CB/HB Charles Richard "Dick" LeBeau (official thread)

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My big sis went to OSU in 53 -55, graduating in Dental Hygiene. As a result we made a great many trips to Columbus, usually using route 35 from Kettering to Xenia connecting to route 42 and eventually passing London. The high school faced out onto route 42, dark red brick and limestone lentils, a school so small they must have dressed every boy in the building to field a team. The football field was right next door with maybe two sets of bleachers on one side and a single set on the other. When I read the OSU program and saw that Dick LeBeau, a star player, was from London I was amazed.

Today I looked the place up on google maps to be sure of the routes and man it must have really grown in the last few years as it was still a one traffic light kind of place even into the 60s.

[Buckskin86]

LeBeau Field House Night Class(y) Reunion
Friday, July 3, 2009
By JEFF GATES
Press Contributor

Editor?s Note ? This is the third and final story in a series of articles about LeBeau Field House Night ? held last Saturday in London High School?s Ray Chadwell Gymnasium.

Reunited.

And it felt so good.

In addition to being arguably the best defensive strategist in the history of the National Football League, London native Dick LeBeau is a musical connoisseur.

While the melancholy 1979 Peaches and Herb song might not be in his guitar-playing repertoire, the sentiment is in his heart.

One of the many highlights of last Saturday?s event at London High School to honor this Legend of the Fall ? as well as to raise funds to construct a field house that will bear his name ? was a reunion of LeBeau with some of his teammates from an Ohio State University football team that won the 1957 national championship. They defeated Oregon in the Rose Bowl to earn top billing in both the United Press International and Football Writers Association polls. An outstanding game by LeBeau in the season finale against Michigan got the Buckeyes to the Rose Bowl.

There was plenty of warmth and friendship to go around as former Buckeye teammates Daryl Sanders, Bob White, Dick Schafrath, and Galen Cisco each spoke to the close-to-500 admirers on hand to honor LeBeau.

?He told me, ?Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye,?? said Sanders ? an offensive tackle who eventually joined LeBeau with the Detroit Lions. ?Your teammates become a part of your life.?

Sanders, who did an excellent job throughout the evening as the Master of Ceremonies, was born in the town where all on hand agree where LeBeau should eventually be honored ? Canton ? the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

When the 1957 college football season got underway, it did not appear as though the Buckeyes would be making any noise. Saddled with a loss to Texas Christian University in the opener, OSU?s title hopes seemed to be all but smashed.

But, the Buckeyes were able to dig themselves out of a hole by continuing to rack up victories. The pivotal point in the season came as OSU trailed unbeaten Iowa 13-10. Legendary coach Woody Hayes but the game in White?s hands, and the sophomore fullback responded, marching his squad down the field and finally capping it off with a five-yard scoring run.

?I?m proud I played for OSU, and I played for Woody Hayes,? said White, who was the Academic All-American Player of the Year and a Heisman Trophy finalist in 1958. ?I?m also very proud to say I played with Dick LeBeau.?

As the admiration poured from his former teammates, their sentiments were echoed by some of the words of ?Carmen, Ohio,? their school?s alma mater.

?Though age may dim our mem?ry?s store

We?ll think of happy days of yore

True to friend and frank to foe

As sturdy sons of Ohio.?

Welcome to the Madison Press!

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Coordinated Canton plea for football's unrecognized innovators
July 29, 2009
By Clark Judge
CBSSports.com Senior Writer

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Here's an idea: Instead of talking about what a marvelous defensive coordinator Jim Johnson was, let's ratchet the conversation up another level and start talking about how assistants like Jim Johnson and Dick LeBeau deserve something they can't get from the NFL -- at least not now.

Let's talk about them making the Hall of Fame.

Head coaches get there. General managers get there. Owners and commissioners get there. So why not assistant coaches? Beats me, and it's high time we start a discussion. Jim Johnson was one of the game's best and most imaginative tacticians, someone who could beat you with lesser players because of the schemes he ran.

