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1972 Detroit Lions

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Record: 8-5-1, Finished 2nd in NFC Central Division
NFL Season Summary

Scored 339 points (24.2/g), 6th of 26 in the NFL.
 Allowed 290 points (20.7/g), 17th.
 Differential of 49 points (3.5/g), 10th.
 Expected W-L: 8.3-5.7.

 Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +2 (0.1/g), 9th.

Simple Rating System: Total 4.4, Offense: 4.4, Defense: 0.0, SoS: 0.9, versus averages of 0.0.

Coached by Joe Schmidt (8-5-1)

Training Camp: Cranbrook Educational Community (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan)

Starters

ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+),Hide Non-primary Starters
Pos Age Yrs GS Summary of Player Stats Drafted (tm/rnd/yr)
 Offensive Starters
QB Greg Landry 26 4 14 134 for 268, 2,066 yards, 18 td, 17 int, & 81 rushes for 524 yards and 9 td Detroit Lions / 1st / 11th pick / 1968
RB Altie Taylor 25 3 0 154 rushes for 658 yards, 4 td, & 29 catches for 250 yards and 2 td Detroit Lions / 2nd / 34th pick / 1969
FB Steve Owens 25 2 0 143 rushes for 519 yards, 4 td, & 15 catches for 100 yards and 0 td Detroit Lions / 1st / 19th pick / 1970
WR Ron Jessie 24 1 0 24 catches for 424 yards, 4 td Dallas Cowboys / 8th / 206th pick / 1971
WR Larry Walton 25 3 0 24 catches for 485 yards, 6 td Detroit Lions / 3rd / 59th pick / 1969
TE Charlie Sanders 26 4 0 27 catches for 416 yards, 2 td Detroit Lions / 3rd / 74th pick / 1968
LT Jim Yarbrough 26 3 0 1 fumble recovered Detroit Lions / 2nd / 47th pick / 1969
LG Chuck Walton 31 5 0 Detroit Lions / 4th / 55th pick / 1963
San Diego Chargers / 13th / 98th pick / 1963
C Ed Flanagan 28 7 0 1 fumble recovered Detroit Lions / 5th / 64th pick / 1965
RG Bob Kowalkowski 29 6 14 Detroit Lions / 7th / 95th pick / 1965
RT Rocky Freitas* 27 4 14 Pittsburgh Steelers / 3rd / 73rd pick / 1967
 Defensive Starters
LDE Jim H. Mitchell 24 2 0 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered Detroit Lions / 3rd / 71st pick / 1970
LDT Larry Woods 24 1 0 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered Detroit Lions / 4th / 100th pick / 1971
RDT Bob Bell 24 1 0 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered Detroit Lions / 1st / 21st pick / 1971
RDE Larry Hand 32 7 0 0 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered Detroit Lions / 10th / 132nd pick / 1964
New York Jets / 21st / 163rd pick / 1964
LLB Paul Naumoff 27 5 14 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered Detroit Lions / 3rd / 60th pick / 1967
MLB Mike Lucci 33 10 0 2 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered Cleveland Browns / 5th / 69th pick / 1961
RLB Wayne H. Walker 36 14 0 0 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered Detroit Lions / 4th / 45th pick / 1958
LCB Lem Barney* 27 5 0 3 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered Detroit Lions / 2nd / 34th pick / 1967
RCB Rudy Redmond 25 3 0 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered Chicago Bears / 4th / 91st pick / 1969
SS Mike Weger 27 5 0 Detroit Lions / 9th / 218th pick / 1967
FS Dick LeBeau 35 13 0 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered Cleveland Browns / 5th / 58th pick / 1959
 Special Teams Starters
K Errol Mann 31 4 0 20 of 29 field goals & 38 of 39 extra points
P Herman Weaver 24 2 0 43 punts for a 40.3 average, 0 blocked Detroit Lions / 9th / 227th pick / 1970
PR Lem Barney* 27 5 0 15 punt returns for a 7.2 average and 0 td Detroit Lions / 2nd / 34th pick / 1967
KR Mickey Zofko 23 1 0 26 kick returns for a 23.7 average and 0 td Detroit Lions / 9th / 229th pick / 1971

