Lions lose another legend with passing of former QB Greg Landry
Longtime Detroit Lions quarterback Greg Landry has passed away. The team confirmed the news Friday evening. He was 77.
A first-round draft pick out of UMass in 1968, Landry would play 11 seasons for the Lions, starting 84 games. His 957 completions, 12,451 yards and 80 touchdown passes each ranked second in franchise history, behind Bobby Layne, when Landry was traded to the Baltimore Colts ahead of the 1979 season. Each of those marks remain a top-10 figure for the Lions.
A Hall of Famer at UMass, Landry also rewrote the school's record books, helping the team win two conference titles. In Detroit, Landry was named a Pro Bowler and All-Pro in 1971, his first season as a full-time starter.
After a stretch of three injury-plagued seasons, Landry would earn the league’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 1976.
Landry only had one postseason opportunity with Detroit, in 1970, when the Lions lost a 5-0 game to the Cowboys. He was held to 48 yards on 5-of-12 passing in the contest, plus he was sacked three times, including one for a safety.
Landry’s up-and-down career led to criticism from then-owner William Clay Ford, who publicly put the QB on the trading block after the quarterback's award-winning season in 1976.
Landry would go on to play two more seasons for Detroit before his own trade request was granted, resulting in him being sent to the Colts for three draft picks.
Landry would spend three seasons with Baltimore before short stints with the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Blitz and Arizona Wranglers of the USFL to conclude his playing career.
After retiring, Landry would go into coaching, serving as the offensive coordinator of the Bears from 1988-92. His final coaching job was with the Lions, leading the team’s quarterbacks in 1995 and 1996. Detroit had the league’s No. 1 ranked offense the first of those two seasons.
From there, he did some radio broadcasting and remained in the Detroit area, working as an account executive for an automotive parts manufacturer.
Landry is the second prominent former Lions player to pass away in recent weeks. Hall of Fame linebacker and former head coach Joe Schmidt died last month at the age of 92.
I was lucky enough to meet and have lunch with him while I was in high school (my uncle was also in the automotive parts purchasing industry). He gave a kid from Ypsi his undivided attention during that lunch and was so so polite. What a nice man he was.
I believe this 5–0 game against the Cowboys is still on YouTube. It was a very tough, defensive battle. Detroit was equal to the Cowboys until they wound up way up against the goal line at their own end zone.
The Cowboys said that they were very worried about Landry‘s ability to scramble. One of the very early ones that could do that because he was so athletic. A dropped pass by the Lions receiver really was a difference in the game.