It’s hard to believe that it was 64 years ago last month when Detroit Lions fans hoisted team captain Joe Schmidt onto their shoulders and carried him off the Briggs Stadium gridiron after Detroit won its last NFL championship and the third during the golden decade of Lions football.
The Hall of Famer commonly referred to as “Mr. Detroit Lion,” who defined the middle linebacker position, will celebrate his 90th birthday on Wednesday with Marilyn, his wife of 62 years, and their five children at the Schmidts’ Florida residence.
Considered by some to be too small despite being first-team All-America, Schmidt was drafted by the Lions out of Pitt in the seventh round of the 1953 NFL draft. He became a starter his rookie season while helping the defending champions win the title with stars Bobby Layne, Doak Walker and Jack Christiansen.
During his 13-year career, all in Detroit, Schmidt played in 10 consecutive Pro Bowl games (1954-1963) was selected first-team All-Pro eight times, second-team All-Pro twice, was named NFL’s Lineman of the Year in ’57 and the NFL’s Defensive MVP in ’60 and ‘63 as chosen by the players.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s bio on Schmidt succinctly explains his greatness as a middle linebacker:
“Without question he was the first to play the position with such finesse that even the masses in the stands could see the growing value of the ‘defensive quarterback.’ 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.”
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Upon his retirement in 1965, he served one season as a Lions’ assistant coach before becoming head coach from 1967 to 1972. Schmidt compiled a 43-34-7 record with four consecutive second-place finishes before suddenly quitting in January 1973 just before his 41st birthday.
A few weeks later, Schmidt was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and in 2000 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Schmidt was chosen for the 1950s All-Time team and the NFL 100 All-Time team. He later owned Joe Schmidt Enterprises, a successful manufacturer’s representative business. The Lions retired Schmidt’s famous No. 56.
Free Press special writer Bill Dow recently spoke with Schmidt regarding his birthday and his Hall of Fame career with the Lions:
[ A revealing look at the 1957 Detroit Lions in Joe Schmidt’s basement ]
Turning 90
“It’s kind of shock. I look back and wonder where did time go. I’m in relatively good health and will continue as long as the good Lord lets me. My memory is probably 90% and I’m thankful for that because there a lot of guys I played with who can’t remember what day it is. I thank the good Lord every night for the things I’ve been able to do in my life.
“Looking back, I’ve had great experiences playing football, coaching, and doing well in business. I read a lot and try to work out a little bit. I think that because I continued to exercise it helped me but I’ve had issues with my knees, back and a hip. I try to take it day by day and do the best I can. It’s tough losing friends like Mike Lucci who I thought would live to 140. But when the man calls you gotta go, I guess.”
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Growing up in Pittsburgh
“My dad built homes but the business went bad before the War and then he died when I was 13. I was the youngest of four brothers. My mother earned $5 a day cleaning homes. I was poor but didn’t know it. We didn’t have television back then so we didn’t really know what we didn’t have. My brother John played football at Carnegie Tech. I would go with my parents to see John play and from then on I knew what I wanted to do. After the games, I got to go in the locker room and boy that was really something. I thought, ‘I’d like to do this.’
“My brother Bill was a very good football player too and he had scholarship offers but he had to go into the service and was killed in France in World War II. Years earlier my brother Robert was killed in a home accident. I was the only kid in the neighborhood who had a football because my brother gave me one. I was a Steelers fan and would listen to them on radio along with Pitt. Sometimes a friend would sneak me in after the first quarter to see the Steelers play. I thought it sure would be great to play pro football. When I got into high school, I played fullback and linebacker and received a full scholarship at Pitt. I was also recruited by Maryland, Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana.”
Making the Lions
“A lot of people told me I couldn’t make the team because they were defending world champions and some thought I was undersized for pro ball. A friend of mine was connected with the Steelers so I asked him that if I got released by the Lions would the Steelers give me a tryout. I would have loved to have played for the Steelers. I also had a fallback because my high school coach said that I could teach there if I didn’t make it.
“I took a bus to Detroit and went to the Lion offices across from the stadium. Nick Kerbaway (GM) drove Gene Gedman to the training camp in Ypsilanti and was trying to persuade Gedman to sign a contract. For me, Kerbaway pointed to the corner of Michigan and Trumbull outside of Briggs Stadium and told me that I could take a bus from there to camp. I didn’t feel too good after that.
“I was standing there with a suitcase, didn’t know anybody or where I was. Years later whenever I drove by Michigan and Trumbull I looked at the fire hydrant there and it reminded me when I took that bus. I was just looking for the opportunity to show them that I could play. We had five rookies make that Lions team and I beat out veteran linebacker Dick Flanagan, who was sold to the Steelers. The veterans weren’t too happy about Flanagan being released.”
Winning a championship as a rookie
“I was naturally nervous as a 21-year-old playing the opening game against the Steelers at Briggs Stadium. I quickly realized that I was capable of playing pro football and things worked out pretty good.”
The Free Press’ account of the game read “Schmidt was making tackles all over the field in the first half. He was one of the factors in the Lions holding the Steelers to 96 yards on their rushing game.”
