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1976 Detroit Lions
Franchise Index: Previous Season / Next Season
Record: 6-8-0, Finished 3rd in NFC Central Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 262 points (18.7/g), 16th of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 220 points (15.7/g), 10th.
Differential of 42 points (3.0/g), 12th.
Expected W-L: 8.4-5.6.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +6 (0.4/g), 8th.
Simple Rating System: Total 2.8, Offense: -0.6, Defense: 3.4, SoS: -0.2, versus averages of 0.0.
Coached by
Rick Forzano and Tommy Hudspeth
Other Notable Asst.: Bill Belichick (Assistant Special Teams)
Training Camp: Oakland University (Rochester, Michigan)
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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 | 30 | 8 | 12 | 168 for 291, 2,191 yards, 17 td, 8 int, & 43 rushes for 234 yards and 1 td | Detroit Lions / 1st / 11th pick / 1968 |
| RB | Dexter Bussey | 24 | 2 | 14 | 196 rushes for 858 yards, 3 td, & 28 catches for 218 yards and 0 td | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 65th pick / 1974 |
| FB | Horace King | 23 | 1 | 7 | 93 rushes for 325 yards, 0 td, & 21 catches for 163 yards and 0 td | Detroit Lions / 6th / 141st pick / 1975 |
| WR | Ray Jarvis | 27 | 5 | 13 | 39 catches for 822 yards, 5 td | Atlanta Falcons / 5th / 111th pick / 1971 |
| WR | Larry Walton | 29 | 7 | 14 | 20 catches for 293 yards, 3 td, & 1 rush for 5 yards and 0 td | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 59th pick / 1969 |
| TE | Charlie Sanders* | 30 | 8 | 13 | 35 catches for 545 yards, 5 td | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 74th pick / 1968 |
| LT | Craig Hertwig | 24 | 1 | 9 | 1 fumble recovered | Detroit Lions / 4th / 94th pick / 1975 |
| LG | Lynn Boden | 23 | 1 | 8 | Detroit Lions / 1st / 13th pick / 1975 | |
| C | Jon Morris | 34 | 12 | 14 | Green Bay Packers / 2nd / 27th pick / 1964 Boston Patriots / 4th / 29th pick / 1964 |
|
| RG | Bob Kowalkowski | 33 | 10 | 14 | 1 fumble recovered | Detroit Lions / 7th / 95th pick / 1965 |
| RT | Rocky Freitas | 31 | 8 | 14 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 3rd / 73rd pick / 1967 | |
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Ken Sanders | 26 | 4 | 14 | 0 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 65th pick / 1972 |
| LDT | Jim H. Mitchell | 28 | 6 | 14 | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 71st pick / 1970 | |
| RDT | Larry Hand | 36 | 11 | 10 | 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered | Detroit Lions / 10th / 132nd pick / 1964 New York Jets / 21st / 163rd pick / 1964 |
| RDE | Billy Howard | 26 | 2 | 7 | Detroit Lions / 2nd / 39th pick / 1974 | |
| LLB | Paul Naumoff | 31 | 9 | 12 | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 60th pick / 1967 | |
| MLB | Jim Laslavic | 25 | 3 | 12 | 2 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 71st pick / 1973 |
| RLB | Charlie Weaver | 27 | 5 | 14 | 2 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Detroit Lions / 2nd / 48th pick / 1971 |
| LCB | Lem Barney* | 31 | 9 | 14 | 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Detroit Lions / 2nd / 34th pick / 1967 |
| RCB | Levi Johnson | 26 | 3 | 14 | 6 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 75th pick / 1973 |
| SS | Charlie West | 30 | 8 | 14 | 1 interception, 2 fumbles recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 33rd pick / 1968 |
| FS | James Hunter | 22 | Rook | 8 | 7 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Detroit Lions / 1st / 10th pick / 1976 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | Benny Ricardo | 22 | Rook | 0 | 10 of 14 field goals & 19 of 21 extra points | |
