The Lions made the playoffs in 1970 with the 2nd best rushing attack in the league. Follow me on twitter for my latest uploads here and elsewhere. / classicsports84
You and I are about the same age! The 1970 Lions is the first clear memory I have of them, and they were my favorite team since then. In the Dallas game, the Lions drove well into Cowboy territory, but either Taylor or Farr fumbled the ball away. If they had but held onto the ball, they were well within Mann's FG range. That would have made the score 5-3 going into the Lions' final drive wherein they also drove deep into Dallas' territory. That would have set up a potential game-winning FG which was also well within Mann's range. That would have resulted in a 49ers/Lions rematch, and the Lions had thoroughly beaten them at home in the regular season. Oh, what might have been! In my estimation, that was the last really solid Lions team (they had a few good seasons since then, but the solidity of both offense and defense since then were not up to par with the 70 squad).
@@billcollins2798 It was their defense that fell off in 1971 and 1972, while their points scored both seasons were very close to the total scored in 1970.
@@JIMOTOOLE1949 Good point, but their offense had a tendency to break down at critical points. Recall the Vikings-Lions game in '71. Mann missed FIVE field goals, and they weren't 60-yarders either!! The Lions lost 16-13. In another game, they were driving toward a game-winning field goal and the placeholder dropped a perfect snap! Crazy stuff like that year after year after year. It was frustrating to no end because we all knew that the Lions had the talent to beat practically anybody in the league.
The NFL was so much better back then. Defences were actually allowed to hit their opponents for a start. I can remember Hanberger at the Redskins for example, he never hit below the jaw. It was brutal, but more fun to watch.
Now in 2024, the Detroit Lions will be playing vs the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship!!! Good luck to them!! Their fans truly deserve it!!! And this is coming from an Eagles fan!!!!
Awesome footage--To my buddy Craig Welch, I hope your looking down watching these Lions doing pretty good this year I know you would be happy as shit! Rest in peace my brother we'll meet again!!
Lions! Talk about suffering! This was their 1st playoff appearance for 12 years, and last for another 11. In 24 years they made a single playoff appearance and scored exactly 0 points. This Lions' D had 3 HoF players - Barney, LeBeau, and Alex Karras in his last year. The franchise became so hapless that it is hard to remember how they dominated the 50s with the Browns.
As a Texan living in Oklahoma i went to school with a Michigan guy who became a good friend in high school and still is. He grew up in Detroit and moved to Dallas in high school where i grew up. He never stopped pulling for all the Detroit teams and Michigan college sports. Detroit has championships in every sport, many in the NHL and the MLB and the Pistons. Its crazy that they don't have a super bowl victory yet. They got cool looking uniforms and the Lions are a killer name.
Bengals fan here. I remember the thrashing we got in that game, especially that wise guy Lem Barney with that punt return. Oh well, we ended up in the playoffs at the end of the year.
I was 7 growing up in Metro Detroit that season and hardly knew anything about the Lions. When I got into NFL football a few years later, it was the Raiders on NBC. The Lions were boring and usually blacked out on TV for home games.
Karras was playing well in the exhibition season, but his being 35 or 36 was a clincher for JOE SCHMIDT. Karras resented SCHMIDT after that, since the two of them had been on the same LIONS defensive teams as players with SCHMIDT as captain of the D, but Karras felt like SCHMIDT was not straight with him and was also callous toward all purpose runner/special teamer NICK EDDY when SCHMIDT cut the latter player whose body was breaking down. Karras said that SCHMIDT would not even look him in the eye before he cut HIM, and that the Head Coach would not even tell EDDY in person that NICK was cut. It ruined the once close relationship between KARRAS AND SCHMIDT. Both men are in the PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME, KARRAS as a d-tackle, and SCHMIDT as a great linebacker..
