1964 Detroit Lions season
NFL team season
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The 1964 Detroit Lions season was the 31st in Detroit and the 35th in franchise history. They finished at 7–5–2, fourth in the Western conference.
| 1964 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | William Clay Ford Sr. |
| Head coach | George Wilson |
| Home stadium | Tiger Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–5–2 |
| Division place | 4th NFL Western |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
Offseason
- On January 21, William Clay Ford, Lions president since 1961, purchased the team, which as of 2025, continues to be held by the family, currently by his daughter Sheila.[1]
- On March 16, Lions Defensive Tackle Alex Karras was reinstated by Pete Rozelle after being suspended for betting.[1]
NFL draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | 5 | Pete Beathard | Quarterback | USC |
| 2 | 20 | Matt Snorton | Tight End | Michigan State |
| 3 | ||||
Regular season
For the first time since 1950, the Green Bay Packers were not the guest on Thanksgiving Day; they visited Tiger Stadium in late September for a rare Monday night game.[3][4]
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 13 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 26–17 | 1–0–0 | 33,204 |
| 2 | September 19 | at Los Angeles Rams | T 17–17 | 1–0–1 | 52,001 |
| 3 | September 28 | Green Bay Packers | L 10–14 | 1–1–1 | 59,203 |
| 4 | October 4 | New York Giants | W 26–3 | 2–1–1 | 54,836 |
| 5 | October 11 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 24–20 | 3–1–1 | 40,840 |
| 6 | October 18 | at Chicago Bears | W 10–0 | 4–1–1 | 47,567 |
| 7 | October 25 | Baltimore Colts | L 0–34 | 4–2–1 | 57,814 |
| 8 | November 1 | Los Angeles Rams | W 37–17 | 5–2–1 | 52,064 |
| 9 | November 6 | at Green Bay Packers | L 7–30 | 5–3–1 | 42,327 |
| 10 | November 15 | at Cleveland Browns | L 21–37 | 5–4–1 | 83,064 |
| 11 | November 22 | Minnesota Vikings | T 23–23 | 5–4–2 | 48,291 |
| 12 | November 26 | Chicago Bears | L 24–27 | 5–5–2 | 52,231 |
| 13 | December 6 | at Baltimore Colts | W 31–14 | 6–5–2 | 60,213 |
| 14 | December 13 | San Francisco 49ers | W 24–7 | 7–5–2 | 41,854 |
- Saturday night (September 19),[5] Monday night (September 28),[3][4]
Thursday (November 26: Thanksgiving)[6]
Game summaries
Week 1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Lions | 3 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 26 |
| 49ers | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
- Date: September 13
- Location: Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, California
- Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C); wind 16 mph (26 km/h)
| 1 | DET | Wayne Walker 23 yard field goal | DET 3–0 | |
| 1 | SF | Bernie Casey 63 yard pass from John Brodie (Tommy Davis kick) | SF 7–3 | |
| 2 | DET | Wayne Walker 16 yard field goal | SF 7–6 | |
| 2 | DET | Nick Pietrosante 3 yard run (Wayne Walker kick) | DET 13–7 | |
| 2 | DET | Wayne Walker 31 yard field goal | DET 16–7 | |
| 3 | DET | Nick Pietrosante 1 yard run (Wayne Walker kick) | DET 23–7 | |
| 3 | SF | Tommy Davis 41 yard field goal | DET 23–10 | |
| 3 | SF | Bernie Casey 7 yard pass from John Brodie (Tommy Davis kick) | DET 23–17 | |
| 4 | DET | Wayne Walker 26 yard field goal | DET 26–17 | |
Week 10: at Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns 37, Detroit Lions 21
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Browns | 7 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 37 |
at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: November 15
- Game time: 1:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C), relative humidity 60%, wind 9 mph (14 km/h)
- Game attendance: 83,064
- TV announcers (CBS): Van Patrick (DET) (second half) and Ken Coleman (CLE) (first half) (play-by-play), Jim Morse (DET) (second half) and Warren Lahr (CLE) (first half) (color commentators)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information |
|---|
|
Standings
| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Baltimore Colts | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 10–2 | 428 | 225 | W1 | |
| Green Bay Packers[a] | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 6–5–1 | 342 | 245 | T1 | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 6–5–1 | 355 | 296 | W3 | |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 5 | 2 | .583 | 6–4–2 | 280 | 260 | W2 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 5 | 7 | 2 | .417 | 3–7–2 | 283 | 339 | T1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 5–7 | 260 | 379 | L2 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 3–9 | 236 | 330 | L1 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
- Green Bay was awarded the Playoff Bowl berth from the Western Conference
by outscoring Minnesota 65–37 in their two meetings.
Roster
| 1964 Detroit Lions roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
|
Inactive
rookies in italics | |||
Awards and records
- Terry Barr, Outstanding Lineman, Pro Bowl [8]