“My salary was $5,700 and I received $300 for winning our division and we each got $1,500 for winning the championship. I made a total of $7,500 that year. I think the most I made in a year was $30,000 in my last season in 1965. I told my mom she wasn’t going to clean houses anymore. One of the Lion directors owned a dealership and he gave me a deal, so I bought a two-door Chevy Bel Air. They wanted to sell me air conditioning for $250 and I said no I’ll just roll down the windows and skipped on the white walls. I bought a stick because that was cheaper. I was delighted to be on that team and win a world championship my first year. It was one hell of an experience. I’d like to do it again but I’m getting a little old for that.”
[ 1957 Detroit Lions: Full 60th anniversary coverage ]
Playing with Bobby Layne and for head coach Buddy Parker
“Bobby was a real leader and would get on people if they missed a block. He was quite a competitor. He respected the ballplayers who busted their ass and made big plays and we had plenty of damn good players. I just kept my mouth shut my rookie year. Whatever he or another veteran told me to do I did it. Bobby wasn’t mean, he just tried to keep the team together and it was his way of doing it. He took the rookies out and made us play a drinking game called ‘Cardinal Puff’ where you had to do a strict sequence of movements in order like tapping your fingers on the bar. If you messed up you had to quickly drink the rest of the beer and then start over. If you screwed up you ended up drunk on your ass and carried back to the dormitory. Today that wouldn’t go over at all.
“By my second year, Bobby would call me to go out on the town. I tried to avoid it because if you went with him, it would be a long night. But he always picked up the bill so at least you didn’t have to worry about that. Buddy Parker didn’t say much but when he did you better do it. He would review the game films with the entire team in the Briggs Stadium locker room. If you made a good play, he would compliment you and if you messed it up, he would play it back three or four times in front of everyone. He wouldn’t chew your ass out but it would be embarrassing to go through that so no one wanted that to happen.”
Playing middle linebacker
“My first two years we had two outside linebackers but on short-yardage plays we switched to where I played in the middle. When teams started throwing more, we switched full time to the 4-3 defense, and I got to play middle linebacker. I had played middle linebacker in high school and college so I didn’t feel out of line. It was all predicated on being able to keep people from blocking you and being able to read and make the play. I really enjoyed it and felt at home.
“No one taught me to anticipate plays it just sort of became natural for me and I’m sure happy it did. You have to pick your pursuit area but then be able to drop back on a pass play. The tough thing was that on running plays either a tackle or tight end would come in and try to block you from the blind side. On pass defense, you have to make sure you take the correct drop and drop in the area where you’re able to do your job. I never felt out of place.”
1950s Lions
“We had good players, and were pretty damn good. We had good leadership, not only with Bobby but also guys like Doak Walker, Cloyce Box and Vince Banonis who knew what you needed to do to win. They infused their feelings about winning and losing to the new guys. They would help rookies in any way they could.
“The games weren’t televised very much and the home games were blacked out. The fans at Briggs Stadium were really into it with us winning and they were so close to the field. They were very gracious and supportive because we had good teams and they expected us to win every game. If we didn’t play well, they would also let you know. I was fortunate to play on two championship teams and pick up a few extra bucks. It was a great experience to play with and against guys I idolized and just to play pro football.”
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Carried off the field after winning 1957 title
“It was actually kind of embarrassing because I didn’t anticipate anything like that. I played on such a good team that it felt out of place. I couldn’t do anything about it so I went along with it. But I appreciated it. I was given the game ball but I ended up giving it to our center Frank Gatski, who had played for the Browns. It was his last season and the only year he played with us. He was such a good player and I thought it was well deserving for him so that’s why I did it. Years later I asked Frank if he still had the ball and he told me that his dog had chewed it up when he wasn’t looking. (chuckling) I said, ‘Oh boy that’s a lot of good money going down the drain. You could have sold that for a lot of money.’”
Being head coach of the Lions and then quitting
“I never had an ambition to be a coach but Mr. Ford wanted me to do it. I hired some very good assistant coaches like Chuck Knox, Bill McPeak and Jimmy David and they did most of the coaching. I kind of stood there and pretended that I knew what was going on (chuckles). We had some very good players like Lem Barney and Charlie Sanders and we should have won a championship if we had a few breaks.
“I try to forget that playoff game in Dallas in 1970. To lose 5-0 is ridiculous. We had a good football team defensively and offensively and they were good guys so it’s a damn shame. That’s the way the game is and life is so you go accordingly. I quit because I think there were some misunderstandings and I wasn’t permitted to do what I wanted to do. Let’s leave it at that.”
The NFL today
“I watch it but I call it ‘push and shove,’ and I don’t really enjoy that much. You rarely see traps or pulling guards and double-teaming and knocking the hell out of each other. It is what it is. I don’t blame the players. The league made rule changes because of injuries, and what they’re paying the players is part of it. It makes sense if you’re a businessman. I can understand it but it has changed the game and it’s difficult to watch for people like me who played before. But people seem to like it and the stands are full.”
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