You Are Here > Pro-Football-Reference.com > Teams > Detroit Lions > 1966 Starters, Roster, & Players
1966 Detroit Lions
Franchise Index: Previous Season / Next Season
Record: 4-9-1, Finished 6th in NFL West Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 206 points (14.7/g), 14th of 15 in the NFL.
Allowed 317 points (22.6/g), 9th.
Differential of -111 points (-7.9/g), 13th.
Expected W-L: 3.7-10.3.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential -14 (-1.0/g), 13th.
Coached by Harry Gilmer (4-9-1)
Sponsor this page for $10 per year and help Pro-Football-Reference.com provide this service.
1966 Statistics / Starters & Roster / Games & Schedule / Team Draftees
Starters
Glossary · ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+), · CSV · PRE · Hide Non-primary Starters| Pos | Age | Yrs | GS | Summary of Player Stats | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Starters | Complete Team Stats | |||||
| QB | Karl Sweetan | 24 | Rook | 8 | 157 for 309, 1,809 yards, 4 td, 14 int, & 34 rushes for 219 yards and 1 td | Detroit Lions / 18th / 249th pick / 1965 |
| QB | Milt Plum | 31 | 9 | 6 | 82 for 146, 943 yards, 4 td, 13 int, & 12 rushes for 59 yards and 0 td | Cleveland Browns / 2nd / 17th pick / 1957 |
| HB | Amos Marsh | 27 | 5 | 0 | 134 rushes for 433 yards, 3 td, & 12 catches for 111 yards and 0 td | |
| FB | Tom Nowatzke | 24 | 1 | 0 | 151 rushes for 512 yards, 6 td, & 54 catches for 316 yards and 1 td | New York Jets / 1st / 4th pick / 1965 |
| FL | Pat Studstill*+ | 28 | 5 | 0 | 67 catches for 1,266 yards, 5 td, & 2 rushes for 20 yards and 0 td | |
| SE | Gail Cogdill | 29 | 6 | 0 | 47 catches for 411 yards, 1 td | Detroit Lions / 6th / 63rd pick / 1960 |
| TE | Ron Kramer | 31 | 9 | 0 | 37 catches for 432 yards, 0 td | Green Bay Packers / 1st / 4th pick / 1957 |
| LT | Daryl Sanders | 25 | 3 | 14 | Detroit Lions / 1st / 12th pick / 1963 |
|
| LG | Bob Kowalkowski | 23 | Rook | 0 | Detroit Lions / 7th / 95th pick / 1965 |
|
| C | Ed Flanagan | 22 | 1 | 14 | Detroit Lions / 5th / 64th pick / 1965 |
|
| RG | John Gordy | 31 | 9 | 0 | 1 fumble recovered | Detroit Lions / 2nd / 24th pick / 1957 |
| RT | J.D. Smith | 30 | 7 | 0 | Philadelphia Eagles / 2nd / 15th pick / 1959 |
|
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Darris McCord | 33 | 11 | 0 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 36th pick / 1955 |
| LDT | Alex Karras | 31 | 8 | 0 | 0 interceptions, 4 fumbles recovered | Detroit Lions / 1st / 10th pick / 1958 |
| RDT | Roger Brown* | 29 | 6 | 0 | Detroit Lions / 4th / 42nd pick / 1960 |
|
| RDE | Larry Hand | 26 | 1 | 0 | Detroit Lions / 10th / 132nd pick / 1964 |
|
| LLB | Mike Lucci | 27 | 4 | 0 | 5 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Cleveland Browns / 5th / 69th pick / 1961 |
| MLB | Ernie Clark | 29 | 3 | 0 | 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | Detroit Lions / 13th / 180th pick / 1963 |
| RLB | Wally Hilgenberg | 24 | 2 | 6 | Detroit Lions / 4th / 48th pick / 1964 |
|
| RLB | Wayne H. Walker | 30 | 8 | 5 | 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered | Detroit Lions / 4th / 45th pick / 1958 |
