The 1942 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 13th season in the National Football League. The Lions suffered the first winless season since Cincinnati went 0–8 in 1934.[1] This was the first NFL season during U.S. involvement in World War II, which led to player shortages, and thus a depletion of talent. The Lions were hit especially hard by the loss of star halfback Byron “Whizzer” White and tackle Tony Furst.[2] Head coach Bill Edwards was sacked after three games,[2] but the decision had no effect on the Lions’ fortunes.
| 1942 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Bill Edwards and Bull Karcis |
| Home field | Briggs Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 0–11 |
| Division place | 5th NFL Western |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
While there were talks of suspending play, it was ultimately decided to allow all professional sports to continue as morale boosters on the home front.[3] It would remain the only winless season for the Lions until 2008.[4][5]
Regular season
editSchedule
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bye | |||||
| 2 | September 20 | at Chicago Cardinals | L 0–13 | 0–1 | Comiskey Park | Recap |
| 3 | September 27 | Cleveland Rams | L 0–14 | 0–2 | Briggs Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | October 4 | Brooklyn Dodgers | L 7–28 | 0–3 | Briggs Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 11 | at Green Bay Packers | L 7–38 | 0–4 | Wisconsin State Fair Park | Recap |
| 6 | October 18 | Chicago Cardinals | L 0–7 | 0–5 | Briggs Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | October 25 | Green Bay Packers | L 7–28 | 0–6 | Briggs Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | November 1 | at Chicago Bears | L 0–16 | 0–7 | Wrigley Field | Recap |
| 9 | November 8 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 7–35 | 0–8 | Briggs Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 15 | at Cleveland Rams | L 7–27 | 0–9 | League Park | Recap |
| 11 | November 22 | Chicago Bears | L 0–42 | 0–10 | Briggs Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 29 | Washington Redskins | L 3–15 | 0–11 | Briggs Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | Bye | |||||
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
edit| NFL Western Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Chicago Bears | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 8–0 | 376 | 84 | W11 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 8 | 2 | 1 | .800 | 6–2 | 300 | 215 | W2 | |
| Cleveland Rams | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 | 3–5 | 150 | 207 | L1 | |
| Chicago Cardinals | 3 | 8 | 0 | .273 | 3–5 | 98 | 209 | L6 | |
| Detroit Lions | 0 | 11 | 0 | .000 | 0–8 | 38 | 263 | L11 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Roster
edit| Detroit Lions roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks
Running backs Wide receivers Tight ends |
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen |
Linebackers
Defensive backs Special teams |
Reserve lists
rookies in italics | |||
Awards and records
edit- Most giveaways, single game: 12 (vs. Chicago Bears)[6]
References
edit- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 301
- ^ a b Barnas, Jo-Ann; ‘Missing Their Engine Parts: War Machine Hampered the 1942 Lions, Who Went 0–11’; The Washington Post, December 9, 2001, p. D1A
- ^ "The 1942 Lions were a winless, toothless mess". Detroit Athletic. November 22, 2015. Archived from the original on January 1, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
- ^ Haney, Jeff (November 20, 2008). "All-defeated or undefeated? Unlikely - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper". lasvegassun.com. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ Bak, Richard (November 22, 2015). "The 1942 Lions were a winless, toothless mess". Vintage Detroit Collection. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ "NFL Records". www.nfl.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.