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Joseph Paul Schmidt (born January 18, 1932) is an American former professional football player and coach. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions for 13 years from 1953 to 1965.
When Schmidt started playing pro football, the Lions were traditionally a strong defensive team. Yet within a very short time after his first pro game, Joe was the defensive leader of the Lions. Later in his career, he was the team's field captain for nine straight seasons.
Checkout the latest stats for Joe Schmidt. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, college, draft, and more on Pro-football-reference.com.
Jul 6, 2016 · EVERY Undrafted Player in the Hall of Fame! Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Joe Schmidt comes in at number 84 on NFL Films' "The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players" list produced in 2010.
Jul 26, 2021 · Schmidt's play at middle linebacker made him an NFL star, prompting other teams to try and emulate Detroit's defensive success.
Schmidt came out of Brentwood, PA, 6 feet 1, 220 pounds, with offers from eight schools. He chose Pitt. He played pro with Detroit 1953-65, was all-pro linebacker eight times, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was the Detroit Lions' head coach 1967-72.
That episode illustrates the leadership Joe Schmidt brought to every chapter of his brilliant football career. His level as a star player in 1952 was recognized by International News Service, which named him All-America linebacker.