People everywhere respected him, but people everywhere copied him, too, and isn't that one of the criteria for inclusion in the Hall of Fame -- having an impact on the NFL and changing its game? Well, Jim Johnson had an impact, and if you don't believe me you should listen to Buffalo defensive coordinator Perry Fewell.

"Because they're not head coaches in the NFL," Fewell said, "the Jim Johnsons and Dick LeBeaus may never get true recognition. They really manage and change the whole complexion of the ballgame. I'm a guy who studied Jim Johnson as much as I could because I love what he does and how he does it. I'm amazed. [When I watch tape] I'm saying, 'I don't know how he put that together.'

"I definitely think the Hall or the league should look into the Jim Johnsons and the Dick LeBeaus of this league and give them the recognition and proper salutations they should receive."

I'll second that. But it's a proposal that's liable to go nowhere because there is a raft of deserving assistants -- Bud Carson in Pittsburgh, Buddy Ryan in Chicago, Bill Arnsparger in Miami and Ernie Zampese in San Diego -- who belong, yet haven't gotten a sniff. That needs to change, and guys like Johnson and LeBeau are just the guys to change it.

Heck, LeBeau deserves to be in as a player. When he retired in 1972 he ranked fourth in interceptions with 62. Thirty-seven years later he's tied for seventh. He also started 171 straight games, which is still the record for cornerbacks.

Then he went on to become a defensive assistant and the father of the zone blitz, a scheme that is used throughout the league. He also heads a defense that is at or near the top of league rankings each year and that was a Super Bowl champion two of the past four seasons.

LeBeau has been in the NFL for more than 50 years, yet he's not in the Hall of Fame. Amazing? Nope. Unconscionable is more like it. He should be in there because he deserves to be in there, both as a player and a coach.

"Coach LeBeau should be in the Hall of Fame," cornerback DeShea Townsend said after the Steelers' AFC championship victory over Baltimore this year. "Make sure you all put that in big print. He should get in for the body of work he's done." Johnson deserves to be in there, too, and not just because he was good at what he did but because he was so good that coordinators like Perry Fewell copied him. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, and I guarantee you the two of the most imitated the past decade were Johnson and LeBeau.

Coordinated Canton plea for football's unrecognized innovators - NFL - CBSSports.com Football

"There are probably two schools of thought on defense," said defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau of the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. "One is to be very sound in man and zone coverage and area of responsibility, and to make sure you get every angle covered every time, which are good and nice.

"And then the other side is you may miss an angle but you're going to make the quarterback duck a little bit.

"Players enjoy that attack style a lot more," said LeBeau, who is credited with creating the zone blitz when he was defensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals in the late 1980s. "They're football players, they want to attack.

http://www.nola.com/news/?/base/news...230.xml&coll=1

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Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau will be inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame next month. The class will be introduced Sept. 26 at halftime of Ohio State's home game against Illinois. LeBeau won't be able to attend because the Steelers visit Cincinnati Sept. 27. LeBeau's brother, Bob, will represent him at the ceremony. LeBeau attended Ohio State from 1956-58. He played for legendary coach Woody Hayes and was a member of the 1957 national championship team.

Steelers lose right guard to knee surgery - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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Steelers Notebook: Woodson's endorsement was pleasant surprise to LeBeau
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Dick LeBeau said he never expected to hear his name mentioned Saturday night when former Steelers cornerback Rod Woodson was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And, of course, he never expected to hear it mentioned in the manner it was -- Woodson using his acceptance speech to implore the voters to put LeBeau in the Hall of Fame.

"I was surprised, certainly," said LeBeau, who was the secondary coach and defensive coordinator during Woodson's final five years with the Steelers. "The night was all about Rod, but that's Rod. He would share and deflect.

"I did not expect to hear my name in Rod Woodson's acceptance speech, but what a tremendous honor it is that it was in there. What a great compliment to me that he spoke of me in that light."

Woodson had 71 interceptions during his 17-year NFL career, ranking third all time. But that was only nine more than LeBeau (62), who ranks seventh in NFL history.

But it wasn't just LeBeau's contribution as a player that Woodson endorsed. He said LeBeau deserves to be in the Hall of Fame because he has spent 51 seasons in the NFL as a player and coach.

"I hope the voters, seriously, get it right," Woodson said during his speech. "He deserves to be in as a player, and if you don't put him as a player, you put him in as a contributor. He deserves it. The voters will get tired of hearing me saying it -- Dick LeBeau deserves to be in the Hall of Fame."

LeBeau said he has always tried to express to his players that he cares more about them as a person than as a player.

"Sometimes it's kind of nice to get some feedback that you made some right moves in the past," said LeBeau, 71, who is in his sixth season during his second tour of duty as defensive coordinator. "And when you get former players talking about you like that, it makes you feel maybe you did something right.

"The bottom line with Rod Woodson, he did 100 times more for me than I did for him."

Read more: Steelers Notebook: Woodson's endorsement was pleasant surprise to LeBeau

A pleasant surprise

Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said he was touched that former Steelers great Rod Woodson stumped for his inclusion in the Pro Football Hall of Fame last Saturday.

During his induction speech, Woodson said LeBeau, a cornerback for the Lions from 1959-72, should also be immortalized in Canton, Ohio.

"What a tremendous honor it was in there and what a great compliment to me that he spoke of me in that light," said LeBeau, whose 62 career interceptions are tied for seventh on the NFL's all-time list. "I was surprised. The bottom line, Rod Woodson did 100 times more for me than I ever did for him."

Steelers rookie Hood off to strong start - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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August 12
Woodson wants to take LeBeau for walk down Hall
The Associated Press

LATROBE, Pa. ? Rod Woodson was determined to make sure his night didn?t pass by without it becoming Dick LeBeau?s night, too.

Woodson, the former Steelers cornerback, turned his own induction speech into a campaign rally for LeBeau?s election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

To Woodson, his former defensive coach ? a 14-year cornerback for the Detroit Lions and an innovative NFL coach for 37 seasons ? has waited too long to be recognized.

As a player, LeBeau?s 62 interceptions were the seventh-most in NFL history and only nine fewer than Woodson?s 71. Once he began coaching, LeBeau became one of football?s most-copied coordinators, with many versions of the zone blitz defense he first tried in Cincinnati still in use by every NFL team.

To Woodson and many of the Steelers? current players, LeBeau has done enough to be enshrined as a player or a coach ? though he won?t be eligible for induction as a coach until he retires.

?I hope the voters, seriously, get it right. He deserves to be in as a player and, if you don?t put him in as a player, put him in as a contributor,? Woodson said during his Saturday night speech in Canton.

?He deserves it. The voters are going to get tired of me saying it ? Dick LeBeau deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.?

LeBeau?s current players quickly picked up on the theme. Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, who rarely shows emotion off the field, became animated when he spoke of LeBeau?s snub.

Polamalu said if players voted for the Hall of Fame, rather than writers and broadcasters, LeBeau would have been inducted years ago.

Woodson wants to take LeBeau for walk down Hall | Sports | timesleader.com - The Times Leader

[Bucklion]

He could be finally headed to the HOF!!!
Enshrinement » LeBeau, Little named 2010 senior nominees

[Buckskin86]

LeBeau nomination near and dear

All I can say is, finally.

After more than 50 years in the NFL, as a great _ not good, great _ player and then a game-changing defensive assistant coach, Dick LeBeau has been named a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame by the hall's seniors committee.

You probably know LeBeau's credentials by now. He has been getting a lot of publicity since February, when the Steelers won their second Super Bowl in four years with LeBeau as their defensive coordinator.

You've probably read of his days as a standout halfback/defensive back at Ohio State, and his two touchdowns against Michigan in 1957 as the Buckeyes went on to win a national title.

Maybe you've heard that he played 14 years as a cornerback, mostly for the Detroit Lions, and had 62 career interceptions, which still ranks seventh all-time even though he retired more than 35 years ago. He also played in something like 120 consecutive games, remarkable considering he is not a particularly big guy.

He went on to help invent the zone blitz scheme in the 1980s, which originally was designed to help maximize the talents of oversized Cincinnati Bengals safety David Fulcher.

LeBeau nomination near and dear (Blogging the Buckeyes)

[Best Buckeye]

It's about time considering all he has contributed to the game of football.

[Buckskin86]

Steelers' LeBeau gets Hall of Fame bid
Defensive coordinator is nominated for seniors' spot in Class of 2010
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
By Chuck Finder, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
Dick LeBeau celebrates with Lawrence Timmons after beating the Ravens for the AFC championship in January at Heinz Field.

The last time Dick LeBeau was in Canton, Ohio, a handful of his defensive players put on his No. 44 Detroit Lions throwback jerseys and posed with him on the Fawcett Stadium field before the 2007 Pro Football Hall of Fame game.

Nothing is definite yet, but the next time LeBeau is in Canton, a roster full of present and past Steelers -- let alone the usual horde of fans -- might line that same field next summer to watch him, after a 37-year wait, humbly enter that Hall as a member of the Class of 2010.

"It's my favorite picture of all time," LeBeau said yesterday about the 2-year-old freeze frame of James Farrior, James Harrison, Deshea Townsend, Ike Taylor, Casey Hampton and others gathering around their defensive coordinator, father figure and group conscience. "I got them hanging on a couple of walls."

LeBeau's bust being erected inside the Hall's walls seems a strong possibility, what with him and longtime Denver halfback Floyd Little being nominated yesterday as the two senior candidates for consideration -- along with 15 undetermined modern-day finalists -- for voting at Super Bowl XLIV near Miami. Each finalist must receive an 80-percent minimum of the selection committee's votes for enshrinement. Often, one senior nominee makes it, and, by late yesterday afternoon several national-correspondent voters already were offering rousing support for LeBeau.

His reaction when coach Mike Tomlin huddled the team on the South Side fields before practice yesterday and broke the news? The usual modesty. And emotion.

"Old Faithful Dick LeBeau," Farrior teased of the 71-year-old defensive coordinator, who counsels players about life and family, recites "The Night Before Christmas" regularly every holiday and holds deep feelings for what he calls his men. "I didn't even see his face, but I'm sure he was pretty moved. I think [a nomination] has been a long time overdue."

"Deep down, it'll be even more moving when he makes it," Townsend said. "He's deserving."

"Well, 'senior' is certainly the category I belong in," said LeBeau, honored by the Steelers last season for his half-century of NFL service as a player and a coach -- each areas where his resume merited Hall consideration previously.

"It's very humbling. I'm not sure it's hit me completely. Coach Mike just announced it on the field. I must confess, it was the last thing I expected to hear. It's a great honor to get this far, no matter what the outcome will be. It's a great day. It really is. I'm not going to turn it back in."

Read more: Steelers' LeBeau gets Hall of Fame bid

LeBeau 'humbled' by Hall of Fame nomination
Buzz up!
By John Harris, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, August 26, 2009


Dick LeBeau
Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review file


When Steelers coach Mike Tomlin called his team together at the conclusion of Tuesday's practice, defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau was expecting a typical post-practice talk.

Instead, LeBeau received the surprise of his life.

Tomlin announced LeBeau was named by the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Senior Committee as a finalist for election into the Hall of Fame with the Class of 2010.

"That was the last thing I expected to hear,'' said LeBeau, who was genuinely taken aback by the honor. "I'm humbled.''

LeBeau's players reveled in the news. LeBeau has a unique relationship with members of the Steelers defense, who respect his innovative coaching methods as well as his easy communication style.

"I think this is long overdue,'' inside linebacker and defensive captain James Farrior said. "He revolutionized the zone blitz, and his contributions to the game are unparalleled. He deserves to be in as a player or coach. It couldn't go to a better person.''

LeBeau 'humbled' by Hall of Fame nomination - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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August 26, 2009, 3:30 pm
Why Dick LeBeau Deserves to Be in the Hall of Fame
By Andy Barall


Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.

(Editor?s note: Andy Barall, who has been a Times reader for over 40 years and who has demonstrated a deep knowledge of football history in the comments section, has agreed to serve as an unofficial Fifth Down historian. He has followed Dick LeBeau?s career since the late 1960s.)

Earlier this month, at his induction ceremony, Rod Woodson urged the Hall of Fame to open its doors to his former secondary coach and defensive coordinator, Dick LeBeau. Well, on Tuesday LeBeau cleared the first hurdle. He and the superb Denver Broncos running back Floyd Little were named by the seniors committee as finalists for election with the class of 2010.

LeBeau will soon begin his 51st consecutive season as part of the N.F.L. as a player or coach. He was an outstanding man-to-man cover corner for the Detroit Lions in the 1960s and early 1970s. His 62 interceptions rank seventh on the league?s career list, third highest among cornerbacks.

In 1970, at age 33, LeBeau led the N.F.C. in interceptions with nine. He played in 171 consecutive games as a defensive back.

And yet, as a player, he was never a finalist for election to the Hall of Fame. The selection committee has never even debated his candidacy. Perhaps he didn?t receive serious consideration because he was overshadowed by other members of the Lions? secondary.

Why Dick LeBeau Deserves to Be in the Hall of Fame - The Fifth Down Blog - NYTimes.com

Michael Arace commentary: Momentum builds for LeBeau's Hall induction
Thursday, August 27, 2009
By Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Joe Horrigan, vice president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, has a saying: "Just get in that room."

Horrigan is often approached by greats of the past who wonder what it takes for enshrinement. He says, "Just get in that room. Being in there and having their cause presented, it keeps them alive in the eyes of the selectors."

"That room" is wherever the 44-member Board of Selectors convenes before every Super Bowl. It is where 17 names are presented for Hall of Fame consideration. Five to seven are then selected for enshrinement.

In February, in Miami, Dick LeBeau's name will be brought up in that room. By this time next year, his bust will likely be in Canton.

If so, it will mark the first time in LeBeau's life that he has had a big head.

LeBeau has spent 37 years as an NFL coach, mostly as an assistant. He has had a part in 10 division championships, five conference championships and two Super Bowl titles. He is universally hailed as a defensive genius.

LeBeau's zone blitz, designed during his first stint in Cincinnati (1980-91), was a revolution at conception and is still in use today. Last season, as defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, LeBeau got his charges to lead the league in total defense, pass defense and points allowed. The unit was second in rush defense.

The Columbus Dispatch : Michael Arace commentary: Momentum builds for LeBeau's Hall induction

Steelers Notebook: Polamalu endorses LeBeau for Hall
Thursday, August 27, 2009
By Chuck Finder, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

If Troy Polamalu had a vote, he would have enshrined Dick LeBeau in the Pro Football Hall of Fame long before now.

"As a football player, a special-teams coach, a position coach, a coordinator, a head coach, nobody has done it all like he has," the Pro Bowl safety said yesterday, the day after the Steelers' longtime defensive coordinator was nominated as one of two senior candidates to join 15 modern-day finalists in the February voting for enshrinement. "He's done everything but own a team. He's more deserving than Vince Lombardi, if you're talking to me.

"It's because he was a coach the whole time, you know," Polamalu said of Lombardi, noting the 36 years of LeBeau's NFL service.

"Somebody like coach LeBeau who knows what it's like to be out of the front office and take bumps and bruises like these guys, players respect that. That's why I feel a player's Hall of Fame would be much different than it is now.

"I would argue with anybody that there's nobody more deserving in football to be in the Hall of Fame than him."

The record 171 consecutive starts at cornerback, the seventh-most interceptions of all time at 62, you can push those numbers aside, Polamalu added. "Never even missed a practice? That's the most impressive thing."

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger also spoke on LeBeau's behalf.

"Coach LeBeau and I have a special relationship," Roethlisberger said.

"We are very close. We hold hands in the team prayer before [games]. We spend a lot of time golfing and hanging out. I couldn't be more proud. He is an unbelievable coach. More than an unbelievable coach, he is an unbelievable person. Anybody who spends 10 seconds around him, there is an aura or something that comes off him, and you realize how special he is."

