PFT looks at the 2010 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Like many football fans, I first met Dick LeBeau in the pages of Paper Lion by George Plimpton.
Then 26 years old, LeBeau was described a “lady-killer” with an “abstracted air” who was an expert dancer at the local bar. LeBeau liked to strum “melancholy” songs on his guitar late at night while telling stories about his legendary secondary teammate Dick “Night Train” Lane.
While it’s hard to imagine this young man becoming one of the legendary coaches of his era, even then LeBeau thought differently than others.
Lane called LeBeau “complex,” always thinking how best to read the receivers he covered. His mind often seemed elsewhere off the field, perhaps thinking about the next practice, the next game.
LeBeau used his brain and his physical tools to rack up 62 interceptions in a 14-year career, still seventh-best in NFL history. He made the Pro Bowl three times, and only missed one game between 1961-1972.
A great player, LeBeau wouldn’t be inducted this weekend if not for his influence as a coach. It’s debatable whether he “invented” the zone blitz, but LeBeau certainly popularized it and mastered all its advantages like no one else.
He coordinated the Bengals into the Super Bowl twice in the 80’s, and helped key Pittsburgh’s two Super Bowl trophies in the last decade with a rotating cast of players, many of whom call LeBeau “Coach Dad.”
The voters for the Hall of Fame weren’t supposed to consider LeBeau’s coaching achievements, which is silly.
We’re glad they did. You can’t tell the story of the NFL over the last 50 years without including Dick LeBeau’s contributions.