@@robertsprouse9282 His last ever game in the preseason he had 3 of the 7 or 8 sacks against the Eagles in like a 49-10 rout. He was already furious because Nick Eddy had been cut and told by the trainer after asking where is my name. Joe Schmidt didn't have the class to talk to Eddy man to man who Karras said was never healthy as a Lion hurting his knee at Notre Dame but he gave his all as a great teammate as you indicate. Karras went in to confront Schmidt basically saying you treated Nick like an old cleat. I forget the exact quote. Then after the Eagles game Karras went to NY to appear on The Tonight Show and was told over the phone by Schmidt that he was getting his release. A few days later George Allen the new Redskins HC put in a waiver claim on Karras and wanted him and Karras decided to stay retired and start his acting career fulltime! Joe Schmidt turned out to be a small person!
Dang. I remember this thrashing. I was just becoming cognizant of the NFL, and fortunate enough to have got on the Packers bus right about the time they started to flounder (dad was a Packers fan, so..). I do remember the Landry QB sneak for sure. When I saw the description pointing out Detroit's rushing attack as second best, I couldn't think of who the RBs would have been. But it all came back to me when I saw Mel Farr here. But I remember mostly 'cuz I had him on a bubble gum card. 'Dat's right. They had football players on bubble gum cards back in the day. Some of them had a cheesy 3D thing going on. I remember the Lions started off the first two games 78 to 3 and we thought they were world beaters. But they ended up being good only by Lions standards. I had to check google to make sure Lem Barney is HOF. I was gonna file a complaint here if he wasn't.
Mel Farr was sensational in 1970. When he went down late in the year, the team was never the same. I was confident that the Lions were going to go all the way. And I think they would have had Farr not gotten hurt.
NBC didn't think Raiders silver numerals on their white road jerseys showed up very well on TV for this national broadcast, so they asked the Lions if they would wear their whites.
@@1959markie1 NBC probably had trouble with the other games with those white jerseys with the silver numbers the Raiders wore that year, by the way back to black numbers in 1971
@@michaelleroy9281 Yep, wore them just the one season. Of interest, Raiders DID wear their white roads in the AFC Championship game at Baltimore a few weeks later in obviously another national broadcast. Colts must have said no!
I hate criticizing and I appreciate the effort and the availability of the footage but this is an abortion of an edit. The original NFL Films Yearbook/Highlights do a great job not just in telling the story of a season, but also present the flow and narrative in an illustrative and artistic way, showing both the sequential grind of the week to week as well as breaking to feature the contributions of each starter, unit, and contributor. Pasting together these sequential week to week frankensteins do a disservice to the original cut, and while some might appreciate, given that you clearly possess the very rare original source material, I hope that I am not the only one who would wish to see the original NFL Films Year in Review highlights unedited and presented in their original artistic form.
@@michaelleroy9281, here is your answer: 5-0 SCORE, 1927 PROVIDENCE STEAMROLLER over BUFFALO BISONS(sic.).. 1970. DAL. OVER DET. PLAYOFF.. 1978, BUFFALO BILLS OVER CINCY..that's it.
Died on the field or on the way to the hospital the very next season. Tragic, had 75 percent blockage in his heart's arrteries or valves, which was not caught by HENRY FORD HOSPITAL in Detroit when he went in months before. His widowed wife sued for 39 mil..received a settlement.
@@dukeford , symptoms, blockage? In 1971? Detection impossible? In '71? His wife won the lawsuit IN A SETTLEMENT FAVORING HER? Really? No detection? Hmmmmm🤔
The Vikings were 12-2, the Lions 10-4. Had the Lions beat the Vikings in either game, both the Lions the Vikings would have been 11-3. I don't know who would have won the tie-breaker for the division title, so take away the loss to the Saints and the Lions are 12-2 and don't play Dallas at the Cotton Bowl. They would have played at least a home playoff game at Tiger Stadium. So two losses, both in the waning moments or as the clock expired potentially kept the Lions from going deep in the playoffs and maybe even the Super Bowl. This remains the best Lions team in my lifetime, IMO
They were soundly beaten by the Redskins and shut out in the second half of their home loss to Vikes. Had a 20-10 4th quarter lead in rematch with Vikes and gave up two TD's to lose 24-20. And everyone knows what happened in New Orleans! By the time the playoffs started, they were probably the best team in the NFL, but inexplicably were unable to score a single point against Dallas. Heartbreaking for this then 11 year old fan.
