Dick Stanfel

Richard Anthony Stanfel (July 20, 1927 – June 22, 2015) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a guard, and his college and professional career spanned more than 50 years from 1948 to 1998. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player in 2016. He was also named to the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team.

A native of San Francisco, Stanfel served in the United States Army and later played college football on both offense and defense for the San Francisco Dons from 1948 to 1950. He was selected as a first-team All-Coast defensive guard in 1950.

Stanfel was selected by the Detroit Lions with the 19th pick in the 1951 NFL draft, missed the 1951 season due to injury, and then played four seasons for the Detroit Lions from 1952 to 1955 and three seasons for the Washington Redskins from 1956 to 1958. He was a key offensive player on the Lions 1952 and 1953 NFL championship teams and was named the Most Valuable Player on the 1953 team. He was selected by the Associated Press as a first-team All-NFL player in five of his seven NFL seasons and played in five Pro Bowls.

Stanfel also spent more than 35 years as a football coach, principally as an offensive line coach. His coaching career included stints with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1959–1962), the California Golden Bears (1963), the Philadelphia Eagles (1964–1970), the San Francisco 49ers (1971–1975), the New Orleans Saints (1976–1980, 1997–1998), and the Chicago Bears (1981–1992). Bears head coach Mike Ditka called Stanfel the best offensive line coach in football after the Bears led the NFL in rushing three straight years and won Super Bowl XX.