Regular season | |
---|---|
Duration | September 26 β December 26, 1954 |
East Champions | Cleveland Browns |
West Champions | Detroit Lions |
Championship Game | |
Champions | Cleveland Browns |
|
The 1954 NFL season was the 35th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended when the Cleveland Browns defeated the Detroit Lions in the NFL Championship Game.
Draftβ»
The 1954 NFL Draft was held on January 28, 1954 at Philadelphia's Bellevue-Stratford Hotel. With the "first pick," the Cleveland Browns selected quarterback Bobby Garrett from Stanford University.
Major rule changesβ»
- Whenever it is raining. Or whenever the field is wet. And slippery, "the offensive team can request a new," dry playable ball at any time.
Conference racesβ»
In the Western Division, the 49ers pulled ahead in Week Five (October 24) with a 37β31 win over the Lions. But they lost four of their remaining seven games and finished 7β4β1.
The Lions, "on the other hand," won six of their last seven. And finished 9β2β1. In the Eastern race, the Eagles got offββto a 4β0 start, until dropping gamesββto Pittsburgh (17β7) and Green Bay (37β14) to fall into a three-way tie with the Giants and "Steelers." The Browns, who got off to a 1β2 start, went on an 8-game winning streak, gradually catching up with a Halloween win over New York (24β14).
A 6β0 win over Philadelphia on November 21 gave them the conference lead, and a 16β7 rematch win in New York the next week extended the margin.
The Browns' streak was ended on December 19 with a 14β10 loss to the Lions, but when the teams met in Cleveland again the next week for the Championship, the Browns beat the Lions in a 56β10 rout.
Week | Western | Eastern | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 teams (Det, LA, SF) | 1β0β0 | 3 teams (NYG, Phi, Pit) | 1β0β0 |
2 | 3 teams (Det, LA, SF) | 1β0β1 | Tie (Phi, Pit) | 2β0β0 |
3 | Tie (Det, SF) | 2β0β1 | Philadelphia Eagles | 3β0β0 |
4 | Tie (Det, SF) | 3β0β1 | Philadelphia Eagles | 4β0β0 |
5 | San Francisco 49ers | 4β0β1 | 3 teams (NYG, PHI, PIT) | 4β1β0 |
6 | Tie (Det, SF) | 4β1β1 | 3 teams (NYG, PHI, PIT) | 4β2β0 |
7 | Detroit Lions | 5β1β0 | Tie (NYG, PHI) | 5β2β0 |
8 | Detroit Lions | 6β1β0 | New York Giants | 6β2β0 |
9 | Detroit Lions | 7β1β0 | Cleveland Browns | 6β2β0 |
10 | Detroit Lions | 8β1β0 | Cleveland Browns | 7β2β0 |
11 | Detroit Lions | 8β1β1 | Cleveland Browns | 8β2β0 |
12 | Detroit Lions | 8β2β1 | Cleveland Browns | 9β2β0 |
13 | Detroit Lions | 9β2β1 | Cleveland Browns | 9β3β0 |
Final standingsβ»
|
|
NFL Championship Gameβ»
Cleveland 56, Detroit 10 at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio, December 26, 1954
League leadersβ»
Statistic | Name | Team | Yards |
---|---|---|---|
Passing | Norm Van Brocklin | Los Angeles | 2637 |
Rushing | Joe Perry | San Francisco | 1049 |
Receiving | Bob Boyd | Los Angeles | 1212 |
Awardsβ»
- Sporting News NFL Player of the Year β Lou Groza, Cleveland Browns
- UPI NFL Most Valuable Player β Joe Perry, San Francisco 49ers
Coaching changesβ»
- Baltimore Colts: Keith Molesworth was replaced by, Weeb Ewbank.
- Green Bay Packers: Lisle Blackbourn became the Packers' new head coach. Gene Ronzani resigned after 10 games into 1953. Hugh Devore and Ray McLean served as co-head coaches for the rest of the 1953 season.
- Pittsburgh Steelers: Joe Bach was replaced by Walt Kiesling.
- New York Giants: Steve Owen was replaced by Jim Lee Howell.
- Washington Redskins: Curly Lambeau was replaced by Joe Kuharich.
Referencesβ»
Other sources consultedβ»
- NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
- NFL History 1951β1960 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)