@@1959markie1 The Redskins loss was on the road. The Saints loss was on the road. A Vikings loss was on the road. They ended the 1970 season with 5 straight wins. Most were against teams that were in first place in their divisions at the time. The 1970 Lions were Awesome
@@mikeaustin1323 Yes they were, UNTIL they arrived at the Cotton Bowl. And as fate would have it, the team they couldn't beat, the Vikings, were upset by the Niners in their playoff matchup. Lions beat S.F. by 21 earlier in the season.
@@1959markie1 Yes I know.....The Redskins game, 31-10, was the only loss where they were soundly defeated. All I am saying was had they defeated the Saints and the Vikings in either game they would have been 12-2.
I was a fan of the Lions uniforms. Not much else to cheer about. Losing 5-0 in their playoff game against Dallas had to be the most ridiculous game in playoff history. Few people believe me when I tell them about it.
Honolulu Blue and silver was picked out by Lions player Glen Presnell after they relocated from being the Portsmouth(OH.) Spartans where they wore purple. Then..Owner George A. Richards asked Presnell and Mrs. Presnell to pick out the uniform. The choices were red and white, orange and black or HONOLULU BLUE AND SILVER. In 1948 for two seasons until 1951, they wore red and black a scheme preferred by then head coach BO McMILLIN who had coached the U. OF INDIANA with the same color scheme. He was canned after 1950, 12wins-24 losses later.
paul Naumoff He was a bum - cheap shot artist- one of the worst plays of all time what he did to Joe Namath in a 1971 preseason game- today they would have suspended him for a year - a complete po$
I remember sweating that game out as a long time Cowboys fan. The Detroit Lions were a bad ass team. They would have beaten the Dolphins like the Cowboys did in that years super bowl. I truly believe that. They were the best team Dallas played that year. This year if The Lions can develop that championship confidence level they can win the NFC and maybe the super bowl. Football is 80% mental to me. Detroit has the players and the coach. They just need that where going to win no matter what attitude. Personally i don't think the Cowboys have it and they'll get beat by the Eagles this Sunday.
5-0 that was the team. In my opinion they’ve been rebuilding since then. They get no respect from the league. Take the roof off ford feild. Play black n blue football like we’re supposed to
Nope. It was because NBC's 1970 analog cameras couldn't see the silver numbers on the Raiders' white road jerseys, so the network asked the Lions to switch.
This was my first team. I love the 1970 Lions. 5 year old me was addicted to the Lions and the NFL, im still as loyal as ever over 50 years later!
You and I are about the same age! The 1970 Lions is the first clear memory I have of them, and they were my favorite team since then. In the Dallas game, the Lions drove well into Cowboy territory, but either Taylor or Farr fumbled the ball away. If they had but held onto the ball, they were well within Mann's FG range. That would have made the score 5-3 going into the Lions' final drive wherein they also drove deep into Dallas' territory. That would have set up a potential game-winning FG which was also well within Mann's range. That would have resulted in a 49ers/Lions rematch, and the Lions had thoroughly beaten them at home in the regular season. Oh, what might have been! In my estimation, that was the last really solid Lions team (they had a few good seasons since then, but the solidity of both offense and defense since then were not up to par with the 70 squad).
@@billcollins2798 It was their defense that fell off in 1971 and 1972, while their points scored both seasons were very close to the total scored in 1970.
@@JIMOTOOLE1949 Good point, but their offense had a tendency to break down at critical points. Recall the Vikings-Lions game in '71. Mann missed FIVE field goals, and they weren't 60-yarders either!! The Lions lost 16-13. In another game, they were driving toward a game-winning field goal and the placeholder dropped a perfect snap! Crazy stuff like that year after year after year.
It was frustrating to no end because we all knew that the Lions had the talent to beat practically anybody in the league.
Nobody can accuse you of being a glory hunter then, cuz much like the Browns, I've come believe the Lions are jinxed.
Back in the 60's and 70's the Lions were tough, and always had a chance to win - and great looking uniforms - my favorite era of the NFL and Lions.
The NFL was so much better back then. Defences were actually allowed to hit their opponents for a start. I can remember Hanberger at the Redskins for example, he never hit below the jaw. It was brutal, but more fun to watch.
