Inside The Panthers

Former Pitt Star LB Joe Schmidt Dies at 92

Former Pitt Panthers star linebacker and Hall of Famer Joe Schmidt died at 92.

Dominic Campbell

Jan 17, 1960; Los Angeles, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Detroit Lions linebacker Joe Schmidt (56) on the bench during the 1960 Pro Bowl at the Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darryl Norenberg-Imagn Images
Jan 17, 1960; Los Angeles, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Detroit Lions linebacker Joe Schmidt (56) on the bench during the 1960 Pro Bowl at the Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darryl Norenberg-Imagn Images / Darryl Norenberg-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers star linebacker Joe Schmidt died at 92 years old on Sept. 11, his family told the Detroit Free Press.

Schmidt grew up in the Pittsburgh area, playing for Brentwood High School in Brentwood, Pa., just south of the city.

He redshirted in 1949 and played for Pitt from 1950-52, under four different head coaches. He started out as a fullback and a guard, but in his sophomore season, his head coach Len Casanova switched him to linebacker, where he would go on to have an excellent career.

Schmidt struggled with injuries while as a Panther. He broke two ribs as a freshman, broke his wrist in spring practice and separated shoulder in the fall as a sophomore, wrenched his knee in the preseason before his junior year and tore knee cartilage in his senior season opener vs. iowa.

Despite playing hurt most of the time, Schmidt had one of the greatest individual performances against then ranked No. 8 Notre Dame on the road on Oct. 11, 1952.

He had a players only speech he gave that put motivation in the Panthers to go out and beat the heavily favored Fighting Irish.

Schmidt made an important 60-yard interception return and Pitt would upset Notre Dame, 22-19. He also suffered a concussion and a hemorrhage during that game, landing him the hospital for the next 10 days.

His play led Pitt to a 6-3-1 record that season after poor finishes in the previous two. He earned First Team All-American honors for his play and also earned a selection to the Senior Bowl

Schmidt would fall all the way to the Seventh Round of the 1953 NFL Draft, due to injury concerns, where the Detroit Lions selected him.

He starred for the Lions for 13 seasons from 1953-65, winning the NFL Championship in 1953 and 1957, eight-time First Team All-Pro honoree (1954-59, 1961-62), two-time Second Team All-Pro honoree (1960, 1963), 10-time consecutive Pro Bowl appearances (1954-63).

His efforts also landed him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with his induction in 1973. He is a part of the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.

The Lions retired his No. 56 jersey, added him to their Hall of Fame, called the Pride of the Lions, and also to their 75th Aniversary Team and All-Time Team.

Pitt also retired his No. 65 jersey in 1997 and added him to their Hall of Fame in 2019.

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Dominic Campbell
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