Yale 9-time Pro-Bowler:
Yale Lary was a multi-talented Texas A&M product who was a key cog in Detroit Lions’ fearsome defensive platoon in the 1950s and 1960s.
He is remembered as a superb right safety, one of history’s truly great punters, and a return specialist with breakaway ability on punt returns that set him apart from all the rest.
During his 11 years with the Lions, he was named to the All-NFL team five times and played in nine Pro Bowls. He had 50 career interceptions.
Lary had a career average of 44.3 yards on 503 punts, placing him among the best ever. He won three NFL punting titles and missed a fourth by a slim margin. He also was a three-time NFL champion (1952, 1953, 1957).
“Kicking from the end zone, Yale invariably put the ball across midfield with enough hang time to let us cover the kick,” team captain and Hall of Fame linebacker Joe Schmidt recalled. “He made our defense look good because he always gave us room to work.”