First game Thanksgiving day against the Raiders, I was 9 years old........ have never looked back!!
Wow RIP Chuck Hughes!
Yep..The very next season, not escaping the hand of tragedy like Damar Hamlin recently did.
Pat Summeral too
I was 10 that fall, and these guys were my heroes, Sundays sitting by the fireplace watching the Lions
Thanks for posting been a Lions fan since 1974!
Now in 2024, the Detroit Lions will be playing vs the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship!!! Good luck to them!! Their fans truly deserve it!!! And this is coming from an Eagles fan!!!!
I was 3 years old lol but love video thanks Lions forever
This was before my time, but I love watching the old NFL films.
Love those vintage uniforms wish they still had them!!
1970 Detroit Lions Enjoy Winning Season ☺😎🏈 Thanks For Uploading
Awesome footage--To my buddy Craig Welch, I hope your looking down watching these Lions doing pretty good this year I know you would be happy as shit! Rest in peace my brother we'll meet again!!
Lions! Talk about suffering! This was their 1st playoff appearance for 12 years, and last for another 11. In 24 years they made a single playoff appearance and scored exactly 0 points. This Lions' D had 3 HoF players - Barney, LeBeau, and Alex Karras in his last year. The franchise became so hapless that it is hard to remember how they dominated the 50s with the Browns.
As a Texan living in Oklahoma i went to school with a Michigan guy who became a good friend in high school and still is. He grew up in Detroit and moved to Dallas in high school where i grew up. He never stopped pulling for all the Detroit teams and Michigan college sports. Detroit has championships in every sport, many in the NHL and the MLB and the Pistons. Its crazy that they don't have a super bowl victory yet. They got cool looking uniforms and the Lions are a killer name.
Bengals fan here. I remember the thrashing we got in that game, especially that wise guy Lem Barney with that punt return. Oh well, we ended up in the playoffs at the end of the year.
Thanks for the upload!
That New Orleans loss still stings. Bastards.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
a wow! despite being a high school kid, I managed to make it to three games
Going into 2023 the lions will roar loud in the nfc this season and I'm a steelers fan but I told people to watch out for the lions in 2023
Love these compilations. Great job.
I was 7 growing up in Metro Detroit that season and hardly knew anything about the Lions. When I got into NFL football a few years later, it was the Raiders on NBC. The Lions were boring and usually blacked out on TV for home games.
Alex Karras last season. RIP Alex!
Karras was playing well in the exhibition season, but his being 35 or 36 was a clincher for JOE SCHMIDT.
Karras resented SCHMIDT after that, since the two of them had been on the same
LIONS defensive teams as players with SCHMIDT as captain of the D, but Karras felt like SCHMIDT was not straight with him and was also callous toward all purpose runner/special teamer NICK EDDY when SCHMIDT cut the latter player whose body was breaking down.
Karras said that SCHMIDT would not even look him in the eye before he cut HIM, and that the Head Coach would not even tell EDDY in person that NICK was cut.
It ruined the once close relationship between KARRAS AND SCHMIDT.
Both men are in the PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME, KARRAS as a d-tackle, and SCHMIDT as a great linebacker..
@@robertsprouse9282 His last ever game in the preseason he had 3 of the 7 or 8 sacks against the Eagles in like a 49-10 rout. He was already furious because Nick Eddy had been cut and told by the trainer after asking where is my name. Joe Schmidt didn't have the class to talk to Eddy man to man who Karras said was never healthy as a Lion hurting his knee at Notre Dame but he gave his all as a great teammate as you indicate.
Karras went in to confront Schmidt basically saying you treated Nick like an old cleat. I forget the exact quote.
Then after the Eagles game Karras went to NY to appear on The Tonight Show and was told over the phone by Schmidt that he was getting his release.
A few days later George Allen the new Redskins HC put in a waiver claim on Karras and wanted him and Karras decided to stay retired and start his acting career fulltime!
Joe Schmidt turned out to be a small person!
Back when America was sane…
Narrator is the legendary Van Patrick!
Sounds more like Pat Summerall to me.
