1950: Layne & Walker Lead Lions to Win Against Steelers

The Detroit Lions were coming off of a big opening-week win as they hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 24, 1950. Coached by Bo McMillin, the Lions had not had a winning season in five years, but there were several promising newcomers on the roster. QB Bobby Layne (pictured above) was obtained from the New York Bulldogs, HB Bob “Hunchy” Hoernschemeyer came over from the defunct AAFC, and the rookie crop included the last two Heisman Trophy winners, HB Doak Walker and end Leon Hart. There were also good young veterans such as end Cloyce Box, MG Les Bingaman, and DHB Don Doll. Detroit thrashed Green Bay the previous week by a score of 45-7.

The Steelers, under the guidance of Head Coach John Michelosen, were operating out of the NFL’s last remaining single-wing offense. They also had a tough defense with a line anchored by DE Bill McPeak who was joined by rookie DT Ernie Stautner. Pittsburgh put up seven points in losing to the Giants in the opening game.

There were 19,600 fans in attendance at Briggs Stadium. The contest was a defensive struggle, although Detroit moved the ball more effectively. In the first quarter, the Lions missed a scoring opportunity when Doak Walker missed a 35-yard field goal attempt. Interceptions of Bobby Layne passes in Pittsburgh territory, at the two and the 20, kept the Lions off the board as well. Finally, Detroit advanced the ball to the Pittsburgh five when time ran out and the game remained scoreless at halftime.

In the third quarter, and following a fumble by Detroit FB Ollie Cline at the Pittsburgh 28, the Steelers struck for the game’s first score. TB Bob Gage had runs of 10 and 18 yards before passing to end Elbie Nickel for a 43-yard touchdown. Joe Geri added the extra point.

The Steelers had another shot when DB Jim Finks intercepted a pass by QB Fred Enke at midfield and returned it to the Detroit 25. A second-down pass by back Charlie Seabright for Gage in the end zone just missed the mark and, on fourth down, Geri was wide on a 27-yard field goal attempt.

Now the Lions put together an 80-yard drive that culminated in a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter when Layne threw to Walker, who just pulled away from safety Lynn Chandnois for an 11-yard touchdown. Walker also added the game-tying point after.

Neither team seemed capable of adding points during the final period, and when the Lions were forced to punt with three minutes remaining to play, a tie appeared likely. But, in the game’s pivotal play, Gage fumbled after fielding the kick when hit by Detroit end Dick Rifenberg and end Barney Hafen recovered at the Pittsburgh 15. The home team managed to pick up three yards in three plays before Doak Walker came on to boot a 20-yard field goal and the Lions held on to win by a final score of 10-7.

Detroit had significant edges in total yards (372 to 176) and first downs (24 to 8). But while the Lions outgained Pittsburgh’s single-wing attack on the ground (265 to 54), the Steelers had more yards through the air (122 to 107). Detroit also turned the ball over five times, to two by Pittsburgh.

Bobby Layne completed 10 of 24 passes for 78 yards but also ran for 118 yards on 15 carries. Doak Walker (pictured at right), who scored all of Detroit’s points, contributed 87 yards on 16 rushing attempts. For the Steelers, Bob Gage was successful on 8 of 22 passes with a touchdown while rushing for 45 yards on 11 carries, although the pivotal fumble on the punt diminished an otherwise solid performance.

The Lions split their next two games and were at 3-1 before losing four straight. They finished strong for a 6-6 record that placed fourth in the National Conference. Pittsburgh also went 6-6, tying for third with the Eagles in the American Conference. With the league’s lowest-scoring offense, the Steelers maintained the pattern established in the contest against Detroit as the defense typically kept games close.  

Bobby Layne led the league in pass attempts (336) and yards (2323). His 16 touchdown passes ranked fourth, and he added another four TDs carrying the ball as he ran for 250 yards. Doak Walker continued to be a prolific scorer, leading the NFL with 128 points. He accounted for 11 touchdowns, 8 field goals, and 38 extra points and received first-team All-NFL honors from the Associated Press and UPI as well as selection to the Pro Bowl.  

