1962 Detroit Lions season
| 1962 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | George Wilson |
| Home field | Tiger Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 11–3 |
| Division place | 2nd NFL Western |
| Playoff finish |
Won Playoff Bowl (3rd place) |
The 1962 Detroit Lions season was the 33rd season in franchise history. In one of the best regular seasons in their history, the Lions posted an 11–3 record (.786), but finished two games behind the eventual NFL champion Packers in the NFL Western Conference. It was third straight season the Lions finished as runner-up to the Packers in the West.
As conference runner-up, Detroit won their third consecutive Playoff Bowl game over the Pittsburgh Steelers, 17–10.[1] The third place game was played at the Orange Bowl in Miami on January 6, three weeks after the end of the regular season.[2]
The Lions never trailed by more than seven points at any point in any game during the season, a feat that was not repeated for 48 years. Their 26–14 win over the Packers on Thanksgiving Day in Week 11 denied defending champion Green Bay the NFL's first true perfect season.[3] The Lions were up 26–0 in the fourth quarter before Green Bay scored two touchdowns;[4] the Packers had won the first meeting 9–7 in the mud in Green Bay with a late field goal on October 7.[5][6]
Offseason
NFL Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | 10 [7] | John Hadl [8] | Back | Kansas |
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 16, 1962 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 45–7 | |
| 2 | September 23, 1962 | San Francisco 49ers | W 45–24 | |
| 3 | September 30, 1962 | at Baltimore Colts | W 29–20 | |
| 4 | October 7, 1962 | at Green Bay Packers | L 9–7 | |
| 5 | October 14, 1962 | Los Angeles Rams | W 13–10 | |
| 6 | October 21, 1962 | at New York Giants | L 17–14 | |
| 7 | October 28, 1962 | Chicago Bears | W 11–3 | |
| 8 | November 4, 1962 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 12–3 | |
| 9 | November 11, 1962 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 38–24 | |
| 10 | November 18, 1962 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 17–6 | |
| 11 | November 22, 1962 | Green Bay Packers | W 26–14 | |
| 12 | December 2, 1962 | Baltimore Colts | W 21–14 | |
| 13 | December 9, 1962 | Minnesota Vikings | W 37–23 | |
| 14 | December 16, 1962 | at Chicago Bears | L 3–0 | |
Season summary
Week 11
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Standings
| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 13 | 1 | 0 | .929 | 11–1 | 415 | 148 | W3 | |
| Detroit Lions | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 10–2 | 315 | 177 | L1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 8–4 | 321 | 287 | W2 | |
| Baltimore Colts | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 5–7 | 293 | 288 | W2 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 5–7 | 282 | 331 | L2 | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 2 | 11 | 1 | .154 | 1–10–1 | 254 | 410 | L3 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 1 | 12 | 1 | .077 | 1–10–1 | 220 | 334 | L3 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Roster
| Detroit Lions roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks
Running Backs Wide Receivers Tight Ends |
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen |
Linebackers
Defensive Backs Special Teams |
Reserve Lists
Rookies in italics | |||
Playoff Bowl
The game matched the conference runners-up for third place in the league and was played three weeks after the end of the regular season (and a week after the championship game). The ten editions of the Playoff Bowl, all held at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, are now considered exhibition games by the NFL, not post-season contests.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff Bowl | January 6, 1963 | vs. Pittsburgh Steelers | W 17–10 | Orange Bowl | |
Source:[10]
Awards and records
- The Lions were only the third NFL team since 1940 that never trailed by more than 7 points at any time during the season. This feat would not be repeated again until the Green Bay Packers did so in their Super Bowl-winning 2010 season.[11][12]
References
- ↑ "Plum, Webb host Lions to 17-10 win". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. January 7, 1963. p. 4, part 2.
- ↑ "Lions turns back Pittsburgh in NFL Play-off Bowl, 17-10". Milwaukee Journal. press dispatches. January 7, 1963. p. 12, part 2.
- ↑ Lea, Bud (November 23, 1962). "Lions shatter Packers' streak". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 4, part 2.
- ↑ "Lions hand Packers first loss, 26 to 14". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. p. 24.
- ↑ Lea, Bud. "Packers nip Lions at wire, 9-7". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 2, part 2.
- ↑ Johnson, Chuck (October 8, 1962). "Lions dare Packers to intercept; they do". Milwaukee Journal. p. 10, part 2.
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 395
- ↑ John Hadl Signed with the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League
- ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 369
- ↑ Stuart, Chase (January 26, 2011). "Super Bowl notes: Stat of the Year and Updated SRS Standings". Pro Football Reference Blog. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
- ↑ Associated Press (February 6, 2011). "Aaron Rodgers tosses 3 TD passes as Packers drop Steelers to win Super Bowl XLV". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2011. See especially the "Scoring Summary" section, which shows that the Packers never trailed in the game.
External links
- Detroit Lions on Pro Football Reference
- Detroit Lions on jt-sw.com
- Detroit Lions on The Football Database