL.
Lee lived in Dexter until 1966 when he left as an eighth grader to move to Florida. His father, Coach Bill Lee, coached football at Dexter High School. His dad left to coach in Florida. The Lee family moved back to Dexter two years later and played football, starting on the varsity late in the season.
Bill Lee took a job as coach back in Florida and the family moved. David Lee played high school football at Pensacola, Fla., and was an all-state quarterback at Woodham High School. He was given a scholarship to Vanderbilt University where he started as quarterback. He was named the team's most valuable player in 1974 with a record of 7-3-2.
David Lee began his coaching career at the University of Tennessee at Martin upon gradation from Vanderbilt in 1975. He has coach at the college level with three stints at the University of Arkansas and stints at Rice, Texas El Paso where he was a head coach and Mississippi. He was tapped by Coach Bill Parcells to coach quarterbacks for the Dallas Cowboys when Parcells was coach there. He went to the Miami Dolphins later where he again coached quarterbacks. Lee was named "Innovator of the Year" 2008 by "Sporting News " for introducing the "Wildcat offense" to the NFL.
Lee was hired by former Coach Chan Gailey to coach quarterbacks at Buffalo for the 2012 season. Buffalo finished 6-10 and Gailey was fired at the end of the season, along with his staff. The Bills hired Doug Marrone as their new head coach.
The Jets hired John Idzik as general manager. Idzik replaced Mike Tannenbaum, who was fired after the regular season when the Jets finished 6-10. Jets head coach Rex Ryan hired Marty Mornhinweg offensive coordinator and Lee was hired this past weekend to coach quarterbacks.
Lee is currently married to Lynne Kazanowski. The couple have four children (daughters Dana and Shannon, and sons Brian and Jordan).