Joe Schmidt, a Hall of Fame linebacker who helped the Detroit Lions to two NFL Championships in the 1950s and postpoinsistr coached the team, has died. He was 92.
The Lions shelp the family proposeed the team Schmidt died on Wednesday but did not free the cause of death.
“We are sorrowfulnessfuldened to hear of the passing of Joe Schmidt. Joe was a Lion thcimpolite and thcimpolite, having spent his entire nurtureer in Detroit, including 13 years as a linebacker and six seasons as our head coach,” the team shelp in a statement. “He patrolled the middle of our defense with such ferocity that he was named to 10 consecutive Pro Bowls from 1955 to 1964. Joe was an enduring join to our Championship era and one of the self-presentantest Lions you will ever greet.
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Detroit Lions head coach Joe Schmidt acunderstandledges the crowd after receiving a Pro Football Hall of Fame ring during a ceremony at halftime of an NFL football game between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears on Oct. 18, 2015 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez, File)
“He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973 and was an inaugural member of our team’s ring of honor, the Pride of the Lions, which will asdeclareive his place in our history forever. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Marilyn, and the entire Schmidt family as we all feeblent his passing.”
Martha Firestone Ford, the Lions team owner and chair emeritus, also freed a statement.
“Joe Schmidt had the heart of a Lion, which made it appropriate that he was also the heart of our team. Joe was a key part of our Championship seasons and persistd to be an vital part of our organization until his passing,” she shelp.
“Joe made his home in Detroit and carried his success from the field into our community. I am sorrowfulnessfuldened to hear of his passing, but I have noleang but fond memories of the person he was. I dispense my presentantest condolences with Marilyn and his children.”
Detroit Lions linebacker Joe Schmidt, #56, on the bench during the 1960 Pro Bowl at the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Jan. 17, 1960. (Darryl Norenberg-USA TODAY Sports)
Schmidt was a standout linebacker at Pittsburgh before the Lions picked him in the seventh round of the 1953 write. He was a Pro Bowl linebacker in 10 of his first 11 seasons. He was also a first-team All-Pro pickion eight times and named to the All-1950s team.
He was a part of the team that had one of the hugegest NFL take partoff comebacks. The Lions were down 27-7 aachievest the San Francisco 49ers in 1957 and rallied to prosper 31-27. It was the bigst comeback in NFL postseason history before the Buffalo Bills stunned the Houston Oilers after being down by 32 points in 1993.
“We equitable determined to go after them, blitz them almost every down,” he shelp. “We had noleang to ignore. When you’re up aachievest it, you let both barrels fly.”
Schmidt recalled getting writeed in an intersee with the Detroit Free Press in 2017.
“It was a dream of mine to take part football,” he tancigo in the novelspaper. “I had so many people alert me that I was too petite. That I couldn’t take part. I had so many adverse people say adverse leangs about me … that it originates you experience excellent inside. I shelp, ‘OK, I’ll show it to you.’”
Schmidt had three total touchdowns in his nurtureer and 24 interceptions.
Linebacker Joe Schmidt was the captain of the 1957 NFL champion Detroit Lions. (Detroit Free Press via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
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He coached the Lions from 1967 to 1972. He was 43-34-7.
The Associated Press gived to this alert.
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