A native of London, OH, LeBeau attended Ohio State where he was and all-Big Ten selection as a defensive back and helped the Buckeyes win the national championship in 1957. He then played 14 seasons as a cornerback in the NFL with the Detroit Lions (1959-72) and appeared in three Pro Bowls. In that time, he appeared in an NFL-record 171 consecutive games at cornerback and his 62 career interceptions are tied the seventh most in NFL history.