Detroit Lions all-time Mount Rushmore

PONTIAC, : This 21 December 1997 file photo show Detroit Lions Barry Sanders as he is carried off of the field by his teammates after he became one of three players to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season against the New York Jets 21 December 1997 at the Pontiac, Mich, Silverdome. Sanders will reportedly announce his retirement from football after a 10-year career. AFP PHOTO Jeff KOWALSKY (Photo credit should read JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images) /

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American professional football player Joe Schmidt #56 of the Detroit Lions charges towards Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas #19 (1933 – 2002) during a game, Detroit, November 22, 1962. The Lions won 26 – 14. (Photo by Robert Riger/Getty Images) /

Detroit Lions Mount Rushmore: MLB Joe Schmidt

Even though he’s a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Detroit Lions’ middle linebacker Joe Schmidt sometimes goes under the radar when it comes to the list of great players at his position in league history.

It’s arguably the glamour position on defense and certainly was when the NFL was dominated by 4-3 defense. Fellow Hall of Famers such as Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke, Jack Lambert, Sam Huff, Mike Singletary and lately, Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher are the names you seem to hear more often than Schmidt.

The University of Pittsburgh product was a seventh-round draft choice in 1953 and would play a total of 13 seasons with the franchise. He was part of the Lions’ last two NFL titles (1953 and ’57), was named to 10 Pro Bowls and was accorded All-Pro honors eight times. That nose for the football resulted in 24 interceptions and 17 fumble recoveries, with three of those takeaways returned for touchdowns.

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In 1967, Schmidt was named head coach of the Lions and held the job for six seasons. The team started slow but he led them to four consecutive winning campaigns his final four years and a playoff berth in 1970.

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