Joe Schmidt Dies at 92; Lions Legend Was Inducted into Pro Football HOF in 1973

Julia StumbaughSeptember 12, 2024

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Former Detroit Lions linebacker and Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Schmidt died on Wednesday. He was 92 years old.

Regarded as one of the best defensive players of his era, Schmidt helped lead the Lions to NFL championships in 1953 and 1957.

“We are saddened to hear of the passing of Joe Schmidt. Joe was a Lion through and through, having spent his entire career in Detroit,” the team said in a statement. “Joe was an enduring link to our Championship era and one of the proudest Lions you will ever meet.”

Detroit Lions @LionsRemembering the life and career of Joe Schmidt: A Lions Legend pic.twitter.com/58QTIrIgjP

Schmidt played college football for Pitt from 1950 to 1952, where he overcame a myriad of injuries to be named a first-team All-American as a senior. Pitt retired Schmidt’s No. 65 jersey in 1997.

Pitt Football @Pitt_FBThe embodiment of Pitt and Pittsburgh toughness.

Rest in peace, Joe Schmidt. pic.twitter.com/deVniYWiCz

After being selected in the seventh round of the 1953 NFL draft, Schmidt began a 13-year playing career with the Lions.

Schmidt served as a captain for nine seasons and appeared in 10 Pro Bowl games during that span, which remains tied for the most in franchise history.

A rookie starter who helped power the Lions to an title over the Cleveland Browns in 1953, Schmidt helped Detroit return to the championship game in 1954, where the Browns won in a rematch.

The Lions earned redemption again in 1957 as Schmidt helped bring the title back home to Detroit.

Schmidt retired after the 1965 season with 24 career interceptions for 294 yards. The Pro Football Hall of Fame credits him with shaping the future of the middle linebacker position in the NFL.

“He anticipated plays with uncanny accuracy,” Schmidt’s Hall of Fame bio reads. “He was a deadly tackler. He was fast enough to evade a 250-pound guard, to follow a play along the line or to drop back to cover a pass. He was strong enough to power past a potential blocker to crumble a play.

“But his greatest talent may well have been his uncanny knack of knowing what the opposition was going to do.”

Schmidt began working with the club as a linebackers coach in 1966 and then served as head coach of the Lions from 1967 to 1972. He posted a 43-34-7 record over six seasons at the helm.

After his retirement from the NFL, Schmidt worked in the Detroit auto industry as the founder of auto supply company Joe Schmidt Enterprises.

Schmidt was elected into the Pro Football Hal of Fame in 1973 and joined the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.