Former Detroit Lions great and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Joe Schmidt died Wednesday at the age of 92, the team and Hall of Fame announced Thursday.
Schmidt played 13 seasons with the Lions, helping guide Detroit to two NFL championships in 1953 and 1957. One of the greatest Lions players ever, Schmidt garnered 10 All-Pro and Pro Bowl distinctions making him a no-brainer choice to land on the 1950s All-Decade Team.
He earned a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 1973. Schmidt is ranked No. 65 in The Athletic’s NFL 100.
GO DEEPER
NFL 100: At No. 65, Joe Schmidt, the Lions’ QB on defense and football’s first great middle linebacker
“We are saddened to hear of the passing of Joe Schmidt,” the Lions said in a statement. “Joe was a Lion through and through, having spent his entire career in Detroit, including 13 years as a linebacker and six seasons as our head coach. 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 link to our championship era and one of the proudest Lions you will ever meet.”
In T.J. Troup’s book “The Birth of Football’s Modern 4-3 Defense,” Schmidt explained the detail behind the secret to unlocking Detroit’s resurgence — and what made the system one that basically everyone in the league copied. Schmidt said his calls on the field were prompted by what he thought the opposing quarterback would call based on his film work and overall game-plan studies.
“Joe is responsible for all the defensive signals called on the field. The moves, the strategy, are all his responsibility,” Don Shula, then a defensive assistant in Detroit, told the Free Press in 1962 — explaining how most linebackers handled the front seven, not the entire field like Schmidt. “We think he’s the greatest.”
We are saddened to hear of the passing of Joe Schmidt.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Marilyn, and the entire Schmidt family as we all mourn his passing.
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 12, 2024
Schmidt’s legacy also includes time as the Lions’ head coach. He became an assistant for Detroit upon his retirement in 1966, then was elevated to head coach in 1967 at 35 years old. Schmidt went 43-34-7 during a six-year run that featured an early rebuild, a push in the middle and an eventual plateau that fell short of a title.
“Joe Schmidt played in a golden era of middle linebackers in the NFL, and many of his peers considered him the toughest opponent they faced,” HOF president Jim Porter said in a statement. “When Joe Schmidt got to the ball carrier, that was the end of the play. And yet, he never sought out attention. He let his play do the talking.”
(Photo: Ron Kuntz Collection / Diamond Images via Getty Images)
