Detroit Lions Top 50: #19-15 with VIDEO

16. Lou Creekmur G/T, 1950-1959

Lou Creekmur played football in an era in which protective equipment – especially helmets – were nowhere as sophisticated as they are today. His nose, like those of many players of the 1940s and 1950s, featured the distinctive “flat” look resulting from the repeated and cumulative destruction of its cartilage.

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.

Creekmur is one of those few players who helped the Lions to all three of their championships in the 1950s. He was an eight-time Pro Bowler, and his career of pushing people around in front of Doak Walker and Bobby Layne in the Motor City landed him in the Hall of Fame.