Lionel Aldridge

American football player (1941–1998) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lionel Aldridge

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.

Quick Facts No. 82, Position: ...
Lionel Aldridge
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Aldridge, circa 1962
No. 82
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born:(1941-02-14)February 14, 1941
Evergreen, Louisiana, U.S.
Died:February 12, 1998(1998-02-12) (aged 56)
Shorewood, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:254 lb (115 kg)
Career information
High school:Pittsburg (Pittsburg, California)
College:Utah State
NFL draft:1963 / round: 4 / pick: 54
AFL draft:1963 / round: 6 / pick: 47
(By the Houston Oilers)
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:147
Games started:58
Touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference 
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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

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