Legendary cornerback becomes 18th Lion to be enshrined
DETROIT -- Cornerback Dick LeBeau, a stalwart of the Lions’ great defenses of the 1960s, will be the 18th player in franchise history inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. LeBeau was voted by the Hall of Fame Selection Committee, during a process that takes place annually on the Saturday of Super Bowl weekend, to join the Class of 2010 for enshrinement this August. The Lions all-time leader in interceptions played 14 seasons in Detroit. He holds the NFL record for consecutive games played by a cornerback and the franchise record for consecutive starts with 171.
It’s been a long time coming for former Lions’ cornerback Dick LeBeau, but this August, he will finally become a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2010.
"It's just been a life-long dream really. I just always thought that if it was meant to be it would be," said LeBeau. "It's been 37, 38 years since I've finished playing and it's something to say about longevity and sticking in there and holding on to your dreams. It's just unbelieveable and I'm just so thrilled, so pleased."
During his 14-year playing career, LeBeau was one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, leaving the game in 1972 third on the league’s all-time interceptions list with 62 (currently tied for eighth place).
He still holds the all-time interceptions record in Lions’ history on a list that includes the likes of four other Hall of Fame defensive players: safety Jack Christensen, safety/punter Yale Lary, cornerback Dick “Night Train” Lane, cornerback Lem Barney and linebacker Joe Schmidt.
LeBeau was intelligent in the defensive backfield and was a playmaker throughout his career, but it was his durability that really separated him from the rest. LeBeau holds the NFL record for consecutive games played by a cornerback with 171 and his 171 starts are also a Lions’ franchise record.
“I think that says that I was a guy who would come to work and go play every week and didn’t have to be in perfect health to play,” said LeBeau back in October. “I would play and tried to do the best job I could for my teammates and my team. That’s pretty much the way I’ve approached work throughout my life.
“I’m very proud of that. In fact that’s the only thing from playing that I ever talk about, is playing in the (171) straight games. It’s a lot for a corner; I’ll tell you that.”
During the 12-year stretch of 1960-71, LeBeau recorded 62 career interceptions, the most during that time period.
Throughout his career, he managed to pick off 25 different quarterbacks, but – amidst those 25 – he had a tendency to play at a high level against some of the game’s best passers. LeBeau’s most interceptions against individual quarterbacks came against Hall of Famers Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr, who he picked off seven times each.
“I used to kid both of them and say that most of my interceptions came against those two,” said LeBeau. “They would always counter with ‘Well, that’s probably true, but how many touchdowns would we get on you?’
“I felt like I knew those two guys pretty well and I’m sure they felt like they knew me, but we did have some really good defenses and some defensive lines that could really put some pressure on the quarterback. It set us up in the secondary for some good opportunities to intercept. I was always pretty proud of that too because those two guys are both Hall of Famers.”
Beyond Unitas and Starr, he also had interceptions against other Hall of Famers with three against Fran Tarkenton and one against Y.A. Tittle.
Though LeBeau was a fifth-round draft selection by the Cleveland Browns in 1959 out of Ohio State, he was cut in training camp. It was shortly thereafter that he signed with the Lions as a free agent and quickly became a mainstay player on defense.
In 2009, LeBeau entered his 37th year as a coach in the NFL ranks and, while that has become his primary focus, he’ll always cherish his playing career in Motown.
“I’ll always have a lot of Honolulu blue and silver in me,” he said. “You don’t play for somebody for 14 years and not have it continue to be a part of your life as long as you’re on the planet.”
- From 1960-71 he never had less than three interceptions in each of those 12 seasons and was named to the Pro Bowl in 1965, 1966 and 1967.
- Perhaps his greatest season occurred in 1970 when he was second in the NFL with a career-high nine interceptions, helped lead the Lions to a 10-4 record and the team’s first playoff berth since 1957. LeBeau was a standout on that Lions defense that ranked second in the NFL in total defense (246.2 yards allowed per game) and scoring defense (14.4 points allowed per game).
- LeBeau is the only player in Lions history to return and fumble and an interception for a touchdown in single game. Against the Minnesota Vikings December 9, 1962, LeBeau returned a 26-yard fumble and a 31-yard interception for a score and is one of only 12 players to accomplish that feat in NFL history.
- Following his playing career, LeBeau quickly entered the NFL coaching ranks as special teams coach for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1973 and has served as the Steelers’ Defensive Coordinator for the past six seasons (2004-09).