| LCB | Dick LeBeau* | 29 | 7 | 0 | 4 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Cleveland Browns / 5th / 58th pick / 1959 |
| RCB | Bobby Smith | 28 | 4 | 0 | Los Angeles Rams / 7th / 88th pick / 1961 |
|
| LS | Bruce Maher | 29 | 6 | 0 | 5 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Detroit Lions / 15th / 173rd pick / 1959 |
| RS | Bobby Thompson | 27 | 2 | 0 | 4 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 38th pick / 1962 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | Garo Yepremian | 22 | Rook | 0 | 13 of 22 field goals & 11 of 11 extra points | |
| P | Pat Studstill*+ | 28 | 5 | 0 | 72 punts for a 41.1 average, 0 blocked | |
| PR | Tom Vaughn | 23 | 1 | 0 | 18 punt returns for a 9.9 average and 0 td | Detroit Lions / 5th / 57th pick / 1965 |
| KR | Tom Vaughn | 23 | 1 | 0 | 23 kick returns for a 25.9 average and 0 td | Detroit Lions / 5th / 57th pick / 1965 |
| Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Alford | 23 | C | 12 | 0 | 230 | 6-3 | Auburn | 6/19/1943 | 1 | Kansas City Chiefs / 19th / 149th pick / 1965 |
| Roger Brown* | 29 | DT | 14 | 0 | 300 | 6-5 | Md-Eastern Shore | 5/1/1937 | 6 | Detroit Lions / 4th / 42nd pick / 1960 |
| Ernie Clark | 29 | LB | 14 | 0 | 220 | 6-1 | Michigan State | 8/11/1937 | 3 | Detroit Lions / 13th / 180th pick / 1963 |
| Bill Cody | 22 | LB | 1 | 0 | 230 | 6-2 | Auburn | 8/2/1944 | Rook | Detroit Lions / 5th / 67th pick / 1966 |
| Gail Cogdill | 29 | SE-WR | 14 | 0 | 200 | 6-3 | Washington State | 4/7/1937 | 6 | Detroit Lions / 6th / 63rd pick / 1960 |
| Bobby Felts | 24 | HB | 10 | 0 | 202 | 6-2 | Florida A&M | 6/26/1942 | 1 | Baltimore Colts / 6th / 71st pick / 1965 |
| Ed Flanagan | 22 | C | 14 | 14 | 245 | 6-3 | Purdue | 2/23/1944 | 1 | Detroit Lions / 5th / 64th pick / 1965 |
| Jim Gibbons | 30 | E-TE | 7 | 0 | 220 | 6-2 | Iowa | 9/26/1936 | 8 | Cleveland Browns / 5th / 61st pick / 1958 |
| John Gordy | 31 | G-T | 14 | 0 | 248 | 6-3 | Tennessee | 6/17/1935 | 9 | Detroit Lions / 2nd / 24th pick / 1957 |
| Larry Hand | 26 | DE-DT | 14 | 0 | 250 | 6-4 | Appalachian State | 7/10/1940 | 1 | Detroit Lions / 10th / 132nd pick / 1964 |
| John Henderson | 23 | WR-FL | 13 | 0 | 195 | 6-3 | Michigan | 3/21/1943 | 1 | Philadelphia Eagles / 5th / 63rd pick / 1965 |
| Wally Hilgenberg | 24 | LB-G | 14 | 6 | 229 | 6-3 | Iowa | 9/19/1942 | 2 | Detroit Lions / 4th / 48th pick / 1964 |
| Alex Karras | 31 | DT | 14 | 0 | 248 | 6-2 | Iowa | 7/15/1935 | 8 | Detroit Lions / 1st / 10th pick / 1958 |
| Jim Kearney | 23 | DB | 6 | 0 | 206 | 6-2 | Prairie View | 1/21/1943 | 1 | Detroit Lions / 11th / 151st pick / 1965 |
| Bob Kowalkowski | 23 | G | 14 | 0 | 240 | 6-3 | Virginia | 11/5/1943 | Rook | Detroit Lions / 7th / 95th pick / 1965 |
| Ron Kramer | 31 | E-TE | 14 | 0 | 234 | 6-3 | Michigan | 6/24/1935 | 9 | Green Bay Packers / 1st / 4th pick / 1957 |
| Dick LeBeau* | 29 | DB | 14 | 0 | 185 | 6-1 | Ohio State | 9/9/1937 | 7 | Cleveland Browns / 5th / 58th pick / 1959 |
| Joe Don Looney | 24 | HB-FB | 3 | 0 | 230 | 6-1 | Cameron,Oklahoma,TCU,Texas | 10/10/1942 | 2 | New York Giants / 1st / 12th pick / 1964 |
| Mike Lucci | 27 | LB | 13 | 0 | 230 | 6-2 | Pittsburgh,Tennessee | 12/29/1939 | 4 | Cleveland Browns / 5th / 69th pick / 1961 |
