During the greatest of times for the Detroit Lions franchise, middle linebacker Joe Schmidt was most often at the core of the team’s success.

A versatile talent who revolutionized his position, Schmidt led the Lions to two NFL Championships, garnered 10 Pro Bowl selections, made eight All-Pro teams and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Schmidt died on Wednesday, his family announced. He was 92 years old.

“Joe Schmidt played in a golden era of middle linebackers in the NFL, and many of his peers considered him the toughest opponent they faced,” Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said Thursday in a statement. “When Joe Schmidt got to the ball carrier, that was the end of the play. And yet, he never sought out attention. He let his play do the talking.”

For 13 seasons, Schmidt starred for the Lions and was later the team’s head coach from 1967-1972, posting a 43-34-7 record that included four winning campaigns and one playoff berth. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 1973 member’s career boasts a slot on the Hall of Fame’s All-1950s team and a spot on the NFL All-Time 100th Anniversary Team.

A seventh-round selection of Detroit out of Pittsburgh in the 1953 NFL Draft, Schmidt, who is also a member of the College Hall of Fame, joined a Lions squad that won the NFL Championship in 1952. The rookie, who slipped in the draft due to myriad college injuries, quickly erased any doubts that he could hold down a starting spot on the NFL’s best team.

Schmidt was a starter on the 1953 Lions championship squad and a season later made the first of an astounding 10 consecutive Pro Bowls.

In addition to his faculty on the field, Schmidt was a model of consistency and leadership. He started every game over his initial seven seasons and was a team captain for nine of his 13 years.

“We are saddened to hear of the passing of Joe Schmidt. Joe was a Lion through and through, having spent his entire career in Detroit,” the Lions said in a statement. “Joe was an enduring link to our Championship era and one of the proudest Lions you will ever meet.”