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1958 Detroit Lions season

NFL team season

NFL team season

FieldValue
logo1958-Lions-mediaguide.jpg
teamDetroit Lions
year1958
record4–7–1
division_place5th NFL Western
coachGeorge Wilson
stadiumBriggs Stadium
playoffsDid not qualify
shortnavlinkLions seasons

The 1958 season was Detroit Lions' 29th in the National Football League (NFL), their 18th playing in Briggs Stadium, and their second under head coach George Wilson. The defending NFL champions failed to improve on their 8–4 record from the previous season and finished at 4–7–1, fifth in the six-team Western Conference.

Following the second game of the regular season in early October, the Lions made a major trade. Future hall of fame quarterback Bobby Layne, the Lions' primary starter for eight seasons and leader of three championship teams, was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for third-year quarterback Earl Morrall and two draft choices.{{cite news |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eAhPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5gAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4035%2C5745681 |work=Toledo Blade |location=Ohio |agency=Associated Press |title=Layne peddled to Pittsburgh |date=October 7, 1958 |page=27}}

This supposedly led to Layne "cursing" the Lions, allegedly saying that Detroit "would not win for fifty years." The story is considered a hoax, as no contemporaneous account exists and Layne himself denied saying it. (Real or not, the "curse" bedeviled the Lions franchise for the next half-century, and beyond: as of 2024, 66 years after the trade, Detroit has not won another championship, and indeed has won only three playoff contests [two of them in 2023] in that time.) Meanwhile, after losing their first two games without Layne, the Steelers finished at 7–4–1, their best record in over a decade.

The Lions won only one game in the first half of the season (1–4–1), then spilt the final six games; one of the poorest performances by a defending league champion in NFL history. The preseason began on a sour note in mid-August as they lost 35–19 to the 14-point underdog College All-Stars at Soldier Field in Chicago, closing the margin with a late touchdown.

Preseason

Detroit Lionsyear=1958border=2}}WeekDetroit Lionsyear=1958border=2}}DateDetroit Lionsyear=1958border=2}}OpponentDetroit Lionsyear=1958border=2}}ResultDetroit Lionsyear=1958border=2}}RecordDetroit Lionsyear=1958border=2}}VenueDetroit Lionsyear=1958border=2}}Attendance123456
vs. College All-StarsL 19–350–1Soldier Field70,000
Cleveland BrownsW 17–71–1Briggs Stadium36,662
New York GiantsW 26–72–1Briggs Stadium33,090
vs. Chicago BearsL 17–242–2Cotton Bowl40,000
vs. Philadelphia EaglesL 24–312–3Oklahoma Memorial Stadium61,000
at Cleveland BrownsL 7–412–4Cleveland Municipal Stadium35,543

Regular season

According to the team, a total of 42,154 season tickets were sold by the Lions for the 1957 campaign. 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.

Detroit Lionsyear=1958border=2}}GameDetroit Lionsyear=1958border=2}}DateDetroit Lionsyear=1958border=2}}OpponentDetroit Lionsyear=1958border=2}}ResultDetroit Lionsyear=1958border=2}}RecordDetroit Lionsyear=1958border=2}}VenueDetroit Lionsyear=1958border=2}}AttendanceDetroit Lionsyear=1958border=2}}RecapDetroit Lionsyear=1958border=2}}Sources123456789101112
September 28at Baltimore ColtsL 15–280–1Memorial Stadium48,377Recap
October 5at Green Bay PackersT 13–130–1–1New City Stadium32,035Recap
October 12Los Angeles RamsL28–420–2–1Briggs Stadium55,648Recap
October 19Baltimore ColtsL 14–400–3–1Briggs Stadium55,190Recap
October 26at Los Angeles RamsW 41–241–3–1L.A. Memorial Coliseum81,703Recap
November 2at San Francisco 49ersL 21–241–4–1Kezar Stadium59,350Recap
November 9at Cleveland BrownsW 30–102–4–1Cleveland Municipal Stadium75,563Recap
November 16San Francisco 49ersW 35–213–4–1Briggs Stadium54,523Recap
November 23Chicago BearsL 7–203–5–1Briggs Stadium55,280Recap
November 27Green Bay PackersW 24–144–5–1Briggs Stadium50,971Recap
December 7vs. New York GiantsL 17–194–6–1Briggs Stadium50,115Recap
December 14at Chicago BearsL 16–214–7–1Wrigley Field38,346Recap
Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text. Thanksgiving: November 27.

Game summaries

Week 10

Source:

Standings

Roster

Detroit Lions 1958 roster
Quarterbacks

References

References

  1. [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/det/1958.htm 1958 Detroit Lions]
  2. Livingston, Pat. (October 7, 1958). "Layne takes over as Steeler QB". Pittsburgh Press.
  3. Sell, Jack. (October 7, 1958). "Steelers get Layne for Morrall". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  4. (November 3, 1958). "49ers 24, Lions 21". Eugene Register-Guard.
  5. (August 16, 1958). "All-Stars upset Lions, 35-19". Eugene Register-Guard.
  6. Edward M. "Bud" Erickson (ed.), ''Detroit Lions Facts Book 1963: Press, Radio, TV.'' Detroit, MI: Detroit Football Company, 1963, p. 4.
  7. [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/195811270det.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]
Info: Wikipedia Source

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