Read more: Steelers Notebook: Polamalu endorses LeBeau for Hall

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Link

LeBeau a step closer
Friday, August 28, 2009
By JEFF GATES
Press Contributor

LATROBE, Pa. ? Nice guys can finish first.
This has been quite a summer for Dick LeBeau.
In late June, LeBeau was honored at his alma mater ? London High School ? with a gala dinner to name a field house in his honor. He also received a high school football athlete?s highest possible accolade ? he had his jersey number retired.
Just days before that event, LeBeau found out that he was chosen to be inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame where he had shined on the collegiate gridiron ? Ohio State University. The official ceremony for that honor will take place next month.
On Tuesday, London?s Legend of the Fall took his first giant step toward the place that would give him the top honor that can be bestowed upon a member of the National Football League fraternity. The call came that LeBeau was being named a finalist by the Seniors Committee for possible induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame?s Class of 2010.
Before LeBeau and his Pittsburgh Steelers comrades took the field for practice Tuesday, head coach Mike Tomlin gathered his squad together as he always does. But this time it was to break the news that the Super Bowl Champions? beloved defensive coordinator was inching closer to the hallowed halls in Canton.
"I thought to myself, ?Did I hear what I thought I heard," said LeBeau of his thoughts when Tomlin made the announcement. "It was quite a day ? quite a surprise."
A surprise to LeBeau, but a long-day coming for those who have admired the work of the player and coach ? now starting his second half-century in the NFL.
The recognition serves as some sense of long overdue validation for LeBeau?s outstanding 14-year playing career ? all as a cornerback with the Detroit Lions. His 62 interceptions still ranks seventh in NFL history. Former Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Ken Riley is the only player with more career interceptions than LeBeau that has yet to be enshrined in Canton.
Cont....

[Buckskin86]

Published: August 30, 2009
LeBeau may be pioneer for Hall
jperrotto@piratesreport.com

PITTSBURGH ? The Steelers? Dick LeBeau has long been a ground-breaking defensive coordinator.

After all, he is the man who devised the zone blitz.

Now, LeBeau could break new ground after being named one of two finalists, along with former Denver running back Floyd Little, by the Pro Football Hall of Fame?s Senior Committee for election into the Hall of Fame with the Class of 2010.

Should LeBeau gain election, he would likely open the door for other assistant coaches to be enshrined in Canton.

?Dick LeBeau, to me, not only has the pelts on the wall from his coaching career, he also has them from his playing career,? said Peter King, senior writer at Sports Illustrated and a Hall of Fame voter. ?To me, until he gets in, no assistant coach has a chance to get in.?

A strong case can be made that LeBeau should be in the Hall strictly on the basis of his playing career. He was a standout defensive back for Detroit for 14 seasons from 1959-72 and played in three Pro Bowls.

He also had 62 career interceptions, which is seventh all-time in the NFL, including a career-high nine during a 14-game season in 1970.

?I think this is long overdue,? Steelers linebacker James Farrior said. ?He revolutionized the zone blitz and his contributions to the game are unparalleled. He deserves to be in as a player or coach. It couldn?t go to a better person.?

The Tribune Democrat, Johnstown, PA - LeBeau may be pioneer for Hall

Bills notebook: Jauron hopes LeBeau gets into Hall
By Mark Gaughan
NEWS SPORTS REPORTER
Updated: August 29, 2009

PITTSBURGH ? Buffalo Bills coach Dick Jauron already has a strong rooting interest in the Pro Football Hall of Fame voting that will take place in February.

Jauron is close friends with Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, who this week was picked as one of the two senior nominees for the Hall's Class of 2010.

"He's the best," Jauron said. "He really deserves it."

LeBeau played 14 years as a defensive back for the Detroit Lions, and his 62 career interceptions ranked third in NFL history at the time of his retirement. The total still ranks seventh on the all-time list.

LeBeau has built just as impressive a career as an NFL coach the past 36 years. He has won two Super Bowl rings as Steelers defensive chief the past six years, and he was defensive coordinator in three other Super Bowl games.

