Dick Lebeau
Former Detroit Lions cornerback Dick Lebeau stands with his bust after being accepted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio August 7, 2010 Reuters

Dick LeBeau is resigning as the defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL). The 77-year-old LeBeau spent the last 11 seasons with the Steelers, which has consistently been one of the best defensive teams during LeBeau’s stint in Pittsburgh.

“I’m resigning this position, not retiring,” LeBea said to urbanacitizen.com. “I had a great run in Pittsburgh. I’m grateful for all the things that have happened to me and thankful for all the support I had in Pittsburgh.”

LeBeau, who was also an NFL player who suited up as a defensive back for the for the Detroit Lions from 1959–1972, has won two championships with the Steelers. LeBeau’s defensive schemes helped Pittsburgh to a win the Super Bowl XL in 2006 and the Super Bowl XLIII in 2009. After announcing his resignation, the entire franchise, particularly head coach Mike Tomlin, was appreciative of LeBeau’s contributions to the team.

"We want to thank Dick for his many years of service with the team and all that he has done for this organization," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said to ESPN.com. "His coaching helped lead us to many successful seasons and championships. We are very appreciative of his efforts, and we wish him well."

LeBeau, who was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010, is credited for introducing the zone blitz in the modern NFL. LeBeau’s statement of “resigning” and “not retiring” means that the veteran defensive coach could be exploring other offers from other NFL teams although LeBeau admitted that he wanted “to take a break” first from the coaching duties.

LeBeau was part of five NFL franchises being a special teams coach for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1973 to 1975, defensive back field coach for the Green Bay Packers from 1976 to 1979, various roles for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1980 to 1991 and 1997 to 2002 plus being the head coach for the Bengals from 2000 to 2002. He was also an assistant for the Buffalo Bills in 2003.

To contact author of this article, email j.gloria@IBTimes.com.au

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