1971 Detroit Lions season
The 1971 Detroit Lions season was their 42nd in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous season's output of 10–4, winning only seven games.
1971 Detroit Lions season | |
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Head coach | Joe Schmidt |
Home field | Tiger Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 7–6–1 |
Division place | 2nd NFC Central |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Mired in adversity, the 1971 season turned especially tragic for the Lions and the NFL when, during their Week 6 hosting of the Chicago Bears, Lions wide receiver Chuck Hughes collapsed on the playing field. Unresponsive, Hughes was pronounced dead later that day of heart failure. Since 1971, no Detroit player has worn Hughes' #85 jersey save on special permission of the Hughes family.[1][2]
Roster
Detroit Lions roster | ||||||
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Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
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Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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Reserve Lists
Rookies in italics | |||
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 20 | Minnesota Vikings | L 13-16 | |
2 | September 26 | at New England Patriots | W 34–7 | |
3 | October 3 | Atlanta Falcons | W 41–38 | |
4 | October 10 | Green Bay Packers | W 31–28 | |
5 | October 17 | at Houston Oilers | W 31–7 | |
6 | October 24 | Chicago Bears | L 23-28 | |
7 | November 1 | at Green Bay Packers | T 14–14 | |
8 | November 7 | at Denver Broncos | W 24–20 | |
9 | November 14 | Los Angeles Rams | L 13-21 | |
10 | November 21 | at Chicago Bears | W 28–3 | |
11 | November 25 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 32–21 | |
12 | December 5 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 20-23 | |
13 | December 11 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 10-29 | |
14 | December 19 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 27-31 |
Standings
NFC Central | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Minnesota Vikings | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 5–1 | 9–2 | 245 | 139 | W2 |
Detroit Lions | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 2–3–1 | 3–6–1 | 341 | 286 | L2 |
Chicago Bears | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2–4 | 5–6 | 185 | 276 | L5 |
Green Bay Packers | 4 | 8 | 2 | .333 | 2–3–1 | 2–7–2 | 274 | 298 | L1 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Season summary
Week 6
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
Lions | 6 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
at Tiger Stadium, Detroit, Michigan
- Date: October 24, 1971
- Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C)
- Game attendance: 54,418
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information | ||
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Chuck Hughes became the first NFL player to die on the field during a game.
References
- "YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
- "1971 Detroit Lions Statistics & Players | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2016-11-08.