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Joe Schmidt

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Football Player

The Resume

    (January 19, 1932- )
    Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
    Attended the University of Pittsburgh
    Linebacker for the Detroit Lions (1953-65)
    24 interceptions for 294 yards
    Ten-time Pro Bowler (1954-63)
    Head coach of the Detroit Lions (1967-72)
    Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1973) and College Football Hall of Fame (2000)
    #56 retired by the Detroit Lions
    #65 retired by the University of Pittsburgh
    Appeared as himself in the film ‘Paper Lion’ (1969)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was fined $2,000 by commissioner Pete Rozelle for gambling (1963).
    He was booed by Detroit fans after the Lions recovered a fumble at the 20-yard line with 27 seconds to go and Schmidt chose to run out the clock rather than try for a win (October 21, 1968).
    He was arrested for driving under the influence after running a red light at 75 mph (December 14, 1969); he pleaded guilty and was fined $150.
    When he retired as coach, he said, ‘I really don't enjoy coaching anymore. It got to be a burden more than a fun-loving game.’

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was twice voted by fellow players as the NFL’s most valuable defensive player (1960,1963).
    Norm Van Brocklin said, ‘If I were to start a team from scratch, I'd select Joe Schmidt to form the core of my team.’
    During the NFL’s 50th anniversary celebrations, he was named ‘Greatest Lion Ever.’ (1969)
    In a poll of 300 sportswriters, he was named best defensive player in Lions’ history (1988).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 97 Votes: 54.64% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 126 Votes: 42.06% Annoying