Wednesday, May 21, 2014

1961 Profile: Buster Ramsey

Head Coach
"Recognized as a top defensive teacher, he was boss of the Lions' line for eight years before taking the head post at Buffalo.
Born in Townsend, Tennessee, he was that state's outstanding scholastic lineman before moving to William & Mary, where he was an All-America guard for two years. Buster played five seasons with the Cardinals, shining as an elite linebacker, and he retired as a player in mid-'51.
Cooking, bridge and dancing are his main off-the-field pursuits."

-1961 Pro Football Handbook

"Buster Ramsey knew what would work against pro offenses- his Bills led the AFL in total defense. It should have been expected. When he was defensive coach for Detroit, it perennially featured the finest defense in the game. And Buster quickly drilled Buffalo into being the stingiest unit of the new league; the Bills also led in pass interceptions.
Buster is a blustery mountaineer from the heart of the Smokies in East Tennessee. He came out of the hills to sedate William and Mary College and became an All-American guard. After three years as a CPO in World War II, he was a linebacker with the Chicago Cardinals and made All-Pro. As a player he was extremely aggressive, and he transferred those qualities to coaching, which he took up full time in 1952 at Detroit. Buster was with the Lions eight seasons and developed the greatest defensive stars in the game- Joe Schmidt, Yale Lary, Jack Christiansen, Jim David. 'The Lions had a great defense,' he says, 'because we left nothing to chance. We really worked at it.'"

-Murray Olderman, Sports All-Stars 1961 Pro Football

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