1957 Detroit Lions season

The 1957 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 28th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 24th as the Detroit Lions. Under first-year head coach George Wilson, the Lions won their fourth and most recent NFL title.^[1][2][3][4]

1957 Detroit Lions season
Owner	Detroit Football Company
General manager	Nick Kerbawy
Head coach	George Wilson
Home field	Briggs Stadium
Results
Record	8–4
Division place	1st NFL Western (playoff)
Playoff finish	Won Conference Playoff (at 49ers) 31–27 Won NFL Championship (vs. Browns) 59–14
Pro Bowlers	7 MLB Joe Schmidt SS Jack Christiansen FS Yale Lary LT Lou Creekmur LG Harley Sewell LDH Jim David LDE Darris McCord
AP All-Pros	5 LT Lou Creekmur (1st team) LG Harley Sewell (2nd team) MLB Joe Schmidt (1st team) SS Jack Christiansen (1st team) FS Yale Lary (2nd team)
← 1956 Lions seasons 1958 →

In the penultimate regular season game with the Cleveland Browns on December 8, Hall of Fame quarterback Bobby Layne was lost for the season with a broken right ankle. With backup Tobin Rote in at quarterback in the second quarter,^[5] the Lions won that game and overcame a ten-point deficit at halftime the following week to defeat the Chicago Bears 21–13, whom they had lost to three weeks earlier at home.^[6] They ended the regular season with three consecutive wins and an 8–4 record. All four losses were within the Western Conference, splitting the two games with all but the Green Bay Packers, whom they swept.

Detroit tied with the San Francisco 49ers (8–4) for the conference title, which required a tiebreaker playoff game. Played at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco on December 22, the 49ers entered the game as three-point favorites.^[7] Down by twenty points in the third quarter, Detroit rallied with a 24–0 run to win 31–27.^[8] This also marks the last time the Lions have won a playoff game away from home; they are 0–12 on the road in NFL postseason games since.

The Lions were home underdogs for the NFL championship game against Cleveland.^[9] Played on December 29 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, the Lions led 17–0 after the first quarter and won in a rout, 59–14.^[1][2][3][4] Through the 2023 season, the Lions have yet to win, or even return to, another NFL title game (including the Super Bowl), an absence of more than sixty years. It is the fourth-longest drought in all four major sports, and the second-longest in the NFL, behind the Arizona Cardinals (1947, when the team was still based in Chicago), although the Cardinals, unlike the Lions, have subsequently appeared in the Super Bowl.

Schedule

Regular season

Main article: 1957 NFL season

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Attendance
1	September 29	at Baltimore Colts	L 14–34	0–1	40,112
2	October 6	at Green Bay Packers	W 24–14	1–1	32,132
3	October 13	Los Angeles Rams	W 10–7	2–1	55,914
4	October 20	Baltimore Colts	W 31–27	3–1	55,764
5	October 27	at Los Angeles Rams	L 17–35	3–2	77,314
6	November 3	at San Francisco 49ers	L 31–35	3–3	59,702
7	November 10	at Philadelphia Eagles	W 27–16	4–3	29,302
8	November 17	San Francisco 49ers	W 31–10	5–3	56,915
9	November 24	Chicago Bears	L 7–27	5–4	55,769
10	November 28	Green Bay Packers	W 18–6	6–4	54,301
11	December 8	Cleveland Browns	W 20–7	7–4	55,814
12	December 15	at Chicago Bears	W 21–13	8–4	41,088

• Thursday (November 28: Thanksgiving)^[10]

Playoffs

Main article: 1957 NFL playoffs

Round	Date	Opponent	Result	Venue	Attendance
Conference	December 22	at San Francisco 49ers	W 31–27	Kezar Stadium	60,118
Championship	December 29	Cleveland Browns	W 59–14	Briggs Stadium	55,263

Standings

NFL Western Conference
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Detroit Lions	8	4	0	.667	6–4	251	231	W3
San Francisco 49ers	8	4	0	.667	7–3	260	264	W3
Baltimore Colts	7	5	0	.583	6–4	303	235	L2
Los Angeles Rams	6	6	0	.500	5–5	307	278	W2
Chicago Bears	5	7	0	.417	4–6	203	211	L1
Green Bay Packers	3	9	0	.250	2–8	218	311	L3

