The 1952 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 23rd season in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. The Lions won their second

(NFL) championship, having won their first championship 17 years earlier in

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

. The team's co-captains were halfback Bob Hoernschemeyer and defensive tackle

John Prchlik John George Prchlik (July 20, 1925 – December 31, 2003) was a professional American football defensive lineman in the National Football League. Early life Prchlik was born the eldest of four siblings in Cleveland. His brother, Richard, beca ...

, and defensive end

Jim Doran James Robert Doran (August 11, 1927 – June 30, 1994) was a National Football League (NFL) wide receiver for the Detroit Lions (1951–1959) and the Dallas Cowboys (1960–1961). He played college football at Iowa State University. He was ...

was selected as the team's most valuable player. In their third year under head coach

Buddy Parker Raymond Klein "Buddy" Parker (December 16, 1913 – March 22, 1982) was an American football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL), who served as head coach for the Chicago Cardinals, Detroit Lions, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Pa ...

, the 1952 Lions compiled a 9–3 record during the regular season, finished in a tie with the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

for first place in the NFL's National Conference, defeated the Rams in a tiebreaker game, and defeated the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

, 17–7, in the 1952 NFL Championship Game at Municipal Stadium in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. The 1952 Lions outscored opponents 354 to 192 in 12 regular season games and ranked first in the NFL with an average of 29.5 points scored per game. The offense was led by quarterback

Bobby Layne Robert Lawrence Layne (December 19, 1926 – December 1, 1986) was an American football quarterback who played for 15 seasons in the National Football League. He played for the Chicago Bears in 1948, the New York Bulldogs in 1949, the Detroit ...

who ranked second in the NFL with 2,410 yards of

total offense Total offense (or total offence) is a gridiron football statistic representing the total number of yards rushing and yards passing by a team or player. Total offense differs from yards from scrimmage, which gives credit for passing yardage to the ...

– 1,999 passing and 411 rushing. End

Cloyce Box Cloyce Kennedy Box (August 24, 1923 – October 27, 1993) was an American football player and businessman. He played five years in the National Football League (NFL) with the Detroit Lions, was a member of NFL championship teams in 1952 and ...

led the NFL with 15 touchdowns, including nine touchdown catches in the final three games of the regular season. For the third consecutive year, Bob Hoernschemeyer was the team's leading rusher with 457 yards and an average of 4.3 yards per carry.

Jack Christiansen John LeRoy Christiansen (December 20, 1928 – June 29, 1986) was an American professional football player who became a college and pro coach. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions as a safety an ...

led the NFL with an average of 21.5 yards per punt return, returned two punts for touchdowns, and ranked fourth in the NFL with 731 punt and kick return yards. The Lions' defense ranked first in the NFL in points allowed, allowing 16 points per game during the regular season. Defensive back Bob Smith ranked among the NFL leaders with a 90-yard interception return (2nd), nine interceptions (3rd), and 184 interception return yards (3rd). Smith was also the team's punter and ranked second in the NFL with an average of 44.7 yards per punt. Six players from the 1952 Lions team, Layne, Christiansen, halfback

Doak Walker Ewell Doak Walker II (January 1, 1927 – September 27, 1998) was an American football player. He played college football as a halfback at Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1948. Walker then played professio ...

, defensive back

Yale Lary Robert Yale Lary Sr. (November 24, 1930 – May 11, 2017) was an American football player, businessman, and politician. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979 and was also selected for the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team. He has al ...

, and offensive linemen

Lou Creekmur Louis Creekmur (January 22, 1927 – July 5, 2009) was an American football offensive lineman. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996. Creekmur played professional football in the National Football League (NFL), principally a ...

and

Dick Stanfel Richard Anthony Stanfel (July 20, 1927 – June 22, 2015) was an American football player and coach with a college and professional career spanning more than 50 years from 1948 to 1999. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a pla ...

, were later inducted into the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

Schedule

Standings

Roster

Season summary

Preseason

The 1951 Lions had compiled a 7–4–1 record and finished in a tie for second place in the NFL National Conference. The 1952 team was a veteran group, including quarterback

(fifth year in NFL, third in Detroit), fullback

Pat Harder Marlin Martin “Pat” Harder (May 6, 1922 – September 6, 1992) was an American football player, playing fullback (American football), fullback and Kicker (american football), kicker. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in ...

(seventh year in NFL, second in Detroit), halfbacks

(third year in NFL, all in Detroit) and Bob Hoernschemeyer (seventh year in NFL, third in Detroit), ends

(third year in NFL, all in Detroit) and

Leon Hart Leon Joseph Hart (November 2, 1928 – September 24, 2002) was an American football end. He won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award while at the University of Notre Dame in 1949 and played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight se ...

(third year in NFL, all in Detroit), defensive linemen Les Bingaman (fifth year in NFL, all in Detroit),

(fourth year in NFL, all in Detroit),

Thurman "Fum" McGraw Thurman "Fum" McGraw (July 17, 1927 – September 13, 2000) was an American football player and college athletics administrator. He played college football at Colorado A&M (now known as Colorado State University) and was inducted into the Col ...

(third year in NFL, all in Detroit), and defensive backs

Don Doll Donald LeRoy Doll (August 29, 1926 – September 22, 2010), also known as Don Burnside, was an American football player and coach. Doll played college football for the University of Southern California (1944, 1946–1948) and professional footba ...

(fourth year in NFL, all in Detroit),

(second year in NFL, both in Detroit), and Bob Smith (fifth year in pro ball, fourth in Detroit). The Lions won all six pre-season exhibition games as follows: (1) 28–13 over the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

on August 18 at

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall County ...

; (2) 7–3 over

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

; (3) 33–13 over the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

on September 2; (4) 28–21 over the

on September 6; (5) 21–14 over the

Dallas Texans Dallas Texans may refer to: American football *Dallas Texans (NFL), 1952 team in the National Football League *Dallas Texans (AFL), 1960–1962 team that is now the Kansas City Chiefs * Dallas Texans (arena), 1990–1993 Arena Football League team ...

on September 12 at Dallas; and (6) 45–7 over the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

on September 20. The Lions were considered a favorite for the NFL championship.

Week 1: at San Francisco

On September 28, 1952, the