Lou Creekmur

Louis Creekmur (January 22, 1927 – July 5, 2009 ) was an NFL left offensive tackle/guard for the Detroit Lions from 1950-59. He was also used as a defensive lineman in critical situations. In 1996, he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

During his 10 seasons with the Lions, he helped the club to four title game appearances in the 1950s and three NFL titles (1952, 1953 and 1957). A large degree of the success of Detroit's more well-known offensive stars during this time (Bobby Layne and Doak Walker in particular) can be attributed to Creekmur.

The 6-4, 255-pound star from William and Mary was a force at both tackle and guard for the Lions, and he even spent one season (1955) filling in at defensive tackle following Les Bingaman's retirement.

Throughout his career, he would fill in on the defensive line in short-yardage situations. He was an All-NFL pick six times, as a guard in 1951 and 1952 and as a tackle in 1953, '54, '56 and '57. He was also named to the Pro Bowl (twice as guard, six times as tackle) eight straight years (1951–58), fourth-most all-time in Lions' history.

He was even invited to the postseason all-star game the year he played on the defensive unit. Creekmur played in 168 straight games until his initial retirement following the 1958 season.

At a downtown Detroit luncheon in the fall of 1959, Lions coach George Wilson told Creekmur that the Lions needed him. Creekmur said it was up to his boss, and the boss gave Creekmur the green light to return to the Lions. He had already missed four games and had not practiced since 1958, but Creekmur started every game the rest of the season.

Creekmur played football in an era in which protective equipment - especially helmets - were nowhere as sophisticated as they are today. During his high school and early pro years, anyone who wore a face mask was considered a "sissy." As a result, Lou Creekmur's nose has been broken and reset some 13 times. Like many players of the 1940s and 1950s, he has that distinctive "flat nose" look that comes about from most of the cartilage being gone.

Apart from the broken noses, Creekmur is remarkable in that in ten full seasons he never missed a game. His single most serious injury was in the last game of the season in the mid 1950s in which he dislocated his shoulder. However, because it was in fact the last game and that year the Lions were eliminated from post-season play, his record stayed intact.

Creekmur's primary job was to protect his quarterback from being tackled by a large defensive end and give the QB time to set and throw a successful downfield pass. His favorite quarterback was the famous Bobby Layne. He is fond of telling the story about how Lane would frequently treat his front five linemen to expensive steak dinners, not only to thank them for their efforts at making him look good, but to encourage their loyalty.

Creekmur has been diagnosed post-mortem as having developed Chronic traumatic encephalopathy following a 30-year decline of cognition.

Creekmur played high school football at Woodbridge High School.