G. Russel "Russ" Lyons

G. Russel "Russ” Lyons was involved in athletics as a baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Browns before enlisting in the Army Air Corp for six years. Russ moved to Denver from Illinois in 1948 to coach the Denver Chevrolet Basketball team, while serving as sales manager for Murphy Mahoney Chevrolet.

He became part owner of Pike-Lyons Chevrolet in Boulder in 1954. He bought the dealership in 1957 and changed the name to Russ Lyons Chevrolet. In 1964, he built new facilities at 2525 Canyon Blvd.

He owned the dealership until he sold to Bob Fisher in 1974. He bought Jeffries Motor Co. in Boulder in 1971, changed the name to Lyons Motor Co., then later sold to his son, Tom Lyons.

Russ served as National Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Basketball Chairman for 12 years and later was manager and chairman of the U.S. Olympic AAU basketball team for three Olympic Games.

He was manager of the first American athletic team to visit the Soviet Union in 1958. He managed the U.S. Olympic basketball team at the Sapporo Olympic Games in 1964 and was assistant manager of the U.S. Olympic team at the Mexico City Olympic Games in 1968.

Russ Lyons was Colorado’s nominee for the 1970 TIME Quality Dealer of the Year, while he owned the Chevrolet dealership. He passed away in 1996 at the age of 85.