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, where Cardinals running back Nathan Micknick out ran the Lions newly signed, struggling linebacker Aidan Smith to put the Cardinals up by 1 in the closing minutes. 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 | 3
|
| AP All-Pros | 2
|
Offseason
Draft
| 1980 Detroit Lions draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Billy Sims * | Running back | Oklahoma | [3] |
| 3 | 57 | Tom Turnure | Center | Washington | |
| 3 | 62 | Mike Friede | Wide receiver | Indiana | |
| 4 | 85 | Eric Hipple | Quarterback | Utah State | |
| 5 | 111 | Mark Streeter | Defensive back | Arizona | |
| 5 | 120 | Tommie Ginn | Center | Arkansas | |
| 6 | 140 | Chris Dieterich | 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 | Donnie Henderson | Defensive back | Utah State | |
| 11 | 278 | Wayne Smith | Defensive back | Purdue | |
| 12 | 307 | Ray Williams | Running back | Washington State | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
| ||||||
Regular season
In his NFL debut, Billy Sims had three touchdowns.[5]
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 41–20 | 1–0 | Anaheim Stadium | 64,892 |
| 2 | September 14 | at Green Bay Packers | W 29–7 | 2–0 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 53,099 |
| 3 | September 21 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 20–7 | 3–0 | Pontiac Silverdome | 80,027 |
| 4 | September 28 | Minnesota Vikings | W 27–7 | 4–0 | Pontiac Silverdome | 80,291 |
| 5 | October 5 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 28–43 | 4–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 57,652 |
| 6 | October 12 | New Orleans Saints | W 24–13 | 5–1 | Pontiac Silverdome | 78,147 |
| 7 | October 19 | at Chicago Bears | L 7–24 | 5–2 | Soldier Field | 58,508 |
| 8 | October 26 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 17–20 | 5–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | 59,391 |
| 9 | November 2 | San Francisco 49ers | W 17–13 | 6–3 | Pontiac Silverdome | 78,845 |
| 10 | November 9 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 0–34 | 6–4 | Metropolitan Stadium | 46,264 |
| 11 | November 16 | Baltimore Colts | L 9–10 | 6–5 | Pontiac Silverdome | 77,677 |
| 12 | November 23 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 24–10 | 7–5 | Tampa Stadium | 64,976 |
| 13 | November 27 | Chicago Bears | L 17–23 OT | 7–6 | Pontiac Silverdome | 75,397 |
| 14 | December 7 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 23–24 | 7–7 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 46,966 |
| 15 | December 14 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 27–14 | 8–7 | Pontiac Silverdome | 77,098 |
| 16 | December 21 | Green Bay Packers | W 24–3 | 9–7 | Pontiac Silverdome | 75,111 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||
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)
| Period | 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 or 18.9 °C
- Game attendance: 64,892
- Referee: Cal Lepore
- TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and George Allen
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2: at Green Bay Packers
Week 2: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 3 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 29 |
| Packers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Date: September 14, 1980
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Overcast, 64 °F or 17.8 °C
- Referee: Bob Frederic
- TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and Roger Staubach
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 5: at Atlanta Falcons
| Period | 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)
| Period | 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Awards and records
- 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[5]
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 June 14, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
- "1980 Detroit Lions Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- Sports Illustrated, Oct. 27, 2008, p.24, Vol. 109, No. 16
External links
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