1980 Detroit Lions

1980 Detroit Lions season
Head Coach	Monte Clark
Home Field	Pontiac Silverdome
Results
Record	9–7
Place	2nd NFC Central
Playoff Finish	did not qualify
Timeline
Previous Season	Next Season
1979	1981

The 1980 Detroit Lions season was the 51st season in franchise history. As the result of a miserable 1979 season, the Lions were able to select Heisman Trophy winning Oklahoma Sooner halfback Billy Sims with first pick in the NFL draft. In his rookie season, Sims set the NFL on its collective ear as he rushed his way to the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award while carrying the Lions back to respectability. After winning its first four games, the Lions would improve dramatically from the previous season, finishing 9-7, narrowly missing out on landing a playoff birth and the NFC Central title by a tiebreaker against the Minnesota Vikings.^[1]

Offseason[]

NFL Draft[]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	School
1	Billy Sims ^[2]	Running Back	University of Oklahoma

Regular season[]

In his NFL debut, Billy Sims had three touchdowns.^[3]

Schedule[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 7, 1980	at Los Angeles Rams	W 41-20	64,892
2	September 14, 1980	at Green Bay Packers	W 29-7	53,099
3	September 21, 1980	St. Louis Cardinals	W 20-7	80,027
4	September 28, 1980	Minnesota Vikings	W 27-7	80,291
5	October 5, 1980	at Atlanta Falcons	L 43-28	57,652
6	October 12, 1980	New Orleans Saints	W 24-13	78,147
7	October 19, 1980	at Chicago Bears	L 24-7	58,508
8	October 26, 1980	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 20-17	59,391
9	November 2, 1980	San Francisco 49ers	W 17-13	78,845
10	November 9, 1980	at Minnesota Vikings	L 34-0	46,264
11	November 16, 1980	Baltimore Colts	L 10-9	77,677
12	November 23, 1980	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 24-10	64,976
13	November 27, 1980	Chicago Bears	L 23-17 OT	75,397
14	December 7, 1980	at St. Louis Cardinals	L 24-23	46,966
15	December 14, 1980	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 27-14	77,098
16	December 21, 1980	Green Bay Packers	W 24-3	75,111

Standings[]

1980 NFC Central Standings
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
Minnesota Vikings	9	7	0	.563	317	308	L-1
Detroit Lions	9	7	0	.563	334	272	L-1
Chicago Bears	7	9	0	.438	304	264	W-1
Green Bay Packers	5	10	1	.344	231	371	L-4
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	5	10	1	.344	271	341	L-3

Game Summaries[]

Week 2: Green Bay Packers[]

Team	1	2	3	4		Total
Detroit Lions	3	13	6	7		29
Green Bay Packers	0	7	0	0		7

Game Information[]

Date: September 14, 1980
Time: 1:00 PM
Stadium: Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, WI
Attendance:
Weather: 64°F, wind 14 mph
Referee:
TV: CBS-TV
In Game Announcers: Reference: Box Score
Scoring summary: Statistics:

Passing

Gary Danielson 11/17, 246 yards, Jeff Komlo 1/3, 6 yards

Rushing

Billy Sims 20-134, Dexter Bussey 13-45, Gary Danielson 2-24, Leonard Thompson 1-13, Horace King 3-7, Rick Kane 4-7

Receiving

Billy Sims 2-94, Dexter Bussey 5-74, Freddie Scott 2-60, David Hill 2-18, Rick Kane 1-6

Defense

James Hunter INT, Charlie Weaver INT

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	Lions	Packers
1					Lions	32-yard field goal by Eddie Murray	3	0
2					Lions	39-yard field goal by Eddie Murray	6	0
2					Packers	Eddie Lee Ivery 5-yard touchdown run, Chester Marcol kick good	6	7
2					Lions	Billy Sims 1-yard touchdown run, Eddie Murray kick good	13	7
2					Lions	43-yard field goal by Eddie Murray	16	7
3					Lions	42-yard field goal by Eddie Murray	19	7
3					Lions	23-yard field goal by Eddie Murray	22	7
4					Lions	Billy Sims 87-yard touchdown reception from Gary Danielson, Eddie Murray kick good	29	7
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							29	7

Roster[]

1980 Detroit Lions roster

Quarterbacks

16 Gary Danielson
17 Eric Hipple
19 Jeff Komlo

Running Backs

20 Billy Sims
32 Rick Kane
31 Ken Calicutt
36 Bo Robinson
24 Dexter Bussey FB
25 Horace King FB

Wide Receivers

87 Freddie Scott
39 Leonard Thompson
84 Jesse Thompson
82 Ray Williams
47 John Arnold

Tight Ends

81 David Hill
80 Ulysees Norris

Offensive Linemen

76 Karl Baldischwiler T
67 Mike Whited T
61 Homer Elias G
65 Amos Fowler C
68 Tommie Ginn C
62 Willie Parker C
73 Russ Bolinger G
66 Burt Lawless G
70 Keith Dorney T
72 Chris Dieterich T/G

Defensive Linemen

75 Dave Pureifory DE
78 Tom Tuinei DE
77 John Woodcock DE
60 Bubba Baker DE
90 Leon Hayes DE
64 John Mendenhall DT
79 William Gay DT
74 Mike McCoy DT

Linebackers

59 Charlie Weaver OLB
58 Dave Simmons OLB
50 Eddie Cole OLB
57 Ken Fanetti MLB
53 Garry Cobb MLB
55 Derrel Luce MLB
52 Stan White OLB
51 James Harrell OLB

Defensive Backs

28 James Hunter CB
29 Luther Bradley CB
27 Wayne Smith CB
21 Walt Williams CB
23 Ray Oldham FS
22 Eddie Lewis FS
35 Jimmy Allen SS
26 Prentice McCray SS

Special Teams

3 Eddie Murray K
15 Tom Skladany P

Reserve Lists

Currently vacant

Rookies in italics

Awards and records[]

Billy Sims, Pro Bowl selection (1980
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^[3]

References[]

↑ Season summary and stats at Sports E Cyclopedia
↑ Billy Sims, 1978 Heisman Trophy winner as a junior ^{Heisman Trophy. Retrieved on 2008-08-04. ^{[dead link]}}
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Sports Illustrated, Oct. 27, 2008, p.24, Vol. 109, No. 16

[1] Season summary and stats at Sports E Cyclopedia

[Heisman_note-2] Billy Sims, 1978 Heisman Trophy winner as a junior ^{Heisman Trophy. Retrieved on 2008-08-04. ^{[dead link]}}

[Sports_Illustrated_2008,_p.24-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Sports Illustrated, Oct. 27, 2008, p.24, Vol. 109, No. 16

[1]

[2]

[3]