Greg Landry, the former Detroit Lions Pro Bowl quarterback, has died, the team announced. He was 77.
No cause of death was shared.
“We join the NFL community in mourning the loss of former Lions quarterback and coach Greg Landry,” the Lions wrote in post to X.
Landry played 14 seasons in the NFL from 1968 to 1981, including his first 11 with the Lions and three with the then-Baltimore Colts. He became the Lions’ starting QB in 1971 and was named to the NFL Pro Bowl after throwing for 2,237 yards, 16 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and a league-leading 16.4 average yards per completion. He also finished ninth in voting for the Associated Press Most Valuable Player award.
Landry led the Lions to a 15-11-2 record in his two seasons as starting QB in 1971 and 1972, but only made 13 starts over the following three seasons. In 1976, Landry started 12 of 14 games and threw for 2,191 yards passing, 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions en route to being named the Pro Football Writers Association Comeback Player of the Year.
After 11 seasons with the Lions, Landry was traded in 1979 to Baltimore, where he served one season as the Colts’ starting QB and two as a backup.
Landry played two seasons in the USFL in 1982 and 1983, but returned to the NFL in 1984 to start one game for the Mike Ditka-coached Chicago Bears, which he led to a 30-13 win over the rival Lions in his final game. For his 15-year NFL career, Landry threw for 16,052 yards, 98 touchdowns and 103 interceptions with a 55.5 completion percentage.
