1928 Detroit Wolverines (NFL) season
The 1928 Detroit Wolverines season was their first and only season in the league, after relocating from Cleveland in the offseason.[1] The team went 7–2–1, [2] finishing third in the league; their two losses came to Frankford and Providence, the NFL's top two teams.
| 1928 Detroit Wolverines (NFL) season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | LeRoy Andrews |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–2–1 |
| League place | 3rd NFL |
The Wolverines, led by star quarterback Benny Friedman, also met the New York Giants twice: an easy 28-0 win in Detroit and a 19-19 tie (a “Scorigami” as this is so far the only game in NFL history to end with this score) at the Polo Grounds in New York. Ironically, this proved to be the team's downfall, as the Wolverines piqued the interest of Giants owner Tim Mara, who wanted to acquire Friedman and Detroit's other star players.
Mara did so by buying the entire Detroit franchise, and promptly shutting it down, thus delivering Friedman et al to New York.
The NFL would not return to the Motor City until 1934, when the Portsmouth Spartans moved to Detroit and were rebranded as the Lions.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 14, 1928 | at New York Yankees | W 35–12 |
| 2 | October 21, 1928 | New York Giants | W 28–0 |
| 3 | October 28, 1928 | at Chicago Bears | W 6–0 |
| 4 | November 3, 1928 | at Frankford Yellow Jackets | L 25–7 |
| 5 | November 4, 1928 | at Providence Steam Roller | L 7–0 |
| 6 | November 11, 1928 | at New York Giants | T 19–19 |
| 7 | November 18, 1928 | New York Yankees | W 13–0 |
| 8 | November 25, 1928 | at Chicago Bears | W 14–7 |
| 9 | November 29, 1928 | Dayton Triangles | W 33–0 |
| 10 | December 9, 1928 | at New York Yankees | W 34–6 |
Standings
| NFL standings | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |||
| Providence Steam Roller | 8 | 1 | 2 | .889 | 128 | 42 | T1 | ||
| Frankford Yellow Jackets | 11 | 3 | 2 | .786 | 175 | 84 | L1 | ||
| Detroit Wolverines | 7 | 2 | 1 | .778 | 189 | 76 | W4 | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 6 | 4 | 3 | .600 | 120 | 92 | W1 | ||
| Chicago Bears | 7 | 5 | 1 | .583 | 182 | 85 | L2 | ||
| New York Giants | 4 | 7 | 2 | .364 | 79 | 136 | L5 | ||
| New York Yankees | 4 | 8 | 1 | .333 | 103 | 179 | W1 | ||
| Pottsville Maroons | 2 | 8 | 0 | .200 | 74 | 134 | L1 | ||
| Chicago Cardinals | 1 | 5 | 0 | .167 | 7 | 107 | L4 | ||
| Dayton Triangles | 0 | 7 | 0 | .000 | 9 | 131 | L7 | ||
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Players
- Carl Bacchus, kicker, 9 games, 204 pounds, 6-0, Missouri
- Rip Bachor, tackle, 1 game, 215 pounds, 6-0, Univ. of Detroit
- John Barrett, center, 5 games, 170 pounds, 5-6, Univ. of Detroit
- Les Caywood, guard, 9 games, 230 pounds, 6-0, St. John's (NY)
- Tom Cobb, tackle, 9 games, 250 pounds, 5-11, St. John's (NY)
- Tiny Feather, fullback, 10 games, 197 games, 6-0, Kansas St.
- Benny Friedman, quarterback, 10 games, 183 pounds, 5-10, Michigan
- Dosey Howard, guard, 9 games, 225 pounds, 6-0, Marietta
- Pete Jackson, 5 games, 200 pounds, 5-10, Missouri
- Lyle Munn, end, 10 games, 186 pounds, 6-0, Kansas St.
- Bill Owen, tackle, 10 games, 211 pounds, 6-0, Oklahoma St., Phillips
- Proc Randels, end, 10 games, 180 pounds, 6-0, Kansas St.
- Eddie Scharer, 7 games, 165 pounds, 5-6, Univ. of Detroit, Notre Dame
- Len Sedbrook, wingback, 9 games, 174 pounds, 5-10, Phillips
- Rex Thomas, wingback, 10 games, 174 pounds, 5-9, Tulsa, St. John's (NY)
- Ernie Vick, center, 6 games, 190 pounds, 5-10, Michigan
- Ossie Wiberg, back, 10 games, 207 pounds, 5-11, Nebraska Wesleyan
- Chet Widerquist, tackle, 4 games, 219 pounds, 6-1, Northwestern, Washington & Jefferson
- Joe Wostoupal, center, 8 games, 208 pounds, 6-3, Nebraska