1961 Detroit Lions season
Encyclopedia
The 1961
Detroit Lions
season was the 32nd season in franchise history.
1961 NFL season
The 1961 NFL season was the 42nd regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 14 teams with the addition of the Minnesota Vikings, after the team's owners declined to be charter members of the new American Football League. The schedule was also expanded from 12 games per...
Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
season was the 32nd season in franchise history.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 17, 1961 | at Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
W 17-13 | |
| 2 | September 24, 1961 | at Baltimore Colts History of the Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls.... |
W 16-15 | |
| 3 | October 1, 1961 | San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... |
L 49-0 | |
| 4 | October 8, 1961 | Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 31-17 | |
| 5 | October 15, 1961 | Los Angeles Rams St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,... |
W 14-13 | |
| 6 | October 22, 1961 | Baltimore Colts History of the Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls.... |
L 17-14 | |
| 7 | October 29, 1961 | at Los Angeles Rams St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,... |
W 28-10 | |
| 8 | November 5, 1961 | at San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... |
T 20-20 | |
| 9 | November 12, 1961 | at St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 45-14 | |
| 10 | November 19, 1961 | at Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
W 37-10 | |
| 11 | November 23, 1961 | Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
L 17-9 | |
| 12 | December 3, 1961 | at Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 16-15 | |
| 13 | December 10, 1961 | Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
W 13-7 | |
| 14 | December 17, 1961 | Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 27-24 | |
Standings
| NFL Western Eastern and Western Divisions (NFL) 1933-69 The Eastern and Western Divisions of the National Football League, renamed the American and National Conferences in 1950 and then the Eastern and Western Conferences in 1953, were organized as a result of the disputed NFL championship of 1932... |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| Green Bay Packers 1961 Green Bay Packers season -Regular season:Despite being named NFL MVP, Paul Hornung was briefly lost to the military. In response to the construction of the Berlin Wall, the United States Department of Defense activated thousands of reservists. Two dozen football players were activated, including Paul Hornung, Boyd Dowler... |
11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 391 | 223 | W-1 |
| Detroit Lions | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 270 | 258 | L-1 |
| Chicago Bears 1961 Chicago Bears season The 1961 Chicago Bears season was their 42nd regular season completed in the National Football League. The club posted an 8-6 record under George Halas, which was an improvement over the 5-6-1 record of the previous season.-Offseason:... |
8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 326 | 302 | W-2 |
| Baltimore Colts 1961 Baltimore Colts season The 1961 Baltimore Colts season was the 9th season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1961 season with a record of 8 wins and 6 losses and finished tied for third in the Western Conference with the Chicago Bears... |
8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 302 | 307 | W-1 |
| San Francisco 49ers 1961 San Francisco 49ers season The 1961 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's 12th year with the National Football League. The 49ers won seven games and lost six, with one game ending in a tie. As a result, the team finished in fifth-place in the NFL Western Conference. The 49ers had three first round picks in the NFL... |
7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 346 | 272 | L-1 |
| Los Angeles Rams 1961 Los Angeles Rams season The 1961 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 24th year with the National Football League and the 16th season in Los Angeles.-Schedule:- Standings :... |
4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 263 | 333 | L-1 |
| Minnesota Vikings 1961 Minnesota Vikings season The 1961 Minnesota Vikings season was the first year of season play for the expansion franchise and the 42nd regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a record of three wins and eleven losses under head coach Norm Van Brocklin. The team's first ever regular season... |
3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 285 | 407 | L-2 |
Roster
| Quarterbacks Running Backs Wide Receivers Tight Ends |
Offensive Linemen Defensive Linemen |
Linebackers Defensive Backs Special Teams |
Reserve Lists
Rookies in italics |
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Playoff Bowl
The game were played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida.| Season | Date | Winner | Score | Runner up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | January 6, 1962 | Detroit Lions (2) | 38-10 | Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |