1980 Detroit Lions season
The 1980 Detroit Lions season was the 51st season in franchise history. As the result of their 2–14 1979 season, the Lions were able to select Heisman Trophy-winning Oklahoma Sooner halfback Billy Sims with the first pick in the NFL draft. In his rookie season, Sims rushed his way to the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award while carrying the Lions back to respectability. After winning their first four games, the Lions stumbled down the stretch including costly 1-point losses to the Colts and lowly Cardinals. While they vastly improved overall, finishing 9–7, the Lions narrowly lost the NFC Central Division title to the Minnesota Vikings by virtue of a conference record tiebreaker. The Lions won nine NFC games to the Vikings’ eight, but Minnesota had a better winning percentage in the conference.[1] The Lions’ 1979 fifth-place finish meant they played two extra NFC games, resulting in five conference losses to the Vikings' four losses.[2]
| 1980 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Monte Clark |
| Home field | Pontiac Silverdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 2nd NFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | RB Billy Sims DE Al Baker K Eddie Murray |
Offseason
NFL Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | 1 | Billy Sims [3] | Running back | Oklahoma |
| 3 | 57 | Tom Turnure | Center | Washington |
| 3 | 62 | Mike Friede | Wide Receiver | Indiana |
| 4 | 85 | Eric Hipple | Quarterback | Baylor |
| 5 | 111 | Mark Streeter | Defensive Back | Arizona |
| 5 | 120 | Tom Ginn | Guard | Arkansas |
| 6 | 140 | Chris Dieterich | Offensive Tackle | North Carolina State |
| 7 | 166 | Eddie Murray | Kicker | Tulane |
| 9 | 222 | DeWayne Jett | Wide receiver | Hawaii |
| 9 | 223 | Tom Tuinei | Defensive Tackle | Hawaii |
| 10 | 251 | Henry Henderson | Defensive Back | Utah State |
| 11 | 278 | Wayne Smith | Defensive Back | Purdue |
| 12 | 307 | Charles Vaclavik | Wide receiver | Washington |
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
Practice squad
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Regular season
In his NFL debut, Billy Sims had three touchdowns.[4]
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 41–20 | |
| 2 | September 14 | at Green Bay Packers | W 29–7 | |
| 3 | September 21 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 20–7 | |
| 4 | September 28 | Minnesota Vikings | W 27–7 | |
| 5 | October 5 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 43–28 | |
| 6 | October 12 | New Orleans Saints | W 24–13 | |
| 7 | October 19 | at Chicago Bears | L 24–7 | |
| 8 | October 26 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 20–17 | |
| 9 | November 2 | San Francisco 49ers | W 17–13 | |
| 10 | November 9 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 34–0 | |
| 11 | November 16 | Baltimore Colts | L 10–9 | |
| 12 | November 23 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 24–10 | |
| 13 | November 27 | Chicago Bears | L 23–17 OT | |
| 14 | December 7 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 24–23 | |
| 15 | December 14 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 27–14 | |
| 16 | December 21 | Green Bay Packers | W 24–3 |
Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Minnesota Vikings(3) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 317 | 308 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–3 | 9–5 | 334 | 272 | W2 |
| Chicago Bears | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 5–3 | 7–5 | 304 | 264 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 10 | 1 | .344 | 1–6–1 | 4–7–1 | 271 | 341 | L3 |
| Green Bay Packers | 5 | 10 | 1 | .344 | 3–4–1 | 4–7–1 | 231 | 371 | L4 |
Week 1 at Rams
Week One: Detroit Lions (0–0) at Los Angeles Rams (0–0)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 10 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 41 |
| Rams | 6 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
at Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California
- Date: September 7
- Game time: 4:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Clear; 66 °F (19 °C)
- Game attendance: 64,892
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week 2: at Green Bay Packers
Week 2: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Packers | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Date: September 14, 1980
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Overcast, 64 °F (18 °C)
- TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and Roger Staubach
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week 5: at Atlanta Falcons
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 3 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 28 |
| Falcons | 17 | 17 | 2 | 7 | 43 |
at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta
- Date: October 5
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 61 °F (16.1 °C), wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
- Referee: Dick Jorgensen
- TV: CBS
- Box Score
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Week 13
Week Thirteen: Chicago Bears (4–8) at Detroit Lions (7–5)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 23 |
| Lions | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
- Date: November 27, 1980
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Indoors (dome)
- Game attendance: 75,397
- Referee: Fred Silva
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall, Tom Brookshier, and Irv Cross
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Awards and records
- Billy Sims, Pro Bowl selection (1980
- Billy Sims, 1980 Offensive Rookie of the Year
- Billy Sims, 1980 UPI NFL-NFC Rookie of the Year
- Billy Sims, Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year[4]
See also
References
- Season summary and stats at Sports E Cyclopedia
- Urena, Ivan; Pro Football Schedules: A Complete Historical Guide from 1933 to the Present, p. 85 ISBN 0786473517
- Billy Sims, 1978 Heisman Trophy winner as a junior "Heisman Trophy". Archived from the original on 14 June 2009. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
- Sports Illustrated, Oct. 27, 2008, p.24, Vol. 109, No. 16
External links
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