1950: Walker Scores All 24 Points for Lions in Win Against Packers

The Detroit Lions were struggling, having lost four straight games, as they hosted the Green Bay Packers on November 19, 1950. Coached by Bo McMillin for the third year, the Lions were nevertheless assembling talent that would make them a formidable team over the next few seasons. Fiery and talented QB Bobby Layne had been obtained from the New York Bulldogs and HB Bob “Hunchy” Hoernschemeyer arrived from the defunct All-America Football Conference. Rookies included guard Lou Creekmur and the last two Heisman Trophy winners, end Leon Hart from Notre Dame and all-purpose HB Doak Walker (pictured at right) out of Southern Methodist.

Walker had been a high school teammate of Layne in Dallas, Texas and then a three-time All-American at SMU who won the Heisman Trophy as a junior in 1948. An injury hindered his performance in ’49, but he still came in third in the voting for the coveted award. He had been a tremendous all-around talent in college, but at 5’11” and 170 pounds, there were questions as to whether he had the size to succeed as a pro, and there were doubts about his speed as well. But thus far, Walker was productive as a halfback who often caught passes out of the backfield, kick returner, and placekicker and punter.

The Packers had a new head coach in Gene Ronzani, only the second in their history after the departed Curly Lambeau. They had a talented rookie quarterback in Tobin Rote and also benefited from the demise of the AAFC, adding end Al Baldwin and HB Billy Grimes. But the defense was dreadful, and after winning two of their first three games, the Packers were in the midst of a five-game losing streak. They lost badly to the Lions in their previous meeting.

There was a small crowd of 17,752 fans in attendance on a dark and rainy day at Briggs Stadium. The opening period was scoreless, but both offenses cut loose in the second quarter. First, Bobby Layne threw a pass to Doak Walker for a 33-yard touchdown and Walker added the extra point. Green Bay responded with a series highlighted by Tobin Rote passing to HB Jug Girard for a 55-yard gain. Two plays later Rote connected with end Steve Pritko for a three-yard TD and Ted Fritsch tied the score with the PAT.

Shortly thereafter, Green Bay got the ball back again when DHB Bob Forte intercepted an option pass by Walker at the Detroit 30. Rote threw to Al Baldwin for 28 yards and FB Jack Cloud added another touchdown for the Packers as he dove into the end zone from two yards out. Fritsch converted to put Green Bay ahead by seven. With time running out in the first half, Walker kicked a 35-yard field goal and the score was 14-10 in favor of the Packers at halftime.

In the third quarter, Layne threw to Walker again for a 20-yard TD that put the Lions back in front by 17-14, Walker once again successfully kicking the extra point. Layne was injured, however, and Fred Enke came on in relief.

Following the ensuing kickoff, Green Bay advanced 69 yards but Detroit’s defense stopped two runs from the one yard line to force the Packers to turn the ball over on downs. Pinned deep in their own territory, the Lions punted and the Packers regained possession with favorable field position at the Detroit 35. Once again Green Bay moved effectively, but this time a Rote pass into the end zone was intercepted by DHB Don Doll.

Three plays later, the Packers got a break when DT Joe Spencer recovered a fumble at the Detroit 23. Following a running play, Rote completed a pass to HB Larry Coutre for 19 yards. Early in the fourth quarter, Cloud scored again for the Packers, this time plunging into the end zone from a yard out. Fritsch’s PAT gave the visitors a four-point edge.

The Lions put together a 73-yard drive and, with the game down to the last two minutes, Walker struck once more with an eight-yard touchdown catch of an Enke pass. It was Walker again adding the point after and Detroit came away with a 24-21 win, Walker having accounted for every point.

The Lions had the edge in total yards (376 to 309) and first downs (19 to 16). Bobby Layne and Fred Enke combined to pass for 241 yards for the Lions while Tobin Rote (pictured at left) completed 13 of 31 passes for 184 yards in defeat. However, the teams combined for 11 turnovers, with Detroit accounting for six to Green Bay’s five.

The Lions won their next two games before dropping the season finale to end up even with a 6-6 record, which placed fourth in the National Conference. Green Bay won the following week before dropping the last two contests and tying for fifth in the conference with the 49ers at 3-9.