Roster

ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+),
No. Age Pos G GS Wt Ht College/Univ BirthDate Yrs Drafted (tm/rnd/yr)
86 Al Barnes 23 WR 9 0 170 6-1 New Mexico St. 7/4/1949 Rook
20 Lem Barney* 27 DB 14 0 188 6-0 Jackson St. 9/8/1945 5 Detroit Lions / 2nd / 34th pick / 1967
73 Bob Bell 24 DT-DE 14 0 250 6-4 Cincinnati 1/25/1948 1 Detroit Lions / 1st / 21st pick / 1971
87 Craig Cotton 25 TE 14 0 216 6-5 Youngstown St. 7/7/1947 3 San Diego Chargers / 8th / 200th pick / 1969
40 Nick Eddy 28 RB 2 0 210 6-1 Notre Dame 8/23/1944 4 Detroit Lions / 2nd / 24th pick / 1966
24 Mel Farr 28 RB 10 0 210 6-2 UCLA 11/3/1944 5 Detroit Lions / 1st / 7th pick / 1967
54 Ed Flanagan 28 C 14 0 245 6-3 Purdue 2/23/1944 7 Detroit Lions / 5th / 64th pick / 1965
76 Rocky Freitas* 27 T 14 14 270 6-6 Oregon St. 9/7/1945 4 Pittsburgh Steelers / 3rd / 73rd pick / 1967
68 Frank Gallagher 29 G 14 0 245 6-2 North Carolina 3/2/1943 5
77 John Gordon 24 DT 2 0 260 6-6 New Mexico St.,Hawaii 8/29/1948 Rook
58 Gene Hamlin 26 C 5 0 245 6-3 West. Michigan 7/26/1946 2
74 Larry Hand 32 DE-DT 14 0 250 6-4 Appalachian St. 7/10/1940 7 Detroit Lions / 10th / 132nd pick / 1964
New York Jets / 21st / 163rd pick / 1964
81 John Hilton 30 TE 5 0 225 6-5 Richmond 3/12/1942 7 Detroit Lions / 6th / 76th pick / 1964
Buffalo Bills / 16th / 125th pick / 1964
31 Leon Jenkins 22 DB 4 0 165 5-11 West Virginia 8/26/1950 Rook Detroit Lions / 16th / 405th pick / 1972
89 Ron Jessie 24 WR 14 0 185 6-0 Kansas 2/4/1948 1 Dallas Cowboys / 8th / 206th pick / 1971
64 Gordon Jolley 23 G-T 5 0 250 6-5 Utah 5/22/1949 Rook Detroit Lions / 17th / 436th pick / 1971
66 Bob Kowalkowski 29 G 14 14 240 6-3 Virginia 11/5/1943 6 Detroit Lions / 7th / 95th pick / 1965
11 Greg Landry 26 QB 14 14 210 6-4 Massachusetts 12/18/1946 4 Detroit Lions / 1st / 11th pick / 1968
44 Dick LeBeau 35 DB 14 0 185 6-1 Ohio St. 9/9/1937 13 Cleveland Browns / 5th / 58th pick / 1959
53 Mike Lucci 33 LB 14 0 230 6-2 Pittsburgh,Tennessee 12/29/1939 10 Cleveland Browns / 5th / 69th pick / 1961
12 Errol Mann 31 K 14 0 200 6-0 North Dakota 6/27/1941 4
25 Earl McCullouch 26 WR-SE 10 0 175 5-11 USC 1/10/1946 4 Detroit Lions / 1st / 24th pick / 1968
83 Jim H. Mitchell 24 DE-DT 14 0 245 6-3 Virginia St. 9/15/1948 2 Detroit Lions / 3rd / 71st pick / 1970
19 Bill Munson 31 QB 2 0 203 6-2 Utah St. 8/11/1941 8 Los Angeles Rams / 1st / 7th pick / 1964
Houston Oilers / 16th / 126th pick / 1964
50 Paul Naumoff 27 LB 14 14 215 6-1 Tennessee 7/3/1945 5 Detroit Lions / 3rd / 60th pick / 1967
