Die NFL-The world is mourning the loss of Joe Schmidt, Hall of Fame linebacker who led the Detroit Lions to championships in 1953 and 1957 and later coached the team. Schmidt died on Wednesday at the age of 92, the Lions announced; a cause of death was not disclosed.
NFL legend was considered too small – but created a great legacy
Joe Schmidt, one of the first great middle linebackers in professional football, spent his entire NFL career from 1953 to 1965 with the Lions, today’s team of Amon-Ra St. Brown. Schmidt was selected to the All-Pro team eight times and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973. In 2000, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2019, he was inducted into the NFL All-Time Team, along with other legends like Dick Butkus and Ray Lewis.
Born in Pittsburgh, Schmidt played college football in his hometown at Pitt. Originally starting as a fullback and guard, he switched to linebacker under coach Len Casanova. Despite injuries during his college years, he was drafted by the Lions in the seventh round in 1953.
Schmidt’s speed, intelligence and tackling skills made him a mainstay on the Lions team that won two NFL titles in the 1950s. Schmidt was named the NFL’s defensive MVP in both championship years. A memorable moment was the 1957 playoff game against San Francisco, when the Lions turned a 27-7 deficit in the third quarter into a 31-27 victory.
After his playing career, Schmidt became an assistant coach and was head coach of the Lions from 1967 to 1972. His jersey number 56 was retired by the Lions and number 65 by Pitt.
“It was my dream to play football,” Schmidt said in 2017 in the Detroit Free Press on his life’s work. “Many people told me I was too small,” recalled the player, who was “only” 1.85 meters tall during his active days: “I wanted to prove it to them.”
