Dan Irons

Irons was born in Tyler, Texas on December 31, 1954.[1] He is the son of Ed Irons, who played football and basketball at Texas Tech from 1938 to 1942 and was superintendent of Lubbock Independent School District.[2][3] The family later moved to Lubbock, Texas and Dan graduated from Monterey High School in 1973.[2] At Monterey, he earned all-state honors in both football and basketball.[4]

Irons played for the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team under coach Steve Sloan during the 1975, 1976 and 1977 seasons.[3] In 1975, as a starter on the offensive line, he helped the Red Raiders lead the Southwest Conference in total yards.[3] He made the All-SWC team in both the 1976 and 1977 seasons.[3] Following his senior year, as a 6-foot, 7-inch, 260-pound tackle, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, having received first-team honors from several publications and organizations including the American Football Coaches Association and United Press International (UPI).[5] Irons was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 12th round (314th overall selection) of the 1978 NFL Draft.[1][6] He was unable to play professionally due to recurring knee problems.[2][3] In 1999, he was inducted into the Texas Tech University Athletic Hall of Honor with Curtis Jordan, Gary Ashby and Jack Alderson.[2][3] Both Jordan and Ashby attended Monterey High School with Irons.[2]

After leaving Texas Tech, Irons moved to Midland, Texas and worked in sales of school furniture and supplies.[4] He is the father of Erin Irons, who was a swimmer for Texas Christian University in the early 2000s.[7]