Lee was one of the earliest members of the Parma High football program. As a student, Lee was involved in creating the school's first football field, which was a parcel of land on an apple orchard. The location of the field is the current site of Byers Field. A standout center in football for Parma High, he earned all-county honors during the 1928 football season.

Lee is a charter member of the Parma Senior High School Athletic Hall of Fame, inducted in 2007.