Two-time NFL champion linebacker Joe Schmidt passed away. He was 92.
According to the Lions, the former player and coach who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973 passed away on Wednesday, Sept. 11.
“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,” the Lions said Sept. 12. His aggressiveness in the heart of our defense earned him 10 straight Pro Bowls from 1955 to 1964. Joe was one of the proudest Lions you will ever meet and a lasting connection to our Championship era.”
The statement said, “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 ensure his place in our history forever. His wife, Marilyn, and the Schmidt family are in our thoughts and prayers as we grieve his passing.”
Schmidt won NFL titles with the Lions in 1953 and 1957. After retiring in 1965, he coached linebackers the following year. He was head coach from 1967 until 1972.
Former Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford remembers Schmidt.
“Joe Schmidt had the heart of a Lion, which made it appropriate that he was also the heart of our team,” Ford said Thursday. “Joe was a key part of our Championship seasons and our organization until his passing.”
Joe moved to Detroit and brought his athletic prowess home. I’m heartbroken by his loss, but I have only good memories of him,” Ford said. I’m sorry for Marilyn and his kids.
