1962 Detroit Lions season

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 Green Bay Packers in the NFL Western Conference. It was third straight season the Lions finished as runner-up to the Packers in the West. Entering the final weekend, Detroit was one game behind and had won seven consecutive, but were shut out 3–0 by the Chicago Bears.[1] The Lions' three losses, all on the road, were by a total of eight points.

1962 Detroit Lions season
Head coachGeorge Wilson
Home fieldTiger Stadium
Results
Record11–3
Division place2nd NFL Western
Playoff finishWon NFL Playoff Bowl (3rd place) (vs. Steelers) 17-10

As conference runner-up, Detroit won their third consecutive Playoff Bowl game over the Pittsburgh Steelers, 17–10.[2][3] The third place game was played at the Orange Bowl in Miami on January 6, three weeks after the end of the regular season.[4]

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.[5] The Lions were up 26–0 in the fourth quarter before Green Bay scored two touchdowns;[6] the Packers had won the first meeting 9–7 in the mud in Green Bay with a late field goal on October 7.[7][8]

Offseason

NFL Draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionSchool
110 [9]John Hadl [10]BackKansas

Regular season
Main article: 1962 NFL season

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Record Attendance
1 September 16 Pittsburgh Steelers W 45–7 1–0
46,641
2 September 23 San Francisco 49ers W 45–24 2–0
51,032
3 September 30 at Baltimore Colts W 29–20 3–0
57,966
4 October 7 at Green Bay Packers L 7–9 3–1
38,669
5 October 14 Los Angeles Rams W 13–10 4–1
53,714
6 October 21 at New York Giants L 14–17 4–2
62,856
7 October 28 Chicago Bears W 11–3 5–2
53,342
8 November 4 at Los Angeles Rams W 12–3 6–2
44,241
9 November 11 at San Francisco 49ers W 38–24 7–2
43,449
10 November 18 at Minnesota Vikings W 17–6 8–2
31,257
11 November 22 Green Bay Packers W 26–14 9–2
57,598
12 December 2 Baltimore Colts W 21–14 10–2  
53,012
13 December 9 Minnesota Vikings W 37–23 11–2  
42,256
14 December 16 at Chicago Bears L 0–3 11–3  
44,948

Season summary

Week 4 at Packers
See also: 1962 Green Bay Packers season and Lions–Packers rivalry
Detroit Lions (3–0) at Green Bay Packers (3–0)
1 2 34Total
Lions 0 7 007
Packers 3 0 339

at City Stadium • Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Alex Karras reportedly threw a helmet at Milt Plum in the locker after the game for throwing the late interception that led to the Lions' defeat.

Week 11 vs. Packers
Green Bay Packers (10–0) at Detroit Lions (8–2)
1 2 34Total
Packers 0 0 01414
Lions 7 16 3026

at Tiger Stadium • Detroit, Michigan

The game was dubbed the "Thanksgiving Day Massacre" thanks to the dominant performance of the Lions defense, who sacked Bart Starr 11 times.[11][12] It was Green Bay's sole loss of the season; they repeated as NFL champions.

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
  • None - vacant

Practice/Taxi Squad

  • None - vacant

'Note: Rookies in italics

Source:

Playoff Bowl
Main article: 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
36,284

Source:[2][3][4][13]

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 was not repeated until the Green Bay Packers did so in their Super Bowl-winning 2010 season.[14][15]
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See also

References
  1. "Bears pull the rug out, but it still didn't matter". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. December 17, 1962. p. 26.
  2. "Plum, Webb host Lions to 17-10 win". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. January 7, 1963. p. 4, part 2.
  3. "Lions have a plum of a blitz game, too". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. January 7, 1963. p. 12.
  4. "Lions turns back Pittsburgh in NFL Play-off Bowl, 17-10". Milwaukee Journal. press dispatches. January 7, 1963. p. 12, part 2.
  5. Lea, Bud (November 23, 1962). "Lions shatter Packers' streak". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 4, part 2.
  6. "Lions hand Packers first loss, 26 to 14". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. p. 24.
  7. Lea, Bud. "Packers nip Lions at wire, 9-7". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 2, part 2.
  8. Johnson, Chuck (October 8, 1962). "Lions dare Packers to intercept; they do". Milwaukee Journal. p. 10, part 2.
  9. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 395
  10. John Hadl Signed with the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League
  11. "#6 Thanksgiving Day Massacre". NFL.com. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  12. Richardson, Anwar S. (November 24, 2011). "Stars of Detroit Lions' past see similarities to 1962 Thanksgiving showdown with Packers". MLive. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  13. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 369
  14. 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.
  15. "Aaron Rodgers tosses 3 TD passes as Packers drop Steelers to win Super Bowl XLV". ESPN.com. Associated Press. February 6, 2011. 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.
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