LeBeau was Jauron's position coach in the defensive backfield in Cincinnati in the last two years of Jauron's playing career, 1980 and '81. The two have remained close ever since. But Jauron knew a lot about him before that. LeBeau's playing career ended with Detroit in 1972. Jauron's career started with the Lions in '73.

"They talked about him all the time, everywhere, in the training room, the coaches, the players, everybody," Jauron said. "They talked about his knowledge of the game and his almost coaching on the field, sharing information, preparation, all that stuff."

"His nickname was Lates," Jauron said. "They still called him Lates LeBeau when I was there. And he was never late. He was always right on the button, right on time."

Bills notebook: Jauron hopes LeBeau gets into Hall : Sports : The Buffalo News

August 29, 2009
LeBeau, the Hall and the Debate
By Andy Barall

(Editor?s note: Andy Barall, a Times reader for over 40 years, writes about pro football history for The Fifth Down. On Wednesday, he wrote a post on why Dick LeBeau deserves to be in the Hall of a Fame, sparking a debate. He follows up here.)

Defensive Back is the hardest position to evaluate without access to coaching film. The classic ?inside flanker? shot you see on television just before the snap does not provide you with a wide view of the field. In the 1960s and early 1970s, instant replay, as invented by the famed CBS director Tony Verna in 1963, was not nearly as prevalent as it is today. I don?t remember ever seeing a replay from an end-zone angle.

As a result, it made it extremely difficult to differentiate among Dick LeBeau and his many worthy contemporaries: Bobby Boyd, Ken Riley, Pat Fischer, Brady Keys, Cornell Green, Bob Jeter, Mike Bass, Bobby Bryant, etc?

All these men played before VCRs ? you couldn?t even tape games to review them.

The Hall of Fame discussion about these men usually comes down to their number of interceptions and how many All-Pro teams they made. This makes for a shallow and unsatisfying debate. The nuances of how each of them played are lost. Some guards have great pulling speed (Gene Upshaw, Randy Cross). Some are powerful drive blockers (Larry Allen, Chris Snee). Others
are excellent trap blockers (Joe DeLammielleure, Billy Shaw). Many are skilled pass protectors (Tom Mack, Bob Kuechenberg). Some are just great, period (John Hannah, Jim Parker).

But defensive backs? Who, among these outstanding cornerbacks of the 1960s and 1970s, was the best force man against sweeps and pitchouts? Who was the best tackler? Which one covered the most ground? Who had the fastest recovery speed? Which pass patterns made each of them particularly vulnerable? Which wide receiver gave each of them fits? Who was the one who most needed help over the top (by a safety)? All these important subleties are lost in time and memory.

One of the popular arguments made against LeBeau?s candidacy as a player is that the main reason he intercepted so many passes is that the opponent was afraid to test the other side of the field when it was occupied by Hall of Famers Night Train Lane and Lem Barney. This certainly sounds plausible. But is it true? And even if it is true, does it matter? The only time you saw the Lions play during those years here in New York on television was on Thanksgiving Day, or when they played the Giants at Tiger Stadium (home games at Yankee Stadium were blacked out), or, starting in 1970, on ?Monday Night Football.? The Lions made few appearances on nationally televised doubleheader games and only played one playoff game in LeBeau?s entire tenure in Detroit, a 5-0 loss to the Cowboys in 1970, a game in which the Lions? defense held Dallas to 22 yards net passing and one field goal.

LeBeau, the Hall and the Debate - The Fifth Down Blog - NYTimes.com

[Buckskin86]

LeBeau joins Buckeye elite
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
By JEFF GATES
Contributing Writer

COLUMBUS ? An exceptional athlete in football, basketball and track (not to mention golf), London?s Dick LeBeau probably would have been a heck of a hockey player as well.

On Friday, Sept. 25, LeBeau completed two-thirds of a hall-of-fame ?hat trick? (a three-goal game in hockey) by joining other Buckeye elite for induction into the Ohio State University Athletics Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held at The Columbus, and was sponsored by OSU?s Varsity O Club.