Tom Brookshire too
I think thats actually Jack Whitaker, long time narrator up to the 15 miniute mark then Pat Summerall
at the 53:45 mark all 3 guys are participating- Pat Summerall narrating, Jack Whitaker is on the left and Tom Brookshire on the right
Another awesome video post! I love this channel!
Dang. I remember this thrashing. I was just becoming cognizant of the NFL, and fortunate enough to have got on the Packers bus right about the time they started to flounder (dad was a Packers fan, so..). I do remember the Landry QB sneak for sure.
When I saw the description pointing out Detroit's rushing attack as second best, I couldn't think of who the RBs would have been. But it all came back to me when I saw Mel Farr here. But I remember mostly 'cuz I had him on a bubble gum card. 'Dat's right. They had football players on bubble gum cards back in the day. Some of them had a cheesy 3D thing going on.
I remember the Lions started off the first two games 78 to 3 and we thought they were world beaters. But they ended up being good only by Lions standards.
I had to check google to make sure Lem Barney is HOF. I was gonna file a complaint here if he wasn't.
when the Packers went to Tiger Stadium on Week 14 against the Lions they were shutout again 20-0
Before the name "Munson" became a curse from the movie "Kingpin", there was Bill Munson . . .
Mel Farr was sensational in 1970. When he went down late in the year, the team was never the same. I was confident that the Lions were going to go all the way. And I think they would have had Farr not gotten hurt.
They should have started Steve Owens in playoff game
Good Lion teams were overshadowed by Vikings
18 minutes of highlights from the same game? The Packers looking like, well, the Lions.
They just had to show the "Good Times" style ghetto buildings in the opening credits lolololol Lolololol!!🤣🤣
They wore their white jerseys at home on Thanksgiving Day against the Raiders
NBC didn't think Raiders silver numerals on their white road jerseys showed up very well on TV for this national broadcast, so they asked the Lions if they would wear their whites.
@@1959markie1 NBC probably had trouble with the other games with those white jerseys with the silver numbers the Raiders wore that year, by the way back to black numbers in 1971
@@michaelleroy9281 Yep, wore them just the one season. Of interest, Raiders DID wear their white roads in the AFC Championship game at Baltimore a few weeks later in obviously another national broadcast. Colts must have said no!
@@1959markie1, wore them as throwbacks in at least one game during the 2009-10 season= 60th. Anniversary of the AFL'S FOUNDING..
I hate criticizing and I appreciate the effort and the availability of the footage but this is an abortion of an edit. The original NFL Films Yearbook/Highlights do a great job not just in telling the story of a season, but also present the flow and narrative in an illustrative and artistic way, showing both the sequential grind of the week to week as well as breaking to feature the contributions of each starter, unit, and contributor. Pasting together these sequential week to week frankensteins do a disservice to the original cut, and while some might appreciate, given that you clearly possess the very rare original source material, I hope that I am not the only one who would wish to see the original NFL Films Year in Review highlights unedited and presented in their original artistic form.
Nearly won at Dallas!!!
I believe they went into the game as favorites. The big difference was the Cowboy defense forcing turnovers.
They made a great goal line stand, but were left in bad field position when they took over. Then Dallas scored that safety.
Might be the only 5-0 game in NFL history ( I'm not sure about that)
@@michaelleroy9281, here is your answer: 5-0 SCORE, 1927 PROVIDENCE STEAMROLLER over BUFFALO BISONS(sic.)..
1970. DAL. OVER DET. PLAYOFF..
1978, BUFFALO BILLS OVER CINCY..that's it.
LOL Lions fans wating 13 long years... if we only knew what was yet to come for the next 50 years 🦁
chuck hughes
Died on the field or on the way to the hospital the very next season.
Tragic, had 75 percent blockage in his heart's arrteries or valves, which was not caught by HENRY FORD HOSPITAL in Detroit when he went in months before.
His widowed wife sued for 39 mil..received a settlement.
@@robertsprouse9282 The only way they could have detected Hughes' heart condition was by an autopsy.
@@dukeford , symptoms, blockage?
In 1971?
Detection impossible?
In '71?
His wife won the lawsuit
IN A SETTLEMENT FAVORING HER?
Really?
No detection?
Hmmmmm🤔
You can't pick on the Lions in 1970 they had a good team
That they did, their best season since 1962.
