1963 Detroit Lions season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 1963-Lions-mediaiguide.jpg Detroit Lions 1963 5–8–1 4th (tied) NFL Western George Wilson Edwin J. Anderson Tiger Stadium Did not qualify Lions seasons The 1963 Detroit Lions season marked the thirtieth year of the National Football League (NFL) franchise in Detroit and 34th overall. It was national news in April when NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle indefinitely suspended two future Hall of Famers, 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 additionally fined $2,000 each on two counts for failure to report information promptly and for lack of sideline supervision.United Press International, "Hornung, Karras Suspended for Gambling: Detroit Club, Five Players Handed Fines," Muskogee [OK] Daily Phoenix, April 18, 1963, p. 23. The gambling controversy proved to be an ongoing distraction throughout the season. Things became lighthearted in August, when gonzo sports journalist George Plimpton endured the Lions' training camp process as an ostensible backup quarterback, going so far as to run a very unsuccessful series of downs in practice, to generate a story for the telling. Plimpton's 1963 training camp experience would culminate in a 1965 best-selling book, Paper Lion. 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,Chuck Johnson, "Lions tie Packers, 13 to 13," Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 29, 1963, part 2, p. 22. 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 SandersOffensive TackleOhio State Source:NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, 0-7611-2480-2, p. 395 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 baseball stars in an All-Star exhibition, presumably to answer the question, "How would the average man off of the street fare in an attempt to compete with the stars of professional sports?" He chronicled this experience in his book, Out of My League. In Paper Lion, Plimpton joins the training camp of the 1963 Detroit Lions on the premise of trying out to be the team's third-string quarterback. (The coaches were aware of the deception; the players were not until it became apparent that Plimpton did not really know how to receive the snap from center.) Plimpton, then thirty-six, showed how unlikely it would be for an "average" person to succeed as a professional athlete. When finally inserted at quarterback for a series in a scrimmage conducted in Pontiac, Michigan, Plimpton managed to lose yardage on each play, convincing many in the crowd that he was a professional sports clown inserted for amusement purposes, not someone who was genuinely giving his best effort. Regular season 1963 NFL season Schedule GameDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendanceRecapSources 1 September 14at Los Angeles Rams W 23–2 1–0 L.A. Memorial Coliseum 49,342 Recap 2 September 22at Green Bay Packers L 10–31 1–1 Milwaukee County Stadium 45,912 Recap 3 September 29Chicago Bears L 21–37 1–2 Tiger Stadium 55,400 Recap 4 October 6San Francisco 49ers W 26–3 2–2 Tiger Stadium 44,088 Recap 5 October 13at Dallas Cowboys L 14–17 2–3 Cotton Bowl 27,264 Recap 6 October 20Baltimore Colts L 21–25 2–4 Tiger Stadium 51,901 Recap 7 October 27Minnesota Vikings W 28–103–4 Tiger Stadium 44,509 Recap 8 November 3at San Francisco 49ers W 45–7 4–4 Kezar Stadium 33,511 Recap 9November 10at Baltimore Colts L 21–24 4–5 Municipal Stadium 59,758 Recap 10 November 17Los Angeles Rams L 21–28 4–6 Tiger Stadium 44,951 Recap 11 November 24at Minnesota Vikings L 31–34 4–7 Metropolitan Stadium 28,763 Recap 12 November 28Green Bay Packers T 13–13 4–7–1 Tiger Stadium 54,016 Recap 13 December 8Cleveland Browns W 38–10 5–7–1 Tiger Stadium 51,382 Recap 14 December 15at Chicago Bears L 14–24 5–8–1 Wrigley Field 45,317 Recap Notes: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text. September 14 night game; November 28 Thanksgiving. Roster 1963 Detroit Lions roster Quarterbacks 14 Earl Morrall P 16 Milt Plum K Running backs 46 Larry Ferguson 45 Dan Lewis 30 Ollie Matson 33 Nick Pietrosante 34 Nick Ryder 23 Tom Watkins Wide receivers 41 Terry Barr 89 Gail Cogdill 20 Dick Compton 82 Al Greer Tight ends 80 Jim Gibbons Offensive linemen 79 John Gonzaga G/T 75 John Gordy G 77 Dan LaRose G 61 Lucien Reeberg 70 Daryl Sanders T 51 Bob Whitlow C Defensive linemen 74 Mike Bundra DT 76 Roger Brown DT 78 Darris McCord DE 72 Floyd Peters DT 83 Jim Simon DE 88 Sam Williams DE Linebackers 59 Ernie Clark OLB 53 Dennis Gaubatz MLB 52 Monte Lee OLB 54 Max Messner OLB 56 Joe Schmidt MLB 55 Wayne Walker K/OLB Defensive backs 86 Tom Hall FS/CB/WR 81 Night Train Lane CB 28 Yale Lary FS/P 44 Dick LeBeau CB 21 Bruce Maher CB 85 Larry Vargo SS/TE Inactive 57 Carl Brettschneider LB (IR) 7px 71 Alex Karras DT (Suspended) 43 Gary Lowe S (IR) 7px 25 Pat Studstill WR (IR) 7px 50 Bob Scholtz T (IR) 7px Note: rookies in italics Source: Standings References Detroit Category:Detroit Lions seasons Detroit Lions Category:1963 in Detroit