NFL legend Joe Schmidt, who helped Lions to 2 championships, dead at 92

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Joe Schmidt, a Hall of Fame linebacker who helped the Detroit Lions to two NFL Championships in the 1950s and later coached the team, has died. He was 92.

The Lions said the family informed the team Schmidt died on Wednesday but did not release the cause of death.

"We are saddened to hear of the passing of Joe Schmidt. Joe was a Lion through and through, having spent his entire career in Detroit, including 13 years as a linebacker and six seasons as our head coach," the team said in a statement. "He patrolled the middle of our defense with such ferocity that he was named to 10 consecutive Pro Bowls from 1955 to 1964. Joe was an enduring link to our Championship era and one of the proudest Lions you will ever meet. 

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Detroit Lions head coach Joe Schmidt acknowledges the crowd after receiving a Pro Football Hall of Fame ring during a ceremony at halftime of an NFL football game between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears on Oct. 18, 2015 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez, File)

"He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973 and was an inaugural member of our team's ring of honor, the Pride of the Lions, which will ensure his place in our history forever. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Marilyn, and the entire Schmidt family as we all mourn his passing."

Martha Firestone Ford, the Lions team owner and chair emeritus, also released a statement.

"Joe Schmidt had the heart of a Lion, which made it appropriate that he was also the heart of our team. Joe was a key part of our Championship seasons and continued to be an important part of our organization until his passing," she said. 

"Joe made his home in Detroit and carried his success from the field into our community. I am saddened to hear of his passing, but I have nothing but fond memories of the person he was. I share my deepest condolences with Marilyn and his children."

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Detroit Lions linebacker Joe Schmidt, #56, on the bench during the 1960 Pro Bowl at the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Jan. 17, 1960. (Darryl Norenberg-USA TODAY Sports)

Schmidt was a standout linebacker at Pittsburgh before the Lions selected him in the seventh round of the 1953 draft. He was a Pro Bowl linebacker in 10 of his first 11 seasons. He was also a first-team All-Pro selection eight times and named to the All-1950s team.

He was a part of the team that had one of the biggest NFL playoff comebacks. The Lions were down 27-7 against the San Francisco 49ers in 1957 and rallied to win 31-27. It was the largest comeback in NFL postseason history before the Buffalo Bills stunned the Houston Oilers after being down by 32 points in 1993.

"We just decided to go after them, blitz them almost every down," he said. "We had nothing to lose. When you're up against it, you let both barrels fly."

Schmidt recalled getting drafted in an interview with the Detroit Free Press in 2017.

"It was a dream of mine to play football," he told the newspaper. "I had so many people tell me that I was too small. That I couldn’t play. I had so many negative people say negative things about me ... that it makes you feel good inside. I said, ‘OK, I’ll prove it to you.’"

Schmidt had three total touchdowns in his career and 24 interceptions.

Linebacker Joe Schmidt was the captain of the 1957 NFL champion Detroit Lions. (Detroit Free Press via Imagn Content Services, LLC)

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He coached the Lions from 1967 to 1972. He was 43-34-7.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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