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Roster

Detroit Lions 1957 roster
Quarterbacks 22 Bobby Layne 18 Tobin Rote 15 Jerry Reichow WR Running backs 26 Gene Gedman 42 Marv Brown 40 Hopalong Cassady WR 35 John Henry Johnson FB 30 Tom Tracy FB Wide receivers 83 Jim Doran 87 Dorne Dibble 84 Dave Middleton Tight ends 82 Leon Hart FB 88 Steve Junker		Offensive linemen 76 Lou Creekmur T 66 Harley Sewell G 52 Frank Gatski C 67 Stan Campbell G 75 John Gordy G 50 Charlie Ane Jr. T 73 Ken Russell T Defensive linemen 78 Darris McCord DE 79 Gerry Perry DE 85 Gene Cronin DE/G 70 Ray Krouse DT 74 Bob Miller DT 72 Gil Mains DT		Linebackers 86 Robert Long OLB 47 Jim Martin OLB 56 Joe Schmidt MLB 57 Roger Zatkoff OLB Defensive backs 24 Jack Christiansen CB 25 James David CB 41 Terry Barr CB 43 Gary Lowe CB 28 Yale Lary FS 44 Charles Edwards FS/FB 21 Carl Karilivacz SS Special teams 22 Bobby Layne K (PAT) 47 Jim Martin K (field goals) 28 Yale Lary P		Reserve lists 85 Sonny Gandee DE/LB rookies in italics

Season summary

At the "Meet the Lions" banquet on Monday, August 12, seventh-year head coach Buddy Parker surprised the audience by abruptly announcing his resignation;^[11][12] longtime assistant coach George Wilson was promoted the following day.^[13][14] Two weeks later, Parker became the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. ^[15][16]

Pre-season

Week 1: at Baltimore

1 2 3 4 Total Detroit 7 0 0 7 14 • Baltimore 7 17 10 0 34 Date: September 29 Location: Memorial Stadium, Baltimore Game attendance: 40,112

The Lions opened the regular season on the road with a 34–14 loss to the Baltimore Colts on September 29. Quarterback Johnny Unitas threw four touchdown passes while the Baltimore defense held the Lions to 23 rushing yards and intercepted Bobby Layne three times. Detroit's touchdowns were scored by Howard Cassady (a short run for his first NFL touchdown) and Jerry Reichow on a 32-yard pass from backup quarterback Tobin Rote.^[17]

Week 2: at Green Bay Packers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	14	3	0	7	24
Packers	0	0	0	14	14

Game information

First Quarter Lions – Tobin Rote 2-yard run (Bobby Layne kick) – Lions 7–0 Lions – Jack Christiansen 27-yard interception return (Bobby Layne kick) – Lions 14–0 Second Quarter Lions – Bobby Layne 15-yard field goal – Lions 17–0 Fourth Quarter Lions – Gene Gedman 1-yard run (Bobby Layne kick) – Lions 24–0 Packers – Bart Starr 1-yard run (Fred Cone kick) – Lions 24–7 Packers – Fred Cone 26-yard run (Fred Cone kick) – Lions 24–14 Lions John Henry Johnson 18 Rush, 109 Yds

at New City Stadium, Green Bay, Wisconsin

• Date: October 6
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 3: Los Angeles Rams

1 2 3 4 Total Rams 0 7 0 0 7 • Lions 0 10 0 0 10 Date: October 13 Location: Briggs Stadium, Detroit Game attendance: 55,764

Scoring summary Q2 LA Arnett 12 yard pass from Van Brocklin (Cothren kick) LA 7–0 Q2 DET Reichow 16 yard pass from Rote (Layne kick) Tie 7–7 Q2 DET Layne 25 yard field goal DET 10–7

^[18]

Week 4: Baltimore Colts

1 2 3 4 Total Colts 7 14 6 0 27 • Lions 0 3 7 21 31 Date: October 20 Location: Briggs Stadium, Detroit Game attendance: 55,764

Scoring summary Q1 BAL Mutscheller 15 yard pass from Unitas (Rechichar kick) BAL 7–0 Q2 DET Martin 47 yard field goal BAL 7–3 Q2 BAL Moore 72 yard pass from Unitas (Rechichar kick) BAL 14–3 Q2 BAL Mutscheller 66 yard pass from Unitas (Rechichar kick) BAL 21–3 Q3 BAL Moore 4 yard pass from Unitas (kick failed) BAL 27–3 Q3 DET Junker 14 yard pass from Rote (Layne kick) BAL 27–10 Q4 DET Cassady 26 yard pass from Layne (Layne kick) BAL 27–17 Q4 DET Johnson 1 yard run (Layne kick) BAL 27–24 Q4 DET Cassady 29 yard pass from Layne (Layne kick) DET 31–27

^[19]

Playoffs vs. San Francisco

Main article: 1957 NFL playoffs

1 2 3 4 Total • Detroit 0 7 14 10 31 San Francisco 14 10 3 0 27 Date: December 22 Location: Kezar Stadium, San Francisco Game attendance: 60,118

On December 22, the Lions defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 31–27, in a Western Conference playoff game. The two teams had finished the regular season tied in the standings at 8–4, which called for a tiebreaker game.

