The Lions already have 22 members of their organization enshrined forever in Canton, Ohio at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On Wednesday afternoon they learned there would be a 23rd member being added to the fold as the hall of fame announced they would honor their former athletic trainer Dean Kleinschmidt.
Congratulations to longtime @NFL athletic trainer Dean Kleinschmidt on receiving the Award of Excellence from the @ProFootballHOF!
Dean was the #Lions’ head athletic trainer from 2007-14 before retiring from his career as an NFL athletic trainer that spanned more than 40 years. pic.twitter.com/O0ffUcfnPA
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) March 27, 2024
Kleinschmidt served as the Lions head athletic trainer from 2007 to 2014. Over that time he helped a lot of key players on the team stay on the field while also extending their careers. The prime years of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson saw them take some brutal hits but the trainers department always took care of them and they helped usher in a new era of Lions football.
His career was more than just Detroit however, it spanned 40 years in the NFL. In a league that jokingly is referred to as Not For Long, Kleinschmidt was ever lasting and a deserving recipient of the Award of Excellence from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.