The 1959 Detroit Lions season marked their 30th year in the National Football League (NFL). The team failed to improve on their previous season's output of 4–7–1, winning only three games.[1][2] They missed the playoffs for the second straight season.
| 1959 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Head coach | George Wilson |
| Home field | Briggs Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 3–8–1 |
| Division place | 5th NFL Western |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Regular season
editAccording to the team, a total of 41,029 season tickets were sold by the Lions for the 1959 campaign.[3] 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.[3]
For the 1959 season the Lions offered box seat tickets for $6.00, upper grandstand seats for $4.50, lower grandstand seats for $3.50, and bleacher seats for $2.00.[4] Season tickets were similarly tiered, with prices of $36, $27, $21, and $12 for the full slate of six home games.[4]
Schedule
edit| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 27 | at Baltimore Colts | L 9–21 | 0–1 | Memorial Stadium | 55,588 | Recap | ||
| 2 | October 4 | at Green Bay Packers | L 10–28 | 0–2 | New City Stadium | 32,150 | Recap | ||
| 3 | October 11 | Baltimore Colts | L 24–31 | 0–3 | Briggs Stadium | 54,197 | Recap | ||
| 4 | October 18 | San Francisco 49ers | L 13–34 | 0–4 | Briggs Stadium | 52,585 | Recap | ||
| 5 | October 25 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 17–7 | 1–4 | L.A. Memorial Coliseum | 74,288 | Recap | ||
| 6 | November 1 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 7–33 | 1–5 | Kezar Stadium | 59,064 | Recap | ||
| 7 | November 8 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | T 10–10 | 1–5–1 | Forbes Field | 24,614 | Recap | ||
| 8 | November 15 | Los Angeles Rams | W 23–17 | 2–5–1 | Briggs Stadium | 52,217 | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 22 | Chicago Bears | L 14–24 | 2–6–1 | Briggs Stadium | 54,059 | Recap | ||
| 10 | November 26 | Green Bay Packers | L 17–24 | 2–7–1 | Briggs Stadium | 49,221 | Recap | [5][6] | |
| 11 | December 6 | Chicago Cardinals | W 45–21 | 3–7–1 | Briggs Stadium | 45,811 | Recap | ||
| 12 | December 13 | at Chicago Bears | L 14–25 | 3–8–1 | Wrigley Field | 40,890 | Recap | ||
| Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text. November 26: Thanksgiving | |||||||||
Standings
edit| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Baltimore Colts | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 9–1 | 374 | 251 | W5 | |
| Chicago Bears | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 6–4 | 252 | 196 | W7 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 5–5 | 255 | 237 | L2 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 6–4 | 248 | 246 | W4 | |
| Detroit Lions | 3 | 8 | 1 | .273 | 2–8 | 203 | 275 | L1 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | 2–8 | 242 | 315 | L8 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
| NFL Eastern Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| New York Giants | 10 | 2 | 0 | .833 | 8–2 | 284 | 170 | W4 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 6–4 | 268 | 278 | L1 | |
| Cleveland Browns | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 6–4 | 270 | 214 | W1 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 5 | 1 | .545 | 6–4 | 257 | 216 | W1 | |
| Washington Redskins | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 2–8 | 185 | 350 | L5 | |
| Chicago Cardinals | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | 2–8 | 234 | 324 | L6 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
References
edit- ^ "Bears beat Lions for 7th straight". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. December 14, 1959. p. 4, part 2.
- ^ 1959 Detroit Lions
- ^ a b Edward M. "Bud" Erickson (ed.), Detroit Lions Facts Book 1963: Press, Radio, TV. Detroit, MI: Detroit Football Company, 1963, p. 4.
- ^ a b E.J. O'Malley, "Purchasing NFL Tickets: A Guide to Ticket Information," Sports Forecast, vol. 2, no. 2. Chicago: E.J. O'Malley Publishing Co., 1959; p. 78.
- ^ Lea, Bud (November 26, 1959). "50,000 (plus TV) to see Bays, Lions". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 3, part 4.
- ^ Lea, Bud (November 27, 1959). "Packers start fast, beat Lions". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 4, part 2.