finalyear death_date debutyear statvalue article_title finalteam draftround birth_date draftyear number image college statlabel debutteam caption birth_place nfl hof position draftpick
1959 5 july 2009 1950 116 3 lou creekmur
 detroit lions 26 22 january 1927 1948 76 lou creekmur.jpg william and mary games played fumble recoveries detroit lions pro football hall of fame induction hopelawn , new jersey cre138430 49 tackle/guard 243
lou creekmur

louis creekmur -lrb- january 22 , 1927 -- july 5 , 2009 -rrb- was an nfl left offensive tackle/guard for the detroit lions from 1950-59 .
he was also used as a defensive lineman in critical situations .
in 1996 , he was enshrined in the pro football hall of fame .
creekmur played football in an era in which protective equipment - especially helmets - were nowhere as sophisticated as they are today .
during his high school and early pro years , anyone who wore a face mask was considered a `` sissy . ''
as a result , lou creekmur 's nose was broken and reset some 13 times .
his nose , like those of many players of the 1940s and 1950s , featured the distinctive `` flat '' look resulting from the repeated and cumulative destruction of its cartilage .
apart from the broken noses , creekmur is remarkable in that in ten full seasons he never missed a game .
his single most serious injury was in the last game of the season in the mid-1950s in which he dislocated his shoulder .
however , because it was in fact the last game and that year the lions were eliminated from post-season play , his record stayed intact .
creekmur 's primary job was to protect his quarterback from being tackled by a large defensive end and give the qb time to set and throw a successful downfield pass .
his favorite quarterback was the famous bobby layne .
he was fond of telling the story about how layne would frequently treat his front five linemen to expensive steak dinners , not only to thank them for their efforts at making him look good , but to encourage their loyalty .
creekmur had been diagnosed post-mortem as having developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy following a 30-year decline of cognition .
creekmur played high school football at woodbridge high school .
he was inducted into the virginia sports hall of fame in 1989 .
