than a fun-loving game. I promised my family and myself when I started coaching that I would get out when it stopped being fun. Unfortunately, it's reached that point." In six years under Schmidt, the Lions compiled a 43–34–7 record and finished in second place each year from 1969 to 1972. Legacy and career honors Schmidt was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000. He was credited with revolutionizing the linebacker position with his speed, doing the job formerly performed by middle guards in stopping the run game while also taking the load off the defensive backs on pass defense. Some have credited him with "virtually invent[ing] the middle linebacker position." His biography at the Hall of Fame credits him with a big role in changing defensive play in the NFL: Without question, he was the first to play the [middle linebacker] position with such finesse that even the masses in the stands could see the growing value of the 'defensive quarterback.' He anticipated plays with uncanny accuracy. He was a deadly tackler. He was fast enough to evade a 250-pound guard, to follow a play along the line or to drop back to cover a pass. He was strong enough to power past a potential blocker to crumble a play. But his greatest talent may well have been his uncanny knack of knowing what the opposition was going to do. Detroit coach Buddy Parker called Schmidt "one of the surest and hardest tacklers you'll ever see." Even Schmidt's adversaries acknowledged his exceptional talent. Rams' quarterback Norm Van Brocklin said of Schmidt, "If I were to start a team from scratch and pick out just one player, I'd select Joe Schmidt to form the core of my team." Despite playing in the same era as Hall of Fame linebackers Ray Nitschke, Sam Huff, and Bill George, Green Bay's Paul Hornung called Schmidt "the best linebacker in the league." Vince Lombardi said of Schmidt, "He's a cat." John Henry Johnson of San Francisco's "Million Dollar Backfield" complained, "He's always in the way." In addition to the Pro and College Football Halls of Fame, Schmidt also received numerous other honors, including the following: In August 1969, Schmidt was named by the Pro Football Hall of Fame to its NFL 1950s All-Decade Team. Also in 1969, Schmidt was voted the "Greatest