Joe Schmidt Joseph Paul Schmidt ( born January 19 , 1932 ) is a former American football player and coach at both the collegiate and professional levels . His 13 - year career with the National Football League ' s Detroit Lions gained him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973 . Collegiate career . Schmidt grew up in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania in the borough of Brentwood and attended the University of Pittsburgh , playing on the school ' s football team for three years from 1950 – 1952 . His hard - nosed play and leadership were an integral part of the team during those three years , with his inspirational pre - game speech helping the Panthers upset a heavily - favored team from the University of Notre Dame , 22 – 19 , on October 11 , 1952 . One player later commented , " Hell , we were more afraid of Schmidt than Notre Dame . " Despite these attributes , Schmidt ' s size ( 6 ft , 195 lb ; 1 . 8 m , 88 kg ) worked against him in the NFL draft , when the Lions waited until the seventh round to select him . It was not until his arrival at the 1953 College All - Star Game that the Lion coaches , who were opposing him in the contest , saw his talent on display . Professional career . Schmidt worked his way into the lineup , helping Detroit to its second straight NFL title as a rookie . By 1956 , Schmidt was named a team captain , a designation he would hold for the next nine years , with his defensive skills resulting in his calling signals for the team . The latter duty resulted in an amusing , if painful , moment for Schmidt that year , when many teams were experimenting with radio receivers to send signals . On one occasion , Lions ' assistant coach Buster Ramsey was so upset after one play that he slammed the radio receiver to the ground , with Schmidt jumping after being on the noisy end of Ramsey ' s anger . The following year , Schmidt was named the top defensive player in the NFL , when he made roughly half of the team ' s tackles on the season . The award was the first of four times that he would receive the honor , with his outstanding play an important part of the Lions ' third title in six years . However , Schmidt ' s 1957 salary of $ 11 , 000 became a sticking point before the start of the next season , and after six months of military service during the off - season , Schmidt was a holdout as training camp began . He later signed and finished the year with six interceptions , while also establishing a new NFL record that year by recovering eight fumbles . Schmidt ' s physical toughness was put on greater display as injuries began to strike in 1960 . After suffering a dislocated shoulder in the September 11 exhibition game , Schmidt was expected to miss six weeks , but instead was back after a month and scored the first touchdown of his NFL career on October 16 against the Philadelphia Eagles . Two years later , Schmidt battled bruised ribs , but after the year had ended , his career was in peril for activities off the field when he became involved in a gambling investigation . After he admitted wagering on the 1962 NFL Championship game between the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants , Schmidt ( along with four teammates ) was fined $ 2 , 000 . In each of the next two seasons , shoulder troubles continued , but Schmidt continued to be the focal point of the Lions defense . In 1999 , he was ranked number 65 on " The Sporting News " ' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players . Number 65 was also his uniform number at Pitt , and the school retired it . As a Lion , he wore number 56 , and this number was retired as well . Schmidt personally allowed Pat Swilling to wear the number 56 during Swilling ' s time with the Lions . No player has worn it since . Coaching career . After a 1965 season in which he intercepted four passes , he announced his retirement on March 10 , 1966 , and was soon named as a Detroit assistant coach . During that year , he tutored linebackers Mike Lucci , who went on to a productive Pro Bowl career with the team , and Wally Hilgenberg , who later was an effective member of the Minnesota Vikings ' defense . After two years of continued conflict with players , Lions ' head coach Harry Gilmer was let go and Schmidt was hired to replace him for 1967 . In taking control , Schmidt instilled discipline by establishing curfews and trading unhappy players . The end result that first year was a 5 – 7 – 2 mark , but his attempts at improving the team after the season almost resulted in his resignation . Seeing the need for a quarterback , Schmidt attempted to trade for former Lion teammate Jim Ninowski , but was rejected by management . By the time the 1968 NFL season began , Schmidt had settled on former Los Angeles Rams signal caller Bill Munson . That year , Schmidt heard perhaps the first boos ever by Detroit fans when he ran out the clock , instead of trying to break a 20 – 20 deadlock against Green Bay . By season ' s end , the team had finished one game worse than the year before . In 1969 , his playing career was honored when he was selected the " Greatest Lion Ever " in conjunction with the NFL ' s 50th anniversary , and his team also showed strong improvement , finishing 9 – 4 – 1 on the campaign . Just hours after the team defeated the 11 – 2 Rams 28 – 0 on December 14 , Schmidt ' s celebrating caught up with him when he was arrested for driving while intoxicated . Schmidt ' s best season came the following year when the Lions were 10 – 4 to make the playoffs for the first time in 13 years . The most important win of the year came in a December 14 Monday night clash at Los Angeles , where they defeated the Rams 28 – 23 , while the most heartbreaking loss came on November 8 , when Tom Dempsey ' s record 63 - yard field goal beat Detroit 19 – 17 . After that game , Schmidt demoted Munson in favor of third - year quarterback Greg Landry . The playoff run was short , however , as the Dallas Cowboys won a defensive battle , 5 – 0 , on December 26 . In 1971 , the team slipped to a 7 – 6 – 1 record , but the decline paled in comparison to the death of Lions wide receiver Chuck Hughes in the waning moments of the October 24 game against the Chicago Bears . The following year , the team improved by one game , but with one game left , team owner William Clay Ford , unleashed a barrage of criticism on the squad as a whole . The end result was that Schmidt resigned on January 12 , 1973 , saying that , " coaching isn ' t fun anymore . " His mood brightened somewhat three weeks later when he was elected to the Hall of Fame , but Schmidt never again coached and spent the next three decades as a manufacturer ' s representative . Joe Schmidt ' s career mark as a coach was 43 - 35 - 7 . With the exception of Gary Moeller ( who coached just seven games , winning four ) , he is the most recent Lions coach with a winning record . Schmidt ' s personality was that of a perfectionist , perhaps one reason why his coaching was not as successful as his playing . He once stated , " I expect everyone to be like me . I guess that ' s a mistake . "