Katelyn Auty
Head Copy Editor
Social Media Editor
Associate Sports Editor
Detroit Lions legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Schmidt passed away on Sept. 11 at the age of 92.
“Joe Schmidt had the heart of a Lion, which made it appropriate that he was also the heart of our team,” shared Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford in a statement on Sept. 12. “Joe was a key part of our Championship seasons and continued to be an important part of our organization until his passing.”
Schmidt spent his entire professional career in Detroit, spending thirteen years there as a linebacker, serving as the linebackers’ coach in 1966, and as the team’s head coach from 1967-1972.
The linebacker was a seventh-round selection of Detroit in the 1953 NFL Draft. At the time, he was joining the NFL’s best team, the Lions hot off their 1952 Super Bowl win. Schmidt slipped in the draft due to a multitude of college injuries, but quickly erased any doubts that he could hold a starting spot on the team.
Considered the greatest defensive player in Lions history, Schmidt led the team to two NFL Championships, earned 10 Pro Bowl selections, made eight All-Pro teams, was voted “Most Valuable Player” by his teammates four times, and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973. He was also voted the “Greatest Lion Ever” in 1969 in conjunction with the NFL’s 50th anniversary.
“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,” said Jim Porter, president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in a statement on Thursday. “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.”
Off the field, Schmidt had a short stint in Hollywood, playing himself in the 1968 film “Paper Lion,” based on the book by George Plimpton. After retiring from the Lions, he formed Joe Schmidt Enterprises, a manufacturer’s representative working with the car industry in Detroit.
“Joe made his home in Detroit and carried his success from the field into our community,” shared Ford. “I am saddened to hear of his passing, but I have nothing but fond memories of the person he was.”
Schmidt is survived by his wife, Marilynn Rotz, and their five children.