LeBeau enters 50th NFL season

[tony hipchest]

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbur.../s_582050.html

great article. is there anyone more underappreciated in the nfl than lebeau? (i mean by anyone not a steelerfan?)

LeBeau, who turns 71 on Sept. 9, isn't the type to celebrate such milestones. When a reporter broached the topic, saying, "This is year 50, eh?" LeBeau smiled and said, "That's the rumor."

But forget 50 years. LeBeau estimates it has been 60 years since he spent a late summer doing anything but training for another football season. That would have been 1948 -- the year the NFL prohibited plastic helmets and equipped referees with whistles instead of horns.

Yes, LeBeau is perhaps the only man in football who can make Dick Hoak feel young.
Hoak, 68, retired in 2006 after 45 years in the Steelers organization. LeBeau just keeps on trucking, still without a plan to retire, still at the top of his game.

"Unreal," says former Steelers linebacker Kevin Greene, a volunteer assistant at training camp. "The stuff he has seen. The changes he has seen. The changes he has caused in the league. It's incredible."

No age limit

LeBeau is the oldest coordinator in the NFL, edging Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore, who turns 70 in November, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, who turned 68 in February

Players young and old revere him.

"I only saw him get mad one time in a game - the AFC Championship game at Denver (in 2005)," Farrior said. "I forget which defensive backs were out there, but they were celebrating or something, and he went crazy. I never saw him like that, ever."

Listen to the 46-year-old Greene, who thrived in LeBeau's "Blitzburgh" defense: "I don't tell too many guys I love them, but I tell him I love him. He has a heart of gold, as genuine a guy as there is."

Now listen to 22-year-old Lawrence Timmons, a second-year linebacker: "Coming in last year, I was making mistakes, and he was very patient and straight with me. You can't beat a straight-up guy. Those are always the most respected. I guess that's why so many people love him so much."

can ya feel the love?

The Cleveland Browns drafted LeBeau in the fifth round in 1959 (the year the Green Bay Packers hired Vince Lombardi as coach), then cut him.

and who knew he was a stunt double for michael caine in 1970?

[Steelman16]

Love ya LeBeau! Thanks for the memories, it's great havin' you in the B&G all these 50 years. Here's to many more!

[tony hipchest]

actually, it was a fantastic article. im gonna make a semi-bold prediction.

coach lebeau will be the 1st assistant coach elected into the pro football Hall of Fame.

i pray that its not posthumously, because the man deserves it already.

[MACH1]

Originally Posted by tony hipchest

actually, it was a fantastic article. im gonna make a semi-bold prediction.

coach lebeau will be the 1st assistant coach elected into the pro football Hall of Fame.

i pray that its not posthumously, because the man deserves it already.

Yes he does. The impact in the NFL because of his D, copycat or fear warrant it.

[redst3]

Originally Posted by tony hipchest

coach lebeau will be the 1st assistant coach elected into the pro football Hall of Fame.

You are absolutely right! He also had a great career a player with the Lions.

From Wikipedia:

He was a leading interceptor, with 62 career interceptions for 762 return yards and 3 touchdowns, and holds the NFL record for consecutive game appearances for a cornerback with 171. He also recovered 9 fumbles, returning them for 53 yards and a touchdown.

[Aussie_steeler]

Originally Posted by tony hipchest

actually, it was a fantastic article. im gonna make a semi-bold prediction.

coach lebeau will be the 1st assistant coach elected into the pro football Hall of Fame.

i pray that its not posthumously, because the man deserves it already.

I had the same thought in my head as I read the first post only to see you make your prediction.

He will be elected for his total contribution to the NFL as a player,assistant coach and head coach. His longevity also contains a fair amount of quality and substance with it. You cant begrudge the man because of who he was unfortunate to be head coach of.

Bring on the HOF some day.

[Galax Steeler]

All I can say is he is one hell of a cordinater probably the best in the business hope he is arouond for a long time.

[Texasteel]

Originally Posted by tony hipchest

actually, it was a fantastic article. im gonna make a semi-bold prediction.

coach lebeau will be the 1st assistant coach elected into the pro football Hall of Fame.

i pray that its not posthumously, because the man deserves it already.

3 thoughts

It will have to be posthumously, the mans going to dye at work.
I would like to see them wave the 5 year waiting period.
They are going to have to add a wing just for the Steelers.

[19ward86]

I wish he coached my highschool football team. lol.

[tony hipchest]

Originally Posted by Aussie_steeler

I had the same thought in my head as I read the first post only to see you make your prediction.

He will be elected for his total contribution to the NFL as a player,assistant coach and head coach. His longevity also contains a fair amount of quality and substance with it. You cant begrudge the man because of who he was unfortunate to be head coach of.

Bring on the HOF some day.

its a shame. 2 important points from the article-

his newly invented defense helped stymie the 49ers vaunted west coast offense in the superbowl at the peak of their dynasty.

Like Moore and Kiffin, LeBeau wins a lot, excluding his three-year run (2000-02) as the Cincinnati Bengals' head coach, when he was 12-33. In his two stints as a defensive coach with the Steelers - 1992-97 and 2004-present - they are 118-60, including playoffs. Without him, they are 52-45-1.

steelers have shown to be great with him and average w/o. and that has stood the test of time.

the bengals suck.