Throwback Thursday: Dick Stanfel

To complete the profiles of the 2012 Senior Committee nominees for the Hall of Fame, I introduce former Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins lineman Dick Stanfel.

With Dick Stanfel's likely induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame he'll be joining former University of San Francisco teammates Gino Marchetti, Ollie Matson and Bob St. Clair in Canton. I can't even begin to describe how remarkable those USF Dons teams were. You might expect something like four Hall of Famers on one team from schools like Notre Dame and Oklahoma. USF? They don't even have a football team anymore. This team strikes particularly close to me as my father was a student at USF at that time. I grew up with stories of USF glory. Former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle was also a student there. Incredible.

Dick Stanfel was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 1951 NFL Draft. His professional career nearly ended before it started when he was injured in the annual College All-Star Game. He wouldn't play for the Lions until 1952. He immediately established himself as a team leader on an excellent Lions team. With their recent performances in mind its difficult to imagine the Lions as a strong team. In the 1950s, they were dominant, winning back to back titles in '52 and '53. Stanfel was voted MVP by his teammates following the '53 season. That's remarkable for a lineman. Its even more remarkable on a team that included Hall of Famers Bobby Layne and Doak Walker. The Lions lost to the Cleveland Browns in the 1954 title game. After the 1955 season, Stanfel was traded to the Washington Redskins. There he was reunited with his college coach, Joe Kuharich. After only three years in Washington and at the top of his game, Stanfel retired to pursue a coaching career. Kuharich had moved on to Notre Dame and Stanfel joined him as an assistant coach. Eventually, he would return to the NFL as the interim head coach of the New Orleans Saints in 1980. From 1981-92, he coached the Chicago Bears offensive line.

Dick Stanfel earned first team All-Pro honors in five of his seven seasons including all three with the Redskins. He was voted to four Pro Bowls and was named to the All-Decade Team of the 1950s. Despite playing only three seasons in Washington, Stanfel was selected as one of the 70 Greatest Redskins.