| P | Herman Weaver | 28 | 6 | 0 | 83 punts for a 39.5 average, 1 blocked | Detroit Lions / 9th / 227th pick / 1970 |
| LCB | Lem Barney* | 31 | 9 | 14 | 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Detroit Lions / 2nd / 34th pick / 1967 |
| KR | Bobby Thompson | 29 | 1 | 0 | 22 kick returns for a 19.6 average and 0 td |
| No. | Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | AV | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Lem Barney* | 31 | LCB | 14 | 14 | 188 | 6-0 | Jackson St. | 9/8/1945 | 9 | 10 | Detroit Lions / 2nd / 34th pick / 1967 |
| 62 | Lynn Boden | 23 | LG | 14 | 8 | 270 | 6-3 | South Dakota St. | 6/5/1953 | 1 | 4 | Detroit Lions / 1st / 13th pick / 1975 |
| 73 | Russ Bolinger | 22 | lg | 12 | 7 | 255 | 6-5 | California-Riverside,Long Beach St. | 9/10/1954 | Rook | 3 | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 68th pick / 1976 |
| 43 | Andy Bolton | 22 | 7 | 0 | 205 | 6-1 | Fisk | 5/23/1954 | Rook | 0 | Seattle Seahawks / 4th / 123rd pick / 1976 | |
| 24 | Dexter Bussey | 24 | RB | 14 | 14 | 195 | 6-1 | Oklahoma,Texas-Arlington | 3/11/1952 | 2 | 9 | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 65th pick / 1974 |
| 79 | Don Croft | 27 | 1 | 0 | 254 | 6-4 | Texas-El Paso | 1/7/1949 | 4 | 3 | Baltimore Colts / 5th / 115th pick / 1972 | |
| 16 | Gary Danielson | 25 | 1 | 0 | 195 | 6-2 | Purdue | 9/10/1951 | Rook | 0 | ||
| 29 | Ben Davis | 31 | 14 | 0 | 180 | 5-11 | Defiance | 10/30/1945 | 9 | 3 | Cleveland Browns / 17th / 439th pick / 1967 | |
| 78 | Doug English | 23 | ldt | 7 | 5 | 255 | 6-5 | Texas | 8/25/1953 | 1 | 3 | Detroit Lions / 2nd / 38th pick / 1975 |
| 89 | Dennis Franklin | 23 | 5 | 0 | 185 | 6-1 | Michigan | 8/24/1953 | 1 | 0 | Detroit Lions / 6th / 144th pick / 1975 | |
| 76 | Rocky Freitas | 31 | RT | 14 | 14 | 270 | 6-6 | Oregon St. | 9/7/1945 | 8 | 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 3rd / 73rd pick / 1967 |
| 38 | Lawrence Gaines | 23 | fb | 14 | 7 | 237 | 6-1 | Wyoming | 12/15/1953 | Rook | 8 | Detroit Lions / 1st / 16th pick / 1976 |
| 74 | Larry Hand | 36 | RDT | 10 | 10 | 250 | 6-4 | Appalachian St. | 7/10/1940 | 11 | 6 | Detroit Lions / 10th / 132nd pick / 1964 New York Jets / 21st / 163rd pick / 1964 |
| 71 | Craig Hertwig | 24 | LT | 14 | 9 | 270 | 6-8 | Georgia | 1/15/1952 | 1 | 4 | Detroit Lions / 4th / 94th pick / 1975 |
| 81 | David Hill | 22 | te | 14 | 1 | 229 | 6-2 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | 1/1/1954 | Rook | 4 | Detroit Lions / 2nd / 46th pick / 1976 |
| 41 | J.D. Hill | 28 | 1 | 0 | 202 | 6-1 | Arizona St. | 10/30/1948 | 5 | 0 | Buffalo Bills / 1st / 4th pick / 1971 | |
| 30 | Jim Hooks | 26 | 1 | 0 | 225 | 5-11 | Central Oklahoma | 10/23/1950 | 3 | 0 | Detroit Lions / 4th / 96th pick / 1973 | |
| 70 | Billy Howard | 26 | RDE | 13 | 7 | 252 | 6-4 | Alcorn St. | 7/17/1950 | 2 | 5 | Detroit Lions / 2nd / 39th pick / 1974 |
| 28 | James Hunter | 22 | FS | 13 | 8 | 195 | 6-3 | Grambling St. | 3/8/1954 | Rook | 6 | Detroit Lions / 1st / 10th pick / 1976 |
| 45 | Ray Jarvis | 27 | WR | 14 | 13 | 200 | 6-0 | Norfolk St. | 2/2/1949 | 5 | 9 | Atlanta Falcons / 5th / 111th pick / 1971 |
| 26 | Dick Jauron | 26 | fs | 6 | 6 | 190 | 6-0 | Yale | 10/7/1950 | 3 | 3 | Detroit Lions / 4th / 91st pick / 1973 |
| 23 | Levi Johnson | 26 | RCB | 14 | 14 | 196 | 6-3 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | 10/30/1950 | 3 | 8 | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 75th pick / 1973 |
| 25 | Horace King | 23 | FB | 7 | 7 | 208 | 5-10 | Georgia | 3/5/1953 | 1 | 5 | Detroit Lions / 6th / 141st pick / 1975 |
| 66 | Bob Kowalkowski | 33 | RG | 14 | 14 | 240 | 6-3 | Virginia | 11/5/1943 | 10 | 6 | Detroit Lions / 7th / 95th pick / 1965 |
| 11 | Greg Landry | 30 | QB | 14 | 12 | 210 | 6-4 | Massachusetts | 12/18/1946 | 8 | 11 | Detroit Lions / 1st / 11th pick / 1968 |