With the 24-point performance, Doak Walker’s scoring total was up to 91 and thus set a new franchise record, besting the 81 points by Bill Dudley the previous year. He went on to lead the NFL with 128 points and was fourth with 1262 all-purpose yards. Walker scored 11 touchdowns (five rushing, six receiving), kicked 8 field goals in 18 attempts, and was 38-of-41 on extra points. Continuing to display the all-around skills that had made him a college legend, he rushed for 386 yards on 83 carries (4.7 avg.), caught 35 passes for 534 yards (15.3 avg.), added another 302 yards returning kicks, and even intercepted a pass on defense that he returned 40 yards. Walker was a first-team All-NFL selection by the Associated Press and UPI and received second-team honors from the New York Daily News. He was also selected for the Pro Bowl.

1922: Robeson Scores 2 TDs as Milwaukee Defeats Oorang

Before he achieved international notoriety as a singer, actor, and political activist, Paul Robeson was a pro football player. An All-American end at Rutgers (named twice by Frank Menke in 1917 and ’18 and by Walter Camp in 1918), Robeson played two years in the fledgling NFL while earning his law degree at Columbia University. One of a very few African-Americans in the league, he had good size for the time at 6’3” and 219 pounds, and was considered to be outstanding both on offense and defense. On November 19, 1922 he was the key player in a game between the Milwaukee Badgers and Oorang Indians.

Robeson had joined the Badgers, who were new to the NFL (as the former American Professional Football Association had just been renamed). Much was expected of the club that also signed Fritz Pollard, another pioneering African-American player who was a star back and coach with Akron. Alvin “Bo” McMillin, All-American tailback out of Centre College, was just joining the team that had a disappointing 1-1-3 record and played to scoreless ties in its last two contests.

The Oorang Indians were an oddity, even in the somewhat freewheeling world of the early NFL. The roster was composed entirely of Native Americans and the legendary Jim Thorpe served as player/coach. The team’s name came from the Oorang Dog Kennels in little LaRue, Ohio, the business of team owner Walter Lingo. The franchise operated as a traveling team and, while it boasted colorfully-named players and rather elaborate halftime shows that utilized the kennel’s dogs, it also had a woeful 1-5 record.

There were 6500 fans in attendance for the Sunday game at Athletic Park in Milwaukee. Much of the contest’s attraction was the matchup of the two star backs, Thorpe and McMillin. The first score came early in the game, after an initial exchange of punts. The Indians had possession at their own 12 when HB Eagle Feather fumbled and, following a mad scramble for the loose ball, Robeson scooped it up near the goal line and rolled into the end zone for a touchdown. Charlie Copley’s extra point attempt failed, but the Badgers held a 6-0 lead.

Oorang didn’t threaten to score during the first half until the offense came alive late in the second quarter and the Indians drove to the Milwaukee eight before time expired.

The teams again traded punts to start the second half. Starting at their own 25, the Badgers kept the ball on the ground to reach midfield before back Mike Purdy threw to wingback Al Greene, playing his first game with the Badgers, for 12 yards. After a two-yard carry by McMillin, the second Milwaukee TD came on a pass by Purdy to Robeson. The big end caught the ball in the midst of several Oorang defenders and ran 20 yards for a TD. Along the way, Greene made a great block on Eagle Feather at the 10 to remove the final hurdle to Robeson’s scoring jaunt. Copley was successful this time in adding the extra point.

That was it for the scoring, although McMillin made an exciting play in the fourth quarter when, in punt formation, he ran to his left, cut back across the field, and retreated back some 20 yards while dodging tacklers before throwing to Robeson for a gain of five yards. Milwaukee won by a final score of 13-0.

Bo McMillin had a good debut for the Badgers, directing the offense effectively both on the ground and through the air. Paul Robeson was the game’s top lineman as well as scorer of the only touchdowns and Fritz Pollard ran effectively.

Jim Thorpe played the entire game for the Indians. At age 35, he was past his prime but still an effective player. He had several long runs on offense and especially distinguished himself on defense, where he was in on many of the tackles.

The Badgers didn’t win again – and in fact scored only six more points – in finishing at 2-4-3 and eleventh in the 18-team NFL. The Indians, on the other hand, won their last two contests to end up at 3-6 and right behind Milwaukee in the standings.

Paul Robeson’s 1922 season was his last as a pro football player. He graduated law school, although he didn’t stay in the legal field for long and rapidly moved into the world of music and the theater. But he made a brief imprint as an early pro football player, especially with his outstanding performance against Oorang.