1961 Detroit Lions season
NFL team season (won NFL Playoff Bowl)
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The 1961 Detroit Lions season was the 32nd season in franchise history. Detroit was runner-up in the Western conference at 8–5–1, then won a second Playoff Bowl game against the Philadelphia Eagles that was played in the Orange Bowl, 38–10.[1]
| 1961 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | George Wilson |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–5–1 |
| Division place | 2nd NFL Western |
| Playoffs | Won NFL Playoff Bowl (vs. Eagles) 38–10 |
This was also the first season that the silhouetted blue lion logo appeared on the helmets.
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1961 Detroit Lions draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 23 | Dan LaRose | Tackle | Missouri | |
| 3 | 38 | Houston Antwine * | Defensive tackle | Southern Illinois | |
| 4 | 51 | Ron Hartline | Running back | Oklahoma | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Roster
| 1961 Detroit Lions roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
| |||
- Source:
Regular season
According to the team, a total of 39,501 season tickets were sold by the Lions for the 1961 campaign.[2] The Lions played their home games in Briggs Stadium (Tiger Stadium), which had a regular listed seating capacity of 46,194, with an additional 7,000 bleacher seats for football to bring total capacity to 53,194.[2]
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 17 | at Green Bay Packers | W 17–13 | 1–0 | 32,150 |
| 2 | September 24 | at Baltimore Colts | W 16–15 | 2–0 | 49,825 |
| 3 | October 1 | San Francisco 49ers | L 0–49 | 2–1 | 38,065 |
| 4 | October 8 | Chicago Bears | L 17–31 | 2–2 | 53,854 |
| 5 | October 15 | Los Angeles Rams | W 14–13 | 3–2 | 53,295 |
| 6 | October 22 | Baltimore Colts | L 14–17 | 3–3 | 48,447 |
| 7 | October 29 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 28–10 | 4–3 | 54,019 |
| 8 | November 5 | at San Francisco 49ers | T 20–20 | 4–3–1 | 46,267 |
| 9 | November 12 | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 45–14 | 5–3–1 | 54,123 |
| 10 | November 19 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 37–10 | 6–3–1 | 57,808 |
| 11 | November 23 | Green Bay Packers | L 9–17 | 6–4–1 | 43,272 |
| 12 | December 3 | at Chicago Bears | W 16–15 | 7–4–1 | 51,017 |
| 13 | December 10 | Minnesota Vikings | W 13–7 | 8–4–1 | 42,655 |
| 14 | December 17 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 24–27 | 8–5–1 | 44,231 |
Standings
| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 9–3 | 391 | 223 | W1 | |
| Detroit Lions | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 7–4–1 | 270 | 258 | L1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 7–5 | 326 | 302 | W2 | |
| Baltimore Colts | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 6–6 | 302 | 307 | W1 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 6–5–1 | 346 | 272 | L1 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 3–9 | 263 | 333 | L1 | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 3–9 | 285 | 407 | L2 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Playoff Bowl
The Playoff Bowl matched the runners-up of the two conferences to determine third place in the league. It was played in January at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, the week following the NFL Championship game. This season's participants, Detroit and Philadelphia, had met three weeks earlier in the last game of the regular season, a three-point Eagles' road win,[3][4] and were slightly favored in Miami.[5]
This was the second year for the game and the Lions repeated as winners;[1] it is classified by the NFL as an exhibition game, rather than postseason.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff Bowl | January 6, 1962 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 38–10 | Orange Bowl | 25,612 |