UNC men’s lacrosse’s Patrick Lyons strives to serve his community
Patrick Lyons is a junior defenseman on the lacrosse team who comes from a both religious and athletic family. Lyons has five siblings and his entire family is Catholic, born and raised. His dad played football at UNC and his sister won a field hockey national championship here. Lyons is very involved in the business school and attends mass at the Newman Center every Sunday night. "Being a student athlete at UNC has given me a platform to give a voice to the community and help give back to a place that has given me so much," Lyons says.
Patrick Lyons waved goodbye to his mom as he walked toward the community center in front of him.
The 6-foot-4-inch high schooler was starting his first day of his internship.
Lyons walked through the halls, peeking in the classrooms to see if anyone needed his help. He came across a room of kids painting, but they were unsupervised. He walked into the room, turned on the "The Lion King" and sat on the floor.
Kids ran over to him, all of them sitting on him. Some laid on his legs, others curled up in his lap. Lyons’ boss walked by, and for a second, Lyons was worried he would get in trouble for helping with the kids instead of doing his desk work. His boss paused, smiled, and gave the rising senior a thumbs-up.
Despite his job being strictly business related, Lyons found ways to put the kids first, trying to be a positive male role model for them. It’s grown to be a priority for him.
“He’s so real,” said Patricia Lyons, his mother. “He can fit in anywhere, and he loves everybody.”
A lot has changed since that summer in 2015. Lyons committed to play lacrosse for UNC. The junior is in the Kenan-Flagler Business School, serving on multiple committees across campus. What’s remained constant throughout these transitions? The legacy athlete lives his life with a full heart.
From left to right: Faith Lyons, Garrett Lyons, Meghan Lyons, Jane Lyons, and Patrick Lyons.
Patrick Lyons is a junior defenseman on the UNC Men's Lacrosse team who comes from both — a religious and athletic family. Lyons has four siblings and his entire family is Catholic. “Family is who I am and the people I spend the most time with in my life. They are the ones who have helped mold me into the person I am today,” Lyons said.
‘Humble and lovable’
There was 10-year-old Lyons, climbing all over the swing set again. Among five siblings, he was always found climbing anything in sight. According to his mom, he would’ve climbed onto the roof if he could’ve.
“He would put himself to bed because when he ran out of energy, you wouldn’t even need to ask him to go to bed,” Patricia Lyons said.
One afternoon, Lyons stopped outside the doorframe as he came in from playing when he heard his mom talking to one of her friends about him in a stressed tone.
“I heard her say, ‘I don’t know how much longer I can handle him,’ because I was a lot of energy, and she had four other kids too,” Lyons said. “It kind of flipped a switch in my head.”
He started picking up his messes and scheduling his playdates in an attempt to lessen the load on his mom. The young boy even tried his hand at laundry, only for the water to overflow.
Lyons did anything and everything to try and help his mom instead of being a distraction.
“I will say this, and I think all of my siblings will concur, I’m a momma’s boy,” Lyons said. “Not to the extent that I’m kissing up to her, but always will be there for her. Since that day especially, if she ever needs help, I’ll be there for her.”
This caring nature started to show in each aspect of Lyons’ life.
“I was also told when I was younger to be humble and lovable,” Lyons said. “The more you can help other people, that attests to the character of the person. For me, I love to succeed and everything like that, but I think the best part about doing well is bringing other people with you.”
This mentality carries over onto the field. He might be at a Division I program, but he’s never bragged about it.
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“I know a lot of Division I athletes who commit to a school like UNC and you see all over the place them getting cocky and thinking they’re better than people,” said Colby Reeder, one of Lyons' longtime friends. “He’s never been that guy.”
A servant’s heart
Lyons sat in a small plastic chair in the fall 2016, flipping through a picture book.
While reading it to an elementary school class, he paused. He looked in front of him and saw all 22 kids with their eyes wide open, eagerly waiting for Lyons to read the next page.
Lyons was stunned, and started realizing how big of an impact one athlete has on their community. It’s more than a sport; it’s a responsibility.
“The kids we interact with are looking at us as role models and the people they want to grow up to emulate,” Lyons said. “It is our job to be the best version of ourselves possible, not only for our lives but for the lives of the next generation.”
Lyons’ parents always stressed to him and his four siblings the importance of faith and community service.
“He did a lot of community work and continued to grow and be outspoken about doing the right thing and being in touch with God,” Reeder said. “It’s tough sometimes if it’s not the cool thing to do, but that never really fazed him. He always was his own person and just did what he thought was right.”
At UNC, he has continued his community outreach efforts despite a busy schedule. Lyons is a part of the Kenan-Flagler Private Equity Fund, UNC Faculty Athletics Committee and is co-community service captain for the lacrosse team, to name a few.
Patrick Lyons, a junior defenseman for the UNC men's lacrosse team, scrimmaged against High Point University last fall. "When he comes off the field, he's a really gentle giant," said his sister Meghan Lyons.
On Sunday nights, the junior bows his head while sitting in the Newman Catholic Student Center during mass. It’s a moment between him and his savior. He’ll stand and sing the hymns, which are his favorite parts. He’s not one to push his faith on someone, typically waiting to be approached rather than initiating the conversation. But once he starts talking about it, people know how pivotal faith has been in his life.
Although he was born and raised in a Catholic household, Lyons decided to make his faith his own in high school. He begged to go to Salesianum, an all-boys Catholic school. While the school had strong academics and athletic programs, it was the focus on faith and community service that drew him in.
It changed Lyons’ life and helped prepare him to continue chasing his faith and living his life as a community helper once he got to UNC. He said he started to mirror the Parable of the Three Sons throughout parts of his life.
“When you’ve been given opportunities, what do you make of them?” Lyons said. “Do you just hold on to what you’ve been given or do you try to make more and benefit others with what you’ve been given?”
To his sister Meghan Lyons, this comes as no surprise.
“It’s neat to see him bring his full self, recognizing that he can be way more than just a Division I athlete,” she said.
On a Friday morning last spring, players invited professors to show the other side of a student-athlete life. At the end of practice, the professors and team formed a circle, and took a moment to introduce each guest and how they impacted the athlete.
Lyons couldn’t help but smile at the sight. He organized the entire event with the help of UNC's Faculty Athletics Committee, and it left a lasting impact on the professors and players involved.
Lyons chose to chase the life of a community servant, acting on impulses of his heart and faith. It comes naturally to him.
“I’ve always trusted in my faith that there’s a plan,” Lyons said. “Whatever I’m doing at the time is the right thing to do.”