LeBeau was honored for his spectacular career on the OSU gridiron. London?s favorite son is already in the hall of fame of his high school, and was recently named a senior committee nominee for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton next summer.

?Dick LeBeau is a legend,? said OSU football coach Jim Tressel in an exclusive interview with The Madison Press. ?I think about everything he has accomplished in his lifetime ? and it started right here in Ohio.?

The plethora of LeBeau admirers already know of his lifelong accomplishments ? from being a three-sport star for the Red Raiders to earning two Super Bowl championship rings as defensive coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers. His induction in the OSU hall of fame with the Buckeyes? best surprised no one ? except maybe the honoree himself.

?This is as great as anything that has happened to me,? LeBeau said. ?To have an award of this nature come back this late in life is totally humbling.?

LeBeau was a three-time letter winner for OSU?s football squad, contributing greatly to the 1957 National Championship team. He had a two-touchdown performance in a pivotal come-from-behind victory over the Michigan Wolverines to pave the way to the Buckeyes? title.

?He was a terrific team player, a heads-up guy ? he always seemed to know where the ball was,? said Galen Cisco, former OSU football teammate, fellow OSU hall-of-famer, and two-time World Series champion pitching coach with the Toronto Blue Jays. ?He was always one step ahead ? I don?t know how he did it.?

But staying ahead of the game has been LeBeau?s recipe for success to perform at a high level for his 50-plus years in the National Football League ? first as a record-setting cornerback with the Detroit Lions, and then rewriting the defensive strategy books for all coaches in the NFL.

?Dick is everything we want our student-athletes to embody ? great character, great work ethic, all the strong values you want,? said OSU Athletics Director Gene Smith. ?For us to have a chance to put him on a pedestal is special.?

Whether he is afraid of heights or whatever it may be, LeBeau always seems uncomfortable being lifted up above his peers for any reason ? often crediting anyone else for his success but himself.

?It would have been reward enough to have my three Varsity Os and played at Ohio State and the teammates I got to know and play with in those years,? LeBeau said. ?They are people you will not forget all your life.?

?Growing up in the shadow of Ohio State in London, and coming over here to football games when you?re little you dream someday of maybe getting to play here, but you never really think it will probably happen,? LeBeau said. ?I?ve been blessed ? but I sure never thought I would end up over here in their Athletics Hall of Fame.?

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Remembering a hall-of-fame mom
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
By Jeff Gates
Contributing Writer


Too bad there isn?t a hall of fame for moms.

If there were, Beulah LeBeau would undoubtedly be in it.

On any given Saturday and Sunday afternoon in the Fall as television cameras scour the sidelines of collegiate and professional football contests, a myriad of players can be seen/heard paying homage to the maternal members of their families.

For 51 years, London?s Charles Richard ?Dick? LeBeau has been prowling a National Football League sideline as a player or a coach. During those many decades, his mother has served as an inspiration to him ? either by being present at the game venue or in more recent years, by telephone.

This past November I had the pleasure of being at Pittsburgh?s Heinz Field the evening LeBeau was honored for his half-century of service to the NFL. While speaking with a number of LeBeau?s current and former players ? as well as admirers ? the tidbit of information that appeared to get the most attention was the fact that the defensive coaching genius called his then 95-year-old mother Beulah each night.

?It?s an absolute blessing to be able to do that,? LeBeau said at the time, of calling his mother.

One person who appeared to be particularly enamored with that situation was Peter King, the senior writer for Sports Illustrated. Since I passed that nugget on to him that night in Pittsburgh, King has taken advantage of several opportunities to write about LeBeau?s devotion to his mother.

And if you had the opportunity to ever meet Beulah, you couldn?t help but be captivated. When I had the pleasure of meeting her a year ago, it was quickly evident to see from where Dick and his older brother Bob inherited their humility.

Beulah had great reason to smile ? her older son is a former school administrator and a world-class musician, while the exploits of her youngest son have been frequently documented.

?I?m proud of both of my boys,? Beulah said in an interview last Fall. ?They are good boys.?

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