Sports
Northville Man Inducted into Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
Dorne Dibble won two NFL championships with the Detroit Lions in the 1950s.
Detroit Lions' fans know well the significance of the year 1957, which was the last time the team won an NFL championship. It was especially significant for Dorne Dibble, 84, of Northville, because he helped get them there.
The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame announced last month that the former Lions receiver is one of the new members of its 58th class of inductees.
Dibble, who retired from the team in '57, also played when the Lions won the '53 championship, which was when he returned to the team after serving in the Korean War. He wears his '53 championship ring proudly and said football was always a part of his life.
"I started playing football when I was 5 years old," he said.
However, Dibble's goal was never to play football professionally. He played while at Michigan State University and earned an All-American title, but he said he went to college for his education and studied engineering. He said most players now go to college with only football in mind and lose out on a free education. In his day, players couldn't get into professional football until they had four years of college, he said.
"That's the problem with football now," he said. "I got a good education. Pro football was not my goal. It just happened."
Dibble said he ended up being the Lion's third draft pick, and he started in 1951 as a defensive player. He was such an superb player, however, that he also played offense in his rookie year.
"I was better than anybody else on both positions," he said.
Life after football
Dibble resides in Northville, where he has lived for 11 years, with his wife, Kristen, who grew up in the city. They married last year after being engaged for 25 years, he said."It was long enough," he said about why they eventually wed.
Dibble, now retired, used his engineering experience to start a career after football with Mill Smith Industries, a company that designed the parts of model cars. He started in sales and ended up as the general manager 13 years later, he said.
His family, who all live in Michigan, knows all about his football past. He has three children (from his first wife), four grandchildren and two great granddaughters who are twins.
"My granddaughter that has the two twins, she's a real football fan," he said.
Dibble's fans will be glad to know he will be honored Feb. 28 at the annual Michigan Sports Hall of Fame Induction Event at the historic Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit. Learn how to get tickets.
See Dibble's interview with Fox 2 News where he explains what playing a championship game was like in the '50s.
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