1963 Detroit Lions season
1963 Detroit Lions season | |
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Head coach | NFL Western |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The 1963 Detroit Lions season was their thirtieth in Detroit and 34th overall. NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle indefinitely suspended Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras and Packers' halfback Paul Hornung for placing bets on NFL teams. Five other Lions players were fined $2,000 each for betting on games that they did not play in. The Lions franchise was fined $2,000 each on two counts for failure to report information promptly and for lack of sideline supervision.[1] The gambling controversy proved to be a big distraction on the field as well, as the Lions could not build on the success of the previous season, finishing 5–8–1.
On Thanksgiving Day in Detroit, the Lions met the Packers for the thirteenth consecutive season. The game ended in a tie, the first for the Packers in five years,[2] and it was the end of the holiday series for Green Bay. Their visit to Tiger Stadium the following year was on a Monday night in late September, and the visiting opponent for Thanksgiving was rotated, starting with the Chicago Bears.
Offseason
NFL Draft
Round | Pick | Player | Position | School |
1 | 12 | Daryl Sanders | Offensive Tackle | Ohio State |
- Source:[3]
Preseason
Paper Lion
Paper Lion, published in 1966, is a non-fiction book by prominent American writer George Plimpton. Plimpton pitched to a lineup of
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 14 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 23–2 | 1–0 | 49,342
|
2 | September 22 | at Green Bay Packers | L 10–31 | 1–1 | 45,912
|
3 | September 29 | Chicago Bears | L 21–37 | 1–2 | 55,400
|
4 | October 6 | San Francisco 49ers | W 26–3 | 2–2 | 44,088
|
5 | October 13 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 14–17 | 2–3 | 27,264
|
6 | October 20 | Baltimore Colts | L 21–25 | 2–4 | 51,901
|
7 | October 27 | Minnesota Vikings | W 28–10 | 3–4 | 44,509
|
8 | November 3 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 45–7 | 4–4 | 33,511
|
9 | November 10 | at Baltimore Colts | L 21–24 | 4–5 | 59,758
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10 | November 17 | Los Angeles Rams | L 21–28 | 4–6 | 44,951
|
11 | November 24 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 31–34 | 4–7 | 28,763
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12 | November 28 | Green Bay Packers | T 13–13 | 4–7–1 | 54,016
|
13 | December 8 | Cleveland Browns | W 38–10 | 5–7–1 | 51,382
|
14 | December 15 | at Chicago Bears | L 14–24 | 5–8–1 | 45,317
|
- Saturday night (September 14),[4] Thursday (November 28: Thanksgiving)[2]
Game summaries
Week 1
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Week 3 vs Bears
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 7 | 28 | 0 | 2 | 37 |
Lions | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
at
- Date: September 29, 1963
- Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C)
- Game attendance: 55,400
- Box Score
Game information | ||
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Standings
NFL Western Conference
| |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
Chicago Bears | 11 | 1 | 2 | .917 | 10–1–1 | 301 | 144 | W2 | |
Green Bay Packers | 11 | 2 | 1 | .846 | 9–2–1 | 369 | 206 | W2 | |
Baltimore Colts | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 7–5 | 316 | 285 | W3 | |
Detroit Lions | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 4–7–1 | 326 | 265 | L1 | |
Minnesota Vikings | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 4–7–1 | 309 | 390 | W1 | |
Los Angeles Rams | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 5–7 | 210 | 350 | L2 | |
San Francisco 49ers | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 1–11 | 198 | 391 | L5 |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Roster
Detroit Lions roster | ||||||
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Quarterbacks
Running backs Wide receivers Tight ends |
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen |
Linebackers
Defensive backs Special teams |
Reserve lists
rookies in italics |
Awards and honors
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2010) |
Notes and references
- ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p.282
- ^ a b Johnson, Chuck (November 29, 1963). "Lions tie Packers, 13 to 13". Milwaukee Journal. p. 22, part 2.
- ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 395
- ^ "Lions flatten Rams, 23-2". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 15, 1963. p. 1B.
- ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-22.