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Deutsch1975 Detroit Lions season
| 1975 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | William Clay Ford Sr. |
| Head coach | Rick Forzano |
| Home field | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–7 |
| Division place | 2nd NFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | 2
|
| AP All-Pros | None |
The 1975 Detroit Lions season was the 46th season in franchise history. It was the first season for the Detroit Lions at the new Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium in Pontiac, a Detroit suburb, which was built specifically for the team. It was also their first ever season outside Detroit since the franchise's move and name change in 1934; its first three seasons were played in Portsmouth, Ohio as the Portsmouth Spartans. For the seventh consecutive season, the Lions finished the season in second place.
NFL Draft
[edit]| 1975 Detroit Lions draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Lynn Boden | G | South Dakota State | |
| 2 | 38 | Doug English * | DT | Texas | |
| 4 | 94 | Craig Hertwig | OT | Georgia | |
| 6 | 138 | Fred Cooper | DB | Purdue | from New Orleans |
| 6 | 141 | Horace King | RB | Georgia | from New England |
| 6 | 144 | Dennis Franklin | WR | Michigan | |
| 7 | 169 | Mike Murphy | WR | Drake | |
| 8 | 194 | Leonard Thompson | RB | Oklahoma State | |
| 9 | 219 | Steve Strinko | LB | Michigan | |
| 10 | 250 | Brad Boyd | TE | LSU | |
| 11 | 275 | Steve Myers | G | Ohio State | |
| 12 | 300 | Andre Roundtree | LB | Iowa State | |
| 13 | 325 | James Smith | RB | North Carolina Central | |
| 14 | 350 | Jim McMillan | QB | Widener | |
| 15 | 375 | Rudy Green | RB | Yale | |
| 16 | 406 | Les Chaves | DB | Kansas State | |
| 17 | 431 | Mark Lancaster | G | Tulsa | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Notes
- Detroit traded its third-round pick (91st) to Minnesota in exchange for S Charlie West.
- Detroit traded its fifth-round pick (119th) to Cleveland in exchange for CB Ben Davis.
- Detroit traded TE Dave Thompson and its first-round pick (13th) in 1974 to New Orleans in exchange for the Saints' first-round pick (8th) in 1974 and sixth-round pick (138th) in this draft.
- Detroit traded FB Leon Crosswhite to New England in exchange for the Patriots' sixth-round pick (141st) and eighth-round pick in 1976.
- Detroit traded LB Jim Teal to Los Angeles in exchange for the Rams' ninth-round pick (229th), and then traded this pick to Denver in exchange for CB Leroy Mitchell.
Roster
[edit]| Detroit Lions roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
| Offensive linemen
| Linebackers
| Reserve lists
| |||
Regular season
[edit]Schedule
[edit]| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 21 | at Green Bay Packers | W 30–16 | 1–0 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 52,613 |
| 2 | September 28 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 17–14 | 2–0 | Atlanta Fulton County Stadium | 45,218 |
| 3 | October 6 | Dallas Cowboys | L 10–36 | 2–1 | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium | 79,384 |
| 4 | October 12 | Chicago Bears | W 27–7 | 3–1 | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium | 74,032 |
| 5 | October 19 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 19–25 | 3–2 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,872 |
| 6 | October 26 | at Houston Oilers | L 8–24 | 3–3 | Astrodome | 46,904 |
| 7 | November 2 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 28–17 | 4–3 | Candlestick Park | 43,209 |
| 8 | November 9 | Cleveland Browns | W 21–10 | 5–3 | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium | 75,283 |
| 9 | November 16 | Green Bay Packers | W 13–10 | 6–3 | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium | 76,946 |
| 10 | November 23 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 21–24(OT) | 6–4 | Arrowhead Stadium | 55,161 |
| 11 | November 27 | Los Angeles Rams | L 0–20 | 6–5 | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium | 69,552 |
| 12 | December 7 | at Chicago Bears | L 21–25 | 6–6 | Soldier Field | 37,772 |
| 13 | December 14 | Minnesota Vikings | W 17–10 | 7–6 | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium | 73,130 |
| 14 | December 21 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 13–24 | 7–7 | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium | 64,656 |
- Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
[edit]Week 2
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Standings
[edit]| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Minnesota Vikings(1) | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 5–1 | 8–2 | 377 | 180 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 6–5 | 245 | 262 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–4 | 4–7 | 191 | 379 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 1–5 | 4–7 | 226 | 285 | W1 |