Lionel Aldridge

Lionel Aldridge
No. 82
Position: Defensive end
Personal information
Date of birth: February 14, 1941
Place of birth: Evergreen, Louisiana
Date of death: February 12, 1998 (aged 56)
Place of death: Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Career information
College: Utah State
NFL draft: 1962 / 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: 12
Fumble recoveries- for TDs: 1 - 1
Stats at NFL.com

Lionel Aldridge (February 14, 1941 – February 12, 1998) was an American professional football player.[1]

Aldridge was an All-Skyline tackle & co-captain of the Utah State Aggies. He was drafted in 1963 after a standout college career at Utah State. One of the few rookies to start for coach Vince Lombardi, Aldridge enjoyed an eleven-year NFL career.[2] As a Packer, he played a role in three straight NFL Championships (1965-66-67) and in Packer victories in Super Bowls I and II.[3] Traded to the San Diego Chargers, Aldridge played two seasons in San Diego before retiring from professional football in 1973.[1]

After retiring, Aldridge worked as sports analyst in Milwaukee and for Packers radio and NBC until manifesting paranoid schizophrenia in the late 1970s.[4] Homeless for a time in part due to misdiagnosis,[3][5] he eventually reached a form of equilibrium. He became an advocate for the homeless and the mentally ill until his death in 1998. 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.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League. New York: HarperCollins, 1999. 553.
  2. ↑ "Lionel Aldridge". NFL.com. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Clark, Steve. "Lost and found - Ex-Packer Aldridge winning life's battle". Beloit Daily News. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  4. ↑ Eskenazi, Gerald (1998-02-14). "Lionel Aldridge, 56, Stalwart On Defense for Packer Teams". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  5. ↑ Oates, Bob (1987-10-27). "LIONEL ALDRIDGE: A LONG JOURNEY AND HAPPY DAYS : Former Packer Is Back on His Feet". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  6. ↑ "Celebrity Meltdown". Psychology Today 32 (6): 46–49, 70. December 1999.