The Doctor was in.

And he made a very special house call.

As Dick LeBeau looked across the plethora of admirers who had gathered Saturday to pay homage to him — and to support the field house that will be built in his honor at his alma mater — two men were seated in London High School Ray Chadwell Gymnasi-um paying very close attention.

They knew they only got where they were by serving their blitz-filled residencies under LeBeau’s tutelage.

“He has been a great mentor to me,” said Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. “He is the doctor of defense.”

While the pinnacle of Lewis’ coaching career so far has been as the defensive coordinator for a Baltimore Ravens defense that dominated football on its way to a victory over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, it was the tutoring prior to that which likely laid the groundwork for success.

From 1992 to 1995, Lewis was linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. His mentor at that time was LeBeau, who was serving as Blitzburgh’s defensive backfield coach and defensive coordinator.

“I remember calling my parents and telling them how excited I was to be coaching with Dick LeBeau,” Lewis said, recalling that February 1992 life-changing moment. “I told them I was going to be coaching with one of those guys whose football trading card I had.”

During his remarks Saturday, Lewis pulled the protected trading card out of his pocket for all on hand to see.

“He was using some of those concepts when he was with Cincinnati the first time,” Lewis said, talking about blitz packages, etc. “A lot of things came into vogue because he was using them.”

But, according to an old LeBeau teammate, the two-time world champion defensive coordinator wasn’t always a fan of the blitz.

“As a player, he’d complain about blitzes,” said Mike Lucci, a Detroit Lions teammate in the 1960s.

Lucci was curious why the Lions stellar cornerback would then make this intense defensive tactic such a main part of his coaching repertoire.

“He said, ‘Well, I don’t have to cover anyone anymore,’” Lucci said of LeBeau’s reasoning behind now embracing the blitz.

Just like LeBeau, Jauron’s playing days started with the Detroit Lions. In just his second year in Detroit, Jauron earned a spot in the 1974 Pro Bowl after leading the NFC in punt returns. Jauron still owns a plethora of rushing records at Yale University.

In 1978, Jauron took his free safety playing skills to the Bengals. Near the end of his three-year tenure there came along LeBeau as defensive backfield coach. It was there that LeBeau first became aware of Jauron’s leadership potential.

“I’m kind of responsible for Dick being a coach,” LeBeau said, stating he had recommended his former player to a colleague. “I didn’t like he was smarter than me.”

It was Jauron who credits his mentor — and now one of his dearest friends — with his coaching success.

“I noticed right away he was a very easy man to be around, an easy man to listen to,” Jauron said about absorbing LeBeau’s knowledge. “I thought that whoever I was around, I would try to learn — and from him I’ve learned a lot.”

Sometimes, Jauron pointed out, learning wasn’t always easy.

“He can pat you on the back or kick you in the ass,” Jauron said of LeBeau’s tough love. “He’s not talented by accident — he cares about everyone he meets.”

Obviously Jauron has learned a little extra about one of LeBeau’s other passions — golf — as the two friends hit the links earlier on Saturday.

“He beat me like a rented mule,” LeBeau said of Jauron’s close 71 to 74 win over his mentor at London Country Club.

Lewis added that LeBeau helped him pick out his first set of golf clubs.

“He always knew where the balls went,” said Lewis, adding LeBeau always called him Young Fellow. “He said, ‘When I first started playing golf balls were like gold.’”

And so have been the words of LeBeau to young coaches like Lewis and Jauron. While some people would see these young up-starts as competition, LeBeau was just being helpful to friends and colleagues.

“I’m honored to call him coach,” said Jauron. “I’m more honored to call him friend.”