Charles Richard "Dick" LeBeau (born September 9, 1937 in London, Ohio) is a former football player and is currently the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator.
Playing career
LeBeau attended Ohio State University, playing for famed coach Woody Hayes, and was on the 1957 national championship team, playing at cornerback and halfback. Also in 1957, playing both sides of the ball, he scored two touchdowns as Ohio State came back to beat Michigan 31-14.He was initially drafted in the fifth round in 1959 by the Cleveland Browns but was cut from their team, and was signed as a rookie free agent by the Detroit Lions. He spent his entire 14 year NFL career with them as a defensive back, teamed during the early part of that run with "Night Train" Lane and Yale Lary, and later with Lem Barney. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 1965 through 1967. 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.
Coaching career
After retirement as a player, LeBeau became an NFL coach. The following teams hired him as an assistant:- Philadelphia Eagles (1973-1975)
- Green Bay Packers (1976-1979)
- Cincinnati Bengals (1980-1991), (1997-2002) - Won 1981 and 1988 AFC Championships and 3 AFC Central Division Championships (1981, 1988 and 1990)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (1992-1996), (2004-present) - Won 4 AFC Central Division Championships (1992 and 1994-96), 2 AFC North Division Championships (2004 and 2007), 2 AFC Championships (1995 and 2005) and Super Bowl XL
- Buffalo Bills (2003)
Also, LeBeau was the head coach of the following teams:
- Cincinnati Bengals for three seasons, from 2000 through 2002.
As an assistant coach he is credited with inventing the "Fire Zone" or "zone blitz" defense, which employs unpredictable pass rushes and pass coverage from various players. His defenses typically employ 3-4 sets, with any of the 4 linebackers and frequently a defensive back among the pass rushers, while defensive linemen may drop back into short pass coverage zones to compensate for the pass rush coming from other positions. The design is intended to confuse the opposition's quarterback and frustrate its blocking schemes, as the offense may be unsure on each play of which defenders will rush the passer and which will drop into coverage. While often described as a "blitzing" scheme (implying more than the typical number of four pass rushers used by most defenses), the call on any particular "zone blitz" play may involve only three or four pass rushers but from unpredictable positions and angles. Although widely considered a defensive innovator, his stint as the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals was unsuccessful.
LeBeau is beloved among his players, many of whom refer to him as "Coach Dad." The Steelers players have given him many gifts, including a Rolex watch.
Personal life
LeBeau can also be seen in the 1970 movie Too Late the Hero, where he played Michael Caine's double in a scene.LeBeau is a member of the "Blue Ribbon Panel" that chooses the top Super Bowl teams for "America's Game" on the NFL Network.
Dick LeBeau was a coach for a High School team in London, Ohio their name was the London red raiders. He said that one of his favorite teams to play was a little town next to London called West Jefferson and their football team was called the West Jefferson Roughriders...
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Tuesday July 22, 2008 at 16:37:37 PDT (GMT -0700)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation
Charles Richard "Dick" LeBeau (born September 9, 1937 in London, Ohio) is a former football player and is currently the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator.
Playing career
LeBeau attended Ohio State University, playing for famed coach Woody Hayes, and was on the 1957 national championship team, playing at cornerback and halfback. Also in 1957, playing both sides of the ball, he scored two touchdowns as Ohio State came back to beat Michigan 31-14.He was initially drafted in the fifth round in 1959 by the Cleveland Browns but was cut from their team, and was signed as a rookie free agent by the Detroit Lions. He spent his entire 14 year NFL career with them as a defensive back, teamed during the early part of that run with "Night Train" Lane and Yale Lary, and later with Lem Barney. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 1965 through 1967. 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.
Coaching career
After retirement as a player, LeBeau became an NFL coach. The following teams hired him as an assistant:- Philadelphia Eagles (1973-1975)
- Green Bay Packers (1976-1979)
- Cincinnati Bengals (1980-1991), (1997-2002) - Won 1981 and 1988 AFC Championships and 3 AFC Central Division Championships (1981, 1988 and 1990)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (1992-1996), (2004-present) - Won 4 AFC Central Division Championships (1992 and 1994-96), 2 AFC North Division Championships (2004 and 2007), 2 AFC Championships (1995 and 2005) and Super Bowl XL
- Buffalo Bills (2003)
Also, LeBeau was the head coach of the following teams:
- Cincinnati Bengals for three seasons, from 2000 through 2002.
As an assistant coach he is credited with inventing the "Fire Zone" or "zone blitz" defense, which employs unpredictable pass rushes and pass coverage from various players. His defenses typically employ 3-4 sets, with any of the 4 linebackers and frequently a defensive back among the pass rushers, while defensive linemen may drop back into short pass coverage zones to compensate for the pass rush coming from other positions. The design is intended to confuse the opposition's quarterback and frustrate its blocking schemes, as the offense may be unsure on each play of which defenders will rush the passer and which will drop into coverage. While often described as a "blitzing" scheme (implying more than the typical number of four pass rushers used by most defenses), the call on any particular "zone blitz" play may involve only three or four pass rushers but from unpredictable positions and angles. Although widely considered a defensive innovator, his stint as the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals was unsuccessful.
LeBeau is beloved among his players, many of whom refer to him as "Coach Dad." The Steelers players have given him many gifts, including a Rolex watch.
Personal life
LeBeau can also be seen in the 1970 movie Too Late the Hero, where he played Michael Caine's double in a scene.LeBeau is a member of the "Blue Ribbon Panel" that chooses the top Super Bowl teams for "America's Game" on the NFL Network.
Dick LeBeau was a coach for a High School team in London, Ohio their name was the London red raiders. He said that one of his favorite teams to play was a little town next to London called West Jefferson and their football team was called the West Jefferson Roughriders...
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Tuesday July 22, 2008 at 16:37:37 PDT (GMT -0700)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation
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