58 Rick Ogle 23 LB 4 0 230 6-3 Colorado 1/14/1949 1 St. Louis Cardinals / 11th / 277th pick / 1971
80 Herb Orvis 26 DT-DE 14 2 248 6-5 Colorado 10/17/1946 Rook Detroit Lions / 1st / 16th pick / 1972
36 Steve Owens 25 RB 10 0 215 6-2 Oklahoma 12/9/1947 2 Detroit Lions / 1st / 19th pick / 1970
27 Charlie Potts 23 DB 10 0 210 6-3 Purdue 4/29/1949 Rook Detroit Lions / 6th / 145th pick / 1972
45 Al Randolph 28 DB 6 0 205 6-2 Iowa 7/8/1944 6 San Francisco 49ers / 3rd / 37th pick / 1966
67 Rocky Rasley 25 G 14 0 250 6-3 Oregon St. 4/27/1947 3 Detroit Lions / 9th / 216th pick / 1969
47 Wayne Rasmussen 30 DB 7 0 175 6-2 South Dakota St. 6/7/1942 8 Detroit Lions / 9th / 117th pick / 1964
46 Rudy Redmond 25 DB 14 0 196 6-1 Pacific 8/25/1947 3 Chicago Bears / 4th / 91st pick / 1969
88 Charlie Sanders 26 TE 9 0 225 6-4 Minnesota 8/25/1946 4 Detroit Lions / 3rd / 74th pick / 1968
82 Ken Sanders 22 DE 6 0 240 6-5 Howard Payne 8/22/1950 Rook Detroit Lions / 3rd / 65th pick / 1972
84 Joe Schmiesing 27 DE-DT 5 0 245 6-4 Minnesota,New Mexico St. 4/1/1945 4 St. Louis Cardinals / 4th / 96th pick / 1968
71 Bob Tatarek 26 DT 2 0 270 6-4 Miami (FL) 7/3/1946 4 Buffalo Bills / 2nd / 34th pick / 1968
42 Altie Taylor 25 RB 13 0 200 5-10 Utah St. 9/29/1947 3 Detroit Lions / 2nd / 34th pick / 1969
65 Dave Thompson 23 T-C-G 7 0 270 6-4 Clemson 2/1/1949 1 Detroit Lions / 2nd / 30th pick / 1971
38 Bill Triplett 32 RB-DB 14 0 215 6-2 Miami (OH) 5/9/1940 10 Boston Patriots / 9th / 70th pick / 1962
New York Giants / 6th / 72nd pick / 1962
55 Wayne H. Walker 36 LB 14 0 225 6-2 Idaho 9/30/1936 14 Detroit Lions / 4th / 45th pick / 1958
63 Chuck Walton 31 G 10 0 253 6-3 Iowa St. 7/7/1941 5 Detroit Lions / 4th / 55th pick / 1963
San Diego Chargers / 13th / 98th pick / 1963
49 Larry Walton 25 WR-FL 14 0 180 6-0 Arizona St. 2/8/1947 3 Detroit Lions / 3rd / 59th pick / 1969
59 Charlie Weaver 23 LB 14 0 220 6-2 USC 7/12/1949 1 Detroit Lions / 2nd / 48th pick / 1971
18 Herman Weaver 24 P 14 0 210 6-4 Tennessee 11/17/1948 2 Detroit Lions / 9th / 227th pick / 1970
28 Mike Weger 27 DB 14 0 200 6-2 Bowling Green 10/2/1945 5 Detroit Lions / 9th / 218th pick / 1967
70 Larry Woods 24 DT 12 0 260 6-6 Tennessee St. 5/11/1948 1 Detroit Lions / 4th / 100th pick / 1971
75 Jim Yarbrough 26 T 13 0 265 6-5 Florida 10/28/1946 3 Detroit Lions / 2nd / 47th pick / 1969
51 Adrian Young 26 LB 10 0 232 6-1 USC 1/31/1946 4 Philadelphia Eagles / 3rd / 68th pick / 1968
34 Mickey Zofko 23 RB 14 0 195 6-3 Auburn 6/8/1949 1 Detroit Lions / 9th / 229th pick / 1971
Team Total 26.7 14 222.4 6-2.6 3.9