| Bruce Maher | 29 | DB | 14 | 0 | 190 | 5-11 | Detroit Mercy | 7/25/1937 | 6 | Detroit Lions / 15th / 173rd pick / 1959 |
| Bill Malinchak | 22 | SE-WR | 14 | 0 | 200 | 6-1 | Indiana | 4/2/1944 | Rook | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 39th pick / 1966 |
| Amos Marsh | 27 | HB-FB | 14 | 0 | 218 | 6-0 | Oregon State | 5/7/1939 | 5 | |
| Jerry Mazzanti | 26 | DE | 13 | 0 | 240 | 6-3 | Arkansas | 7/13/1940 | 3 | San Diego Chargers / 25th / 194th pick / 1963 |
| Darris McCord | 33 | DE-DT-T | 13 | 0 | 250 | 6-4 | Tennessee | 1/4/1933 | 11 | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 36th pick / 1955 |
| Bruce McLenna | 25 | HB | 9 | 0 | 225 | 6-3 | Hillsdale,Michigan | 12/23/1941 | Rook | Detroit Lions / 9th / 123rd pick / 1965 |
| Tom Myers | 23 | QB | 1 | 0 | 188 | 6-1 | Northwestern | 8/13/1943 | 1 | Detroit Lions / 4th / 46th pick / 1965 |
| Tom Nowatzke | 24 | FB-LB | 14 | 0 | 230 | 6-3 | Indiana | 9/30/1942 | 1 | New York Jets / 1st / 4th pick / 1965 |
| Milt Plum | 31 | QB | 6 | 6 | 205 | 6-1 | Penn State | 1/20/1935 | 9 | Cleveland Browns / 2nd / 17th pick / 1957 |
| Wayne Rasmussen | 24 | DB | 14 | 0 | 175 | 6-2 | South Dakota State | 6/7/1942 | 2 | Detroit Lions / 9th / 117th pick / 1964 |
| Johnnie Robinson | 22 | DB | 14 | 0 | 205 | 6-3 | Tennessee State | 11/6/1944 | Rook | Detroit Lions / 7th / 103rd pick / 1966 |
| Jerry Rush | 24 | DT | 11 | 0 | 265 | 6-4 | Michigan State | 8/7/1942 | 1 | Boston Patriots / 1st / 7th pick / 1965 |
| Daryl Sanders | 25 | T | 14 | 14 | 250 | 6-5 | Ohio State | 4/24/1941 | 3 | Detroit Lions / 1st / 12th pick / 1963 |
| Roger Shoals | 28 | T | 14 | 0 | 260 | 6-4 | Maryland | 12/13/1938 | 3 | Dallas Texans / 34th / 267th pick / 1962 |
| Lou Slaby | 25 | LB | 13 | 0 | 235 | 6-3 | Pittsburgh | 12/13/1941 | 2 | Denver Broncos / 4th / 29th pick / 1963 |
| Bobby Smith | 28 | DB | 14 | 0 | 197 | 5-11 | UCLA | 7/5/1938 | 4 | Los Angeles Rams / 7th / 88th pick / 1961 |
| J.D. Smith | 30 | T | 14 | 0 | 250 | 6-2 | Rice | 5/27/1936 | 7 | Philadelphia Eagles / 2nd / 15th pick / 1959 |
| Pat Studstill*+ | 28 | FL-HB-WR-P | 14 | 0 | 180 | 6-0 | Houston | 6/4/1938 | 5 | |
| Karl Sweetan | 24 | QB | 10 | 8 | 203 | 6-1 | Texas A&M,Wake Forest | 10/2/1942 | Rook | Detroit Lions / 18th / 249th pick / 1965 |
| Bobby Thompson | 27 | DB | 14 | 0 | 188 | 5-11 | Arizona | 3/30/1939 | 2 | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 38th pick / 1962 |
| Jim Todd | 23 | HB | 10 | 0 | 195 | 5-11 | Ball State | 3/2/1943 | Rook | Philadelphia Eagles / 9th / 129th pick / 1966 |
| Doug Van Horn | 22 | G-T | 14 | 0 | 245 | 6-3 | Ohio State | 6/24/1944 | Rook | Kansas City Chiefs / 5th / 39th pick / 1966 |
| Tom Vaughn | 23 | DB | 13 | 0 | 190 | 5-11 | Iowa State | 2/28/1943 | 1 | Detroit Lions / 5th / 57th pick / 1965 |
| Wayne H. Walker | 30 | LB | 13 | 5 | 225 | 6-2 | Idaho | 9/30/1936 | 8 | Detroit Lions / 4th / 45th pick / 1958 |
| Willie Walker | 24 | WR | 9 | 0 | 200 | 6-3 | Tennessee State | 9/15/1942 | Rook | Detroit Lions / 4th / 59th pick / 1966 |
| Garo Yepremian | 22 | K | 9 | 0 | 175 | 5-8 | none | 6/2/1944 | Rook | |
| Team Total | 26.0 | 14 | 220.6 | 6-1.9 | 3.2 |