1938 Detroit Lions season

1938 Detroit Lions season
Head coachDutch Clark
Home fieldTitans Stadium and Briggs Stadium
Results
Record7–4
Division place2nd NFL Western
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The 1938 Detroit Lions season marked their ninth year in the National Football League (NFL). The team matched their previous season's output of 7–4.[1] They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season.

Offseason

Draft

Main article: 1938 NFL Draft
1938 Detroit Lions draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 6 Alex Wojciechowicz †  C Fordham
3 21 Pete Smith  E Oklahoma
5 36 Andy Bershak  E North Carolina
6 46 Karl Schleckman  T Utah
7 56 Paul Szakash  E Montana
8 66 Dick Nardi  B Ohio State
9 76 Jim Sirtosky  G Indiana
10 86 Ralph Wolf  C Ohio State
11 96 Clarence Douglass  B Kansas
12 106 Clint Frank  B Yale 1937 Heisman Trophy winner
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame  

[2]

Schedule

Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources
1 September 9 Pittsburgh Pirates W 16–7 1–0 University of Detroit Stadium 18,000 Recap
— 22 day bye
2 October 2 at Cleveland Rams L 17–21 1–1 Shaw Stadium 8,012 Recap
3 October 9 at Green Bay Packers W 17–7 2–1 City Stadium 21,968 Recap
4 October 16 Washington Redskins L 5–7 2–2 Briggs Stadium 42,855 Recap
5 October 23 Chicago Cardinals W 10–0 3–2 Briggs Stadium 17,917 Recap
6 October 30 at Chicago Bears W 13–7 4–2 Wrigley Field 24,346 Recap
7 November 6 Cleveland Rams W 6–0 5–2 Briggs Stadium 31,140 Recap
8 November 13 Green Bay Packers L 7–28 5–3 Briggs Stadium 45,139 Recap
9 November 20 at Chicago Cardinals W 7–3 6–3 Comiskey Park 8,279 Recap
10 November 24 Chicago Bears W 14–7 7–3 Briggs Stadium 26,278 Recap
11 December 4 Philadelphia Eagles L 7–21 7–4 Briggs Stadium 18,985 Recap
Notes: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text. Thursday, November 24 was Thanksgiving.

Standings

NFL Western Division
W L T PCT DIV PF PA STK
Green Bay Packers 8 3 0 .727 6–2 223 118 L1
Detroit Lions 7 4 0 .636 6–2 119 108 L1
Chicago Bears 6 5 0 .545 3–5 194 148 L1
Cleveland Rams 4 7 0 .364 3–5 131 215 W1
Chicago Cardinals 2 9 0 .182 2–6 111 168 W1
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
NFL Eastern Division
W L T PCT DIV PF PA STK
New York Giants 8 2 1 .800 5–2–1 194 79 W1
Washington Redskins 6 3 2 .667 4–2–2 148 154 L1
Brooklyn Dodgers 4 4 3 .500 3–2–3 131 161 T1
Philadelphia Eagles 5 6 0 .455 3–5 154 164 W2
Pittsburgh Pirates 2 9 0 .182 2–6 79 169 L6
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References

  1. ^ 1938 Detroit Lions
  2. ^ "1938 Detroit Lions Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 20, 2022.