1968 Detroit Lions season
NFL team season
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The 1968 Detroit Lions season was their 39th in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous season's output of 5–7–2, winning only four games.[1] They missed the playoffs for the eleventh straight season.
| 1968 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Joe Schmidt |
| Home stadium | Tiger Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–8–2 |
| Division place | 4th NFL Central |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
NFL draft
| 1968 Detroit Lions draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Greg Landry * | QB | Massachusetts | |
| 1 | 24 | Earl McCullouch | WR | USC | from Los Angeles |
| 2 | 37 | Jerry DePoyster | K | Wyoming | |
| 3 | 74 | Charlie Sanders * † | TE | Minnesota | from Los Angeles |
| 4 | 93 | Ed Mooney | LB | Texas Tech | |
| 5 | 120 | Phil Odle | WR | BYU | |
| 6 | 148 | Mike Spitzer | DE | San Jose State | |
| 8 | 202 | Terry Miller | LB | Illinois | |
| 9 | 229 | Greg Barton | QB | Tulsa | |
| 10 | 256 | Granville Liggins | LB | Oklahoma | |
| 11 | 283 | Dwight Little | G | Kentucky | |
| 12 | 310 | Ed Caruthers | DB | Arizona | |
| 13 | 337 | Chuck Bailey | OT | Cal State-Humboldt | |
| 14 | 364 | Richie Davis | WR | Upsala | |
| 15 | 391 | Jim Oliver | RB | Colorado State | |
| 16 | 418 | Bob Rokita | DE | Arizona State | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Notes
- Detroit traded DT Roger Brown to Los Angeles in exchange for the Rams' first- and third-round selections (24th and 74th) and second-round selection in 1969.
- Detroit traded its third-round selection (65th) and fourth-round selection in 1969 to San Francisco in exchange for RB David Kopay.
- Detroit traded its seventeenth-round selection (445th) to Minnesota in exchange for Minnesota's sixteenth-round selection in 1969.
Personnel
Staff / Coaches
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Final roster
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 15 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 13–59 | 0–1 | Cotton Bowl | 61,382 |
| 2 | September 22 | Chicago Bears | W 42–0 | 1–1 | Tiger Stadium | 50,688 |
| 3 | September 29 | at Green Bay Packers | W 23–17 | 2–1 | Lambeau Field | 50,681 |
| 4 | October 6 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 10–24 | 2–2 | Metropolitan Stadium | 44,289 |
| 5 | October 13 | at Chicago Bears | W 28–10 | 3–2 | Wrigley Field | 46,996 |
| 6 | October 20 | Green Bay Packers | T 14–14 | 3–2–1 | Tiger Stadium | 57,302 |
| 7 | October 27 | San Francisco 49ers | L 7–14 | 3–3–1 | Tiger Stadium | 53,555 |
| 8 | November 3 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 7–10 | 3–4–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 77,982 |
| 9 | November 10 | Baltimore Colts | L 10–27 | 3–5–1 | Tiger Stadium | 55,170 |
| 10 | November 17 | Minnesota Vikings | L 6–13 | 3–6–1 | Tiger Stadium | 46,654 |
| 11 | November 24 | New Orleans Saints | T 20–20 | 3–6–2 | Tiger Stadium | 46,152 |
| 12 | November 28 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 0–12 | 3–7–2 | Tiger Stadium | 47,909 |
| 13 | December 8 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 24–7 | 4–7–2 | Atlanta Stadium | 49,437 |
| 14 | December 15 | at Washington Redskins | L 3–14 | 4–8–2 | D.C. Stadium | 50,123 |
Note: The October 6 game against Minnesota was originally scheduled to be played in Detroit. The game was switched with the November 17 game due to game 4 of the World Series.
Season summary
Week 5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Lions | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Bears | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
- Date: October 13
- Location: Wrigley Field, Chicago
- Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C), wind 9 mph
| 1 | DET | Mel Farr 32 yard pass from Bill Munson (Jerry DePoyster kick) | Lions 7–0 | |
| 1 | CHI | Cecil Turner 80 yard pass from Larry Rakestraw (Mac Percival kick) | Tie 7–7 | |
| 2 | DET | Mel Farr 9 yard run (Jerry DePoyster kick) | Lions 14–7 | |
| 2 | CHI | Mac Percival 33 yard field goal | Lions 14–10 | |
| 3 | DET | Mel Farr 1 yard run (Jerry DePoyster kick) | Lions 21–10 | |
| 4 | DET | Tom Nowatzke 1 yard run (Jerry DePoyster kick) | Lions 28–10 | |
Standings
| NFL Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 4–2 | 6–4 | 282 | 242 | W2 |
| Chicago Bears | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 5–5 | 250 | 333 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 6 | 7 | 1 | .462 | 1–4–1 | 2–7–1 | 281 | 227 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 8 | 2 | .333 | 3–2–1 | 4–5–1 | 207 | 241 | L1 |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
