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Hall of Famer Yale Lary, won 3 titles with Lions, dies at 86

Posted May 12, 2017 7:00 am

By NOAH TRISTER

FILE - This is a June 30, 1964, file photo showing Detroit Lions football player Yale Lary. Lary, a Hall of Fame safety who helped the Detroit Lions win three NFL titles during the 1950s, has died. He was 86. The Pro Football Hall of Fame confirmed his death, citing information from the nine-time Pro Bowler's family. The Lions say Lary died Friday, May 12, 2017, at his home in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/File) The Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) - Yale Lary, a Hall of Fame safety who helped the Detroit Lions win three NFL titles during the 1950s, has died. He was 86.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame confirmed his death, citing information from the nine-time Pro Bowler's family. The Lions said Lary died Friday at his home in Fort Worth, Texas.

"Yale Lary was a true American hero," Hall of Fame President David Baker said in a statement. "He was defined by his heart and character that made him one of the game's greatest players. Yale led by example and raised the level of all his teammates that resulted in multiple league titles for the Detroit Lions. Those same traits were on display during his service to our country as a member of the United States Army."

Lary had 50 interceptions during an 11-season career that was interrupted during the mid-1950s by service in the Army. He was also a punter and kick returner for the Lions, averaging 44.3 yards a punt.

He was enshrined into the Hall of Fame in 1979.

Lary went to Texas A&M and was drafted by the Lions in 1952. He played two seasons before serving a tour of duty with the Army.

Detroit won NFL titles in 1952, 1953 and 1957 - three of Lary's first four seasons.

The Lions released a statement Friday from owner Martha Firestone Ford. Her husband, William Clay Ford, owned the team before his death in 2014. His first full season leading the Lions was in 1964, the final season of Lary's career.

"As his Hall of Fame career indicates, Yale truly was one of our all-time great players and one of the greatest of his generation," Martha Ford said. "As good as he was on the field, he also was a genuinely wonderful person, one whose company and friendship Mr. Ford and I greatly cherished."

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FILE - In this July 28, 1979, file photo, Yale Lary poses with his bust and drawing after his acceptance speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Lary, a Hall of Fame safety who helped the Detroit Lions win three NFL titles during the 1950s, has died. He was 86. The Pro Football Hall of Fame confirmed his death, citing information from the nine-time Pro Bowler's family. The Lions say Lary died Friday, May 12, 2017, at his home in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/File) The Associated Press

FILE - This is a Nov. 9, 2008, file photo, showing former Detroit Lions safety Yale Lary during halftime ceremonies of an NFL football game in Detroit. Lary, a Hall of Fame safety who helped the Detroit Lions win three NFL titles during the 1950s, has died. He was 86. The Pro Football Hall of Fame confirmed his death, citing information from the nine-time Pro Bowler's family. The Lions say Lary died Friday, May 12, 2017, at his home in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File) The Associated Press

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