Joe Schmidt, the Hall of Fame linebacker who played a key role in the Detroit Lions’ NFL championships in 1953 and 1957 and later coached the team, has passed away at age 92.
The Lions were informed by Schmidt’s family that he died on Wednesday, though the cause of death has not been disclosed.
A pioneer among pro football’s premier middle linebackers, Schmidt spent his entire NFL career with the Lions from 1953 to 1965. An eight-time All-Pro, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000
.Late Lions owner William Clay Ford, who presented Schmidt at his Hall of Fame induction, said, “Joe used to joke that he was 6-3 at one point, but tackling so many fullbacks compressed his neck into his shoulders, making him 6 feet. Despite being listed at 6 feet, which was marginal for that position, there are qualities that cannot be measured by scouts or those drafting players.”
A Pittsburgh native, Schmidt started his college career at Pitt as a fullback and guard before Coach Len Casanova moved him to linebacker. Schmidt remarked, “Pitt gave me the chance to pursue my goals and develop my athletic talents. Everything I have is a result of that opportunity.”
Despite frequent injuries during college, Schmidt was drafted by the Lions in the seventh round of 1953. As defenses evolved, Schmidt’s speed, intelligence, and tackling skills made him a crucial component of some of the Lions’ greatest teams.
Schmidt was selected to the Pro Bowl for ten consecutive years from 1955 to 1964. Following his arrival, the Lions secured their last two NFL titles of the 1950s.
In a 1957 playoff game against San Francisco, the Lions were down 27-7 in the third quarter but came back to win 31-27, marking the NFL’s largest postseason comeback until Buffalo’s 32-point rally against Houston in 1993.
“We decided to go after them, blitzing almost every play,” Schmidt recalled. “We had nothing to lose. When faced with such challenges, you give it your all.”
After his playing career, Schmidt became an assistant coach and served as Detroit’s head coach from 1967 to 1972, with a record of 43-35-7. He was also named to the NFL’s All-Time Team in 2019, celebrating the league’s centennial season, though he was already inducted into the Hall of Fame 46 years earlier.
Not bad for a seventh-round draft pick who was considered undersized.
Schmidt told the Detroit Free Press in 2017, “Playing football was my dream. I faced many people who said I was too small and couldn’t make it. Their negativity only motivated me to prove them wrong.”
