Record 7–6–1 Playoff finish did not qualify Head coach Joe Schmidt | Division place 2nd NFC Central Start date 1971 Home field Tiger Stadium | |
Similar 1971 New Orleans Saints se, 1971 Kansas City Chief, 1971 New England Patriots s | ||
The 1971 Detroit Lions season was their 42nd in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous season's output of 10–4, winning only seven games.
Mired in adversity, the 1971 season turned especially tragic for the Lions and the NFL when, during their Week 6 hosting of the Chicago Bears, Lions wide receiver Chuck Hughes collapsed on the playing field. Unresponsive, Hughes was pronounced dead later that day of heart failure. Since 1971, no Detroit player has worn Hughes' #85 jersey save on special permission of the Hughes family.
Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
References
1971 Detroit Lions season Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA