Lionel Aldridge

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Lionel Aldridge
Lionel Aldridge 1962.jpg
Aldridge, circa 1962
No. 62, 82, 87
Position Defensive end
Personal information
Born(1941-02-14)February 14, 1941
Evergreen, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedFebruary 12, 1998(1998-02-12) (aged 56)
Shorewood, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight254 lb (115 kg)
Career information
High school Pittsburg (Pittsburg, California)
College Utah State
NFL draft 1963: 4th round, 54th overall pick
AFL draft 1963: 6th round, 47th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics
Fumble recoveries19
Touchdowns 1
Sacks 69.5
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Lionel Aldridge (February 14, 1941 – February 12, 1998) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers. [1] [2] [3] He played college football for the Utah State Aggies.

Contents

Early life

Born in Evergreen, Louisiana, Aldridge was raised by his sharecropper grandparents. [4] After his grandfather's death when Aldridge was 15, he was sent to live with a steelworker uncle in Northern California and played high school football at Pittsburg High School. [5] He earned an athletic scholarship and played college football at Utah State University in Logan, Utah [6] and was co-captain of the team and an All-Skyline Conference tackle.

NFL career

Aldridge was selected in the fourth round of the 1963 NFL draft, 54th overall, by the two-time defending NFL champion Green Bay Packers. [7] One of the few rookies to start for head coach Vince Lombardi, he enjoyed an 11-year NFL career. [8] As a Packer, he played a role in their unprecedented three straight NFL Championships (1965-66-67) and victories in Super Bowls I and II. [9] Traded to the San Diego Chargers, Aldridge played two seasons in San Diego before retiring from professional football in 1973. [1] He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1988. [10]

After football

After retiring, Aldridge worked as sports analyst at WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee and for Packers radio and NBC until manifesting paranoid schizophrenia in the late 1970s. [11] [12] [2] Homeless for a time in part due to misdiagnosis, [9] [13] [14] he eventually reached a form of equilibrium. He became an advocate for the homeless and the mentally ill until his death in 1998. [15] [16] His advocacy work included serving as a board member for the Mental Health Association of Milwaukee and working as a speaker for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. [17]

References

  1. 1 2 Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League. New York: HarperCollins, 1999. 553.
  2. 1 2 Eskenazi, Gerald (February 14, 1998). "Lionel Aldridge, 56, stalwart on defense for Packer teams". New York Times . Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  3. ↑ Hendricks, Martin (June 23, 2009). "Bright career clouded by tragic decline". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  4. ↑ Magner, Howie (December 30, 2014). "The long walk home". Milwaukee magazine. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  5. ↑ Schaap, Dick (March 1, 1987). "How Lionel Aldridge defeated mental illness". Parade. p. 8.
  6. ↑ Yeomans, Jay (May 5, 2014). "The 25 most highly drafted football players from Utah State". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016.
  7. ↑ "1963 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Lionel Aldridge". NFL.com . Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  9. 1 2 Clark, Steve. "Lost and found - Ex-Packer Aldridge winning life's battle". Beloit Daily News . Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  10. ↑ Christl, Cliff. "Lionel Aldridge". Packers.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  11. ↑ Begel, Dave (December 3, 1980). "Agony, ecstasy". Milwaukee Journal. p. 17, part 2.
  12. ↑ Ritter, Malcolm (December 17, 1988). "Schizophrenia: one man's struggle for life against the destruction of his personality". Idahonian. Moscow. Associated Press. p. 4B.
  13. ↑ Oates, Bob (October 10, 1987). "Lionel Akdridge: a long journey and happy days". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  14. ↑ Kramer, Jerry; Schaap, Dick (October 24, 1985). "Aldridge lost, found". Milwaukee Journal. (Distant Replay). p. 1, part 3.
  15. ↑ "Former Packer Lionel Aldridge dies at 56". Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. Associated Press. February 13, 1998. p. C10.
  16. ↑ Kissinger, Meg (February 17, 1998). "Friends remember the strength of Aldridge's spirit". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 9B.
  17. ↑ "Celebrity Meltdown". Psychology Today. 32 (6): 46–49, 70. December 1999.
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