Former Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is a legend in Pittsburgh. He was the defensive coordinator when the Steelers won Super Bowls in 2005 and 2008. He coached two AP Defensive Players of the Year in LB James Harrison and S Troy Polamalu. His defenses were No. 1 in the league in yards allowed five times and No. 1 in fewest points allowed four times.
Yet LeBeau might be remembered more for the impact he made on his players. The on-field accomplishments were fantastic, but everyone remembers him for who he is beyond football.
“He’s an incredible person,” Polamalu said on Thurdsay’s episode of Not Just Football with Cam Heyward. “The fact is, he’s so well-versed in everything. Not just football. He’s a musician, he’s a poet. He can sing, he plays the guitar. He knows about poetry and knows about ancient philosophy and talk religion with him. And he’s got an incredible life story that very few people understand the level of trauma that he faced, too. When you have these really raw moments with him, that’s where you become, you know, he’s like a true father figure.”
LeBeau seems like a true renaissance man who inspired his players not just to be better players but to be better human beings. It also doesn’t hurt that LeBeau was at least partially responsible for a football renaissance in Pittsburgh either.
LeBeau originally worked with legendary head coach Bill Cowher in the mid-90s before heading to Cincinnati where he coached as defensive coordinator and eventually head coach from 1997-2002. He spent one year with the Buffalo Bills in 2003 before rejoining Cowher and the Steelers in 2004. Cue three Super Bowl appearances and two titles in his 10 seasons as defensive coordinator.
Where would the Steelers have been without LeBeau in that time frame? Who knows? Polamalu’s former teammate, NT Casey Hampton, credited LeBeau with being “everything” to that defense. It’s hard to argue with the results on the field.
A bigger question for his players might be where would they be without Dick LeBeau? Based on Polamalu’s comments, they would all be worse off without him. And there’s no greater praise for a coach than that.
You can watch the entire episode of Not Just Football below:
