| 1938 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Head coach | Dutch Clark |
| Home field | Titans Stadium and Briggs Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–4 |
| Division place | 2nd NFL Western |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| |
The 1938 Detroit Lions season marked their ninth year in the National Football League (NFL). The team matched their previous season's output of 7–4. They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
Offseason
Draft
Main article: 1938 NFL Draft| 1938 Detroit Lions draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Alex Wojciechowicz | C | Fordham | |
| 3 | 21 | Pete Smith | E | Oklahoma | |
| 5 | 36 | Andy Bershak | E | North Carolina | |
| 6 | 46 | Karl Schleckman | T | Utah | |
| 7 | 56 | Paul Szakash | E | Montana | |
| 8 | 66 | Dick Nardi | B | Ohio State | |
| 9 | 76 | Jim Sirtosky | G | Indiana | |
| 10 | 86 | Ralph Wolf | C | Ohio State | |
| 11 | 96 | Clarence Douglass | B | Kansas | |
| 12 | 106 | Clint Frank | B | Yale | 1937 Heisman Trophy winner |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame | |||||
Schedule
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 9 | Pittsburgh Pirates | W 16–7 | 1–0 | University of Detroit Stadium | 18,000 | Recap | ||
| — | 22 day bye | ||||||||
| 2 | October 2 | at Cleveland Rams | L 17–21 | 1–1 | Shaw Stadium | 8,012 | Recap | ||
| 3 | October 9 | at Green Bay Packers | W 17–7 | 2–1 | City Stadium | 21,968 | Recap | ||
| 4 | October 16 | Washington Redskins | L 5–7 | 2–2 | Briggs Stadium | 42,855 | Recap | ||
| 5 | October 23 | Chicago Cardinals | W 10–0 | 3–2 | Briggs Stadium | 17,917 | Recap | ||
| 6 | October 30 | at Chicago Bears | W 13–7 | 4–2 | Wrigley Field | 24,346 | Recap | ||
| 7 | November 6 | Cleveland Rams | W 6–0 | 5–2 | Briggs Stadium | 31,140 | Recap | ||
| 8 | November 13 | Green Bay Packers | L 7–28 | 5–3 | Briggs Stadium | 45,139 | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 20 | at Chicago Cardinals | W 7–3 | 6–3 | Comiskey Park | 8,279 | Recap | ||
| 10 | November 24 | Chicago Bears | W 14–7 | 7–3 | Briggs Stadium | 26,278 | Recap | ||
| 11 | December 4 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 7–21 | 7–4 | Briggs Stadium | 18,985 | Recap | ||
| Notes: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text. Thursday, November 24 was Thanksgiving. | |||||||||
Standings
| NFL Western Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 6–2 | 223 | 118 | L1 | |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 4 | 0 | .636 | 6–2 | 119 | 108 | L1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 6 | 5 | 0 | .545 | 3–5 | 194 | 148 | L1 | |
| Cleveland Rams | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 | 3–5 | 131 | 215 | W1 | |
| Chicago Cardinals | 2 | 9 | 0 | .182 | 2–6 | 111 | 168 | W1 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
| NFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| New York Giants | 8 | 2 | 1 | .800 | 5–2–1 | 194 | 79 | W1 | |
| Washington Redskins | 6 | 3 | 2 | .667 | 4–2–2 | 148 | 154 | L1 | |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 4 | 4 | 3 | .500 | 3–2–3 | 131 | 161 | T1 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 | 3–5 | 154 | 164 | W2 | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 2 | 9 | 0 | .182 | 2–6 | 79 | 169 | L6 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
References
- 1938 Detroit Lions
- "1938 Detroit Lions Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
External links
- 1938 Detroit Lions at Pro Football Reference
- 1938 Detroit Lions at jt-sw.com
- 1938 Detroit Lions at The Football Database
| Detroit Lions | |
|---|---|
| |
| Franchise | |
| Records | |
| Stadiums | |
| Culture | |
| Lore | |
| Rivalries | |
| Division championships (9) | |
| League championships (4) | |
| Media | |
| Current league affiliations |
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| Detroit Lions seasons | |
|---|---|
| Formerly the Portsmouth Spartans (1930–1933) | |
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| Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory Italics indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–present) appearance |
| 1938 NFL season | |||||||||||||||
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