@@JIMOTOOLE1949, later y'all were 12-4-0 one season under WAYNE FONTES..
@@robertsprouse9282 In 1991.
I was born in 1970
The Vikings were 12-2, the Lions 10-4. Had the Lions beat the Vikings in either game, both the Lions the Vikings would have been 11-3. I don't know who would have won the tie-breaker for the division title, so take away the loss to the Saints and the Lions are 12-2 and don't play Dallas at the Cotton Bowl. They would have played at least a home playoff game at Tiger Stadium.
So two losses, both in the waning moments or as the clock expired potentially kept the Lions from going deep in the playoffs and maybe even the Super Bowl.
This remains the best Lions team in my lifetime, IMO
I agree
They were soundly beaten by the Redskins and shut out in the second half of their home loss to Vikes. Had a 20-10 4th quarter lead in rematch with Vikes and gave up two TD's to lose 24-20. And everyone knows what happened in New Orleans! By the time the playoffs started, they were probably the best team in the NFL, but inexplicably were unable to score a single point against Dallas. Heartbreaking for this then 11 year old fan.
@@1959markie1 The Redskins loss was on the road. The Saints loss was on the road. A Vikings loss was on the road. They ended the 1970 season with 5 straight wins. Most were against teams that were in first place in their divisions at the time. The 1970 Lions were Awesome
@@mikeaustin1323 Yes they were, UNTIL they arrived at the Cotton Bowl. And as fate would have it, the team they couldn't beat, the Vikings, were upset by the Niners in their playoff matchup. Lions beat S.F. by 21 earlier in the season.
@@1959markie1 Yes I know.....The Redskins game, 31-10, was the only loss where they were soundly defeated.
All I am saying was had they defeated the Saints and the Vikings in either game they would have been 12-2.
really any difference between 70s Lions and any other decade?..lol
They didn't play in a dome for 5 years.
I was a fan of the Lions uniforms. Not much else to cheer about. Losing 5-0 in their playoff game against Dallas had to be the most ridiculous game in playoff history. Few people believe me when I tell them about it.
Honolulu Blue and silver was picked out by Lions player Glen Presnell after they relocated from being the Portsmouth(OH.) Spartans where they wore purple. Then..Owner George A. Richards asked Presnell and Mrs. Presnell to pick out the uniform.
The choices were red and white, orange and black or HONOLULU BLUE AND SILVER.
In 1948 for two seasons until 1951, they wore red and black a scheme preferred by then head coach BO McMILLIN who had coached the U. OF INDIANA with the same color scheme. He was canned after 1950, 12wins-24 losses later.
@@robertsprouse9282 He was probably gay, but talent is talent.
Hope that Sheila and Co bring back those classic uniforms with blue facemask
I can't help but think that 95% of everyone that appears in this film is dead and gone!!!
Yep, few left.. CHUCK HUGHES died the next season in '71 on the field or on the way to the hospital.
Good to see the Lions continue to lose to the Vikings
The Vikings beat the Lions 13 times in succession from the first meeting in 1968 through the first meeting in 1974.
paul Naumoff He was a bum - cheap shot artist- one of the worst plays of all time what he did to Joe Namath in a 1971 preseason game- today they would have suspended him for a year - a complete po$
I remember sweating that game out as a long time Cowboys fan. The Detroit Lions were a bad ass team. They would have beaten the Dolphins like the Cowboys did in that years super bowl. I truly believe that. They were the best team Dallas played that year. This year if The Lions can develop that championship confidence level they can win the NFC and maybe the super bowl. Football is 80% mental to me. Detroit has the players and the coach. They just need that where going to win no matter what attitude. Personally i don't think the Cowboys have it and they'll get beat by the Eagles this Sunday.
i was born in '70
5-0 that was the team. In my opinion they’ve been rebuilding since then. They get no respect from the league. Take the roof off ford feild. Play black n blue football like we’re supposed to
I believe that white Jersey was a ploy by raiders. Like they forgot their away jerseys. Or a theft or something.
Nope. It was because NBC's 1970 analog cameras couldn't see the silver numbers on the Raiders' white road jerseys, so the network asked the Lions to switch.