The 49ers took a 24–7 lead at halftime, as Y. A. Tittle threw three touchdown passes in the first half. A field goal early in the third quarter extended the lead to 27–7, then the Lions responded with 24 unanswered points. Detroit's touchdowns were scored by Steve Junker on a four-yard pass from Tobin Rote, two runs by Tom Tracy (1-yard and 58-yard runs), and Gene Gedman on a two-yard run.^[20]

NFL Championship Game

1 2 3 4 Total Cleveland 0 7 7 0 14 • Detroit 17 14 14 14 59 Date: December 29 Location: Briggs Stadium, Detroit Game attendance: 55,263

Main article: 1957 NFL Championship Game

On December 29, the Lions defeated the Cleveland Browns 59–14 in the NFL championship game. The Browns had been favored to win by three points. Tobin Rote, filling in at quarterback after Bobby Layne broke his ankle on December 8,^[5] was credited with "a brilliant performance" as he completed 12 of 19 passes for 280 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for a touchdown, leading the Lions to their greatest point total in history.^[21] The Lions capitalized on five interceptions and two fumble recoveries, including a 19-yard interception return for touchdown by Terry Barr, and held Cleveland star rookie Jim Brown to 69 rushing yards on 20 carries.^[21][22]

The longest play of the game was a 78-yard touchdown pass from Rote to Jim Doran. Rookie Steve Junker was the Lions' leading scorer with 12 points on touchdown receptions covering 26 and 23 yards. Jim Martin followed with 11 points on eight extra-point conversions and a 31-yard field goal.^[22] The victory gave the Lions their third NFL championship in six years. It was also referred to as "the perfect revenge" for the Browns' 56–10 rout of the Lions in the title game in 1954.^[21]

References

1. Johnson, Chuck (December 30, 1957). "Rote's passes, play calling smash Cleveland, 59 to 14". Milwaukee Journal. p. 7, part 2.
2. Sell, Jack (December 30, 1957). "Lions crush Browns, 59 to 14, to win title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 18.
3. Jones, Eddie T. (December 30, 1957). "Browns show off collapsing defense". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). p. 11.
4. Maule, Tex (January 6, 1958). "All hail the lusty Lions". Sports Illustrated. p. 8.
5. "Lions lose Layne but win, 20-7". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. December 9, 1957. p. 26.
6. "Lions uphill fight whips Bears, 21-13". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. December 16, 1957. p. 31.
7. "49ers 3-point choice today". Milwaukee Sentinel. INS. December 22, 1957. p. 1C.
8. "Lions thrilling rally wins playoff, 31-27". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. p. 20.
9. Lea, Bud (December 29, 1957). "Lions face Browns for pro title". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1C.
10. Johnson, Chuck (November 29, 1957). "Lion mudders beat Green Bay in rain". Milwaukee Journal. p. 13, part 2.
11. "Buddy Parker quits as Detroit grid coach". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. August 13, 1957. p. 16.
12. Diles, Dave (August 13, 1957). "Parker quits Lions". Owosso Argus-Press. (Michigan). Associated Press. p. 11.
13. "George Wilson to coach Lions". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. August 13, 1957. p. 30.
14. "Aide succeeds Buddy Parker". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. August 14, 1957. p. 22.
15. Sell, Jack (August 28, 1957). "Parker new coach of Steelers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
16. Livingston, Pat (August 28, 1957). "Parker takes over Steeler reins". Pittsburgh Press. p. 48.
17. Bob Latshaw (September 29, 1957). "Colts Kick Lions in the Teeth, 34-14". Detroit Free Press. pp. 37, 41 – via Newspapers.com.
18. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Jan-05.
19. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Jan-05.
20. Lyall Smith (December 23, 1957). "The Lions' 1957 Fight Song: 'Oh, We Won Because We Won --'". Detroit Free Press. p. 33 – via Newspapers.com.
21. Latshaw, Bob (December 30, 1957). "Lions Win, 59–14! 55,263 See Browns Humbled; It's [sic] Third Title in Six Years". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1–2.
22. "Cleveland Browns 14 at Detroit Lions 59". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 15, 2016.

• Detroit Lions on Pro Football Reference
• Detroit Lions on jt-sw.com