| 52 | Jim Laslavic | 25 | MLB | 12 | 12 | 237 | 6-2 | Penn St. | 10/24/1951 | 3 | 9 | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 71st pick / 1973 |
| 65 | Ken Long | 23 | 13 | 0 | 265 | 6-3 | Purdue | 7/24/1953 | Rook | 3 | Detroit Lions / 2nd / 44th pick / 1976 | |
| 12 | Errol Mann | 35 | 6 | 0 | 200 | 6-0 | North Dakota | 6/27/1941 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 68 | Mark Markovich | 24 | 14 | 0 | 256 | 6-5 | Penn St. | 11/7/1952 | 2 | 3 | San Diego Chargers / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1974 | |
| 83 | Jim H. Mitchell | 28 | LDT | 14 | 14 | 245 | 6-3 | Virginia St. | 9/15/1948 | 6 | 8 | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 71st pick / 1970 |
| 63 | Jon Morris | 34 | C | 14 | 14 | 254 | 6-4 | Holy Cross | 4/5/1942 | 12 | 6 | Green Bay Packers / 2nd / 27th pick / 1964 Boston Patriots / 4th / 29th pick / 1964 |
| 50 | Paul Naumoff | 31 | LLB | 14 | 12 | 215 | 6-1 | Tennessee | 7/3/1945 | 9 | 7 | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 60th pick / 1967 |
| 55 | Ed O'Neil | 24 | lb | 14 | 4 | 236 | 6-3 | Penn St. | 9/8/1952 | 2 | 4 | Detroit Lions / 1st / 8th pick / 1974 |
| 80 | Herb Orvis | 30 | dt | 2 | 2 | 248 | 6-5 | Colorado | 10/17/1946 | 4 | 1 | Detroit Lions / 1st / 16th pick / 1972 |
| 44 | Bob Picard | 27 | 8 | 0 | 195 | 6-1 | East. Washington | 11/24/1949 | 3 | 0 | Philadelphia Eagles / 6th / 132nd pick / 1973 | |
| 27 | Reggie Pierson | 24 | 4 | 0 | 185 | 5-11 | Oklahoma St. | 12/13/1952 | Rook | 2 | ||
| 72 | Ernie Price | 26 | 14 | 0 | 248 | 6-4 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | 9/20/1950 | 3 | 5 | Detroit Lions / 1st / 17th pick / 1973 | |
| 14 | Joe Reed | 28 | qb | 13 | 2 | 195 | 6-1 | Baylor,Mississippi St. | 1/8/1948 | 4 | 2 | San Francisco 49ers / 11th / 283rd pick / 1971 |
| 1 | Benny Ricardo | 22 | K | 8 | 0 | 175 | 5-10 | San Diego St. | 1/4/1954 | Rook | 3 | |
| 88 | Charlie Sanders* | 30 | TE | 13 | 13 | 225 | 6-4 | Minnesota | 8/25/1946 | 8 | 8 | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 74th pick / 1968 |
| 82 | Ken Sanders | 26 | LDE | 14 | 14 | 240 | 6-5 | Howard Payne | 8/22/1950 | 4 | 9 | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 65th pick / 1972 |
| 10 | Ian Sunter | 24 | 3 | 0 | 215 | 6-1 | none | 12/21/1952 | Rook | 0 | ||
| 57 | Garth Ten Napel | 22 | 14 | 0 | 213 | 6-1 | Texas A&M | 3/27/1954 | Rook | 5 | Detroit Lions / 7th / 198th pick / 1976 | |
| 33 | Bobby Thompson | 29 | KR | 14 | 0 | 195 | 5-11 | Oklahoma | 1/16/1947 | 1 | 1 | |
| 39 | Leonard Thompson | 24 | wr | 14 | 1 | 192 | 5-11 | Oklahoma St. | 7/28/1952 | 1 | 1 | Detroit Lions / 8th / 194th pick / 1975 |
| 27 | Maurice Tyler | 26 | 9 | 0 | 188 | 6-0 | Morgan St. | 7/19/1950 | 4 | 3 | Buffalo Bills / 10th / 235th pick / 1972 | |
| 49 | Larry Walton | 29 | WR | 14 | 14 | 180 | 6-0 | Arizona St. | 2/8/1947 | 7 | 3 | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 59th pick / 1969 |
| 59 | Charlie Weaver | 27 | RLB | 14 | 14 | 220 | 6-2 | USC | 7/12/1949 | 5 | 10 | Detroit Lions / 2nd / 48th pick / 1971 |
| 18 | Herman Weaver | 28 | P | 14 | 0 | 210 | 6-4 | Tennessee | 11/17/1948 | 6 | 2 | Detroit Lions / 9th / 227th pick / 1970 |
| 40 | Charlie West | 30 | SS | 14 | 14 | 197 | 6-1 | Angelo State (TX),Texas-El Paso | 8/31/1946 | 8 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 33rd pick / 1968 |
| 77 | John Woodcock | 22 | dt | 14 | 4 | 246 | 6-3 | New Mexico,Hawaii | 3/19/1954 | Rook | 3 | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 76th pick / 1976 |
| 75 | Jim Yarbrough | 30 | lt | 11 | 5 | 265 | 6-5 | Florida | 10/28/1946 | 7 | 2 | Detroit Lions / 2nd / 47th pick / 1969 |
| Team Total | 26.6 | 14 | 221.1 | 6-2.1 | 3.7 |
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