[2] The 6–2, 202-pound Lyles was recruited by the University of Louisville in 1954, when he broke the school's color barrier for scholarship athletes.
After a successful collegiate career, where Lyles was known for his return skills, he was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the first round of the 1958 NFL draft.
[3] After just one year with the Colts, on September 18, 1959, Lyles' contract was sold to the San Francisco 49ers ahead of the 1959 season.
[4] He would no longer return kickoffs after the 1961 season, playing exclusively as a defensive back after that time.
[5] He would remain in Baltimore until the end of his career in 1969, highlighted by another NFL Championship in 1968 – although that team would ultimate lose to the AFL Champion New York Jets in Super Bowl III.