Joe Schmidt

Joseph Paul Schmidt (January 19, 1932 – September 11, 2024) was an American professional football player and coach who played as a linebacker in the National Football League for the Detroit Lions for 13 years from 1953 to 1965. A native of Pittsburgh, he played college football for the University of Pittsburgh Panthers from 1950 to 1952 and was selected by the International News Service as a first-team All-American. With the Lions he won two NFL championships, in 1953 and 1957. Between 1954 and 1963 he played in ten consecutive Pro Bowl games and was selected as a first-team All-Pro player each year. His fellow NFL players voted him the league's most valuable defensive player in 1960 and 1963, and he was named to the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team. From 1967 to 1972, Schmidt served as head coach of the Detroit Lions, compiling a 43–34–7 record over six years and finishing in second place each year from 1969 to 1972. After leaving the Lions, he worked as a manufacturer's representative in the automobile industry in Detroit. Schmidt was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973 and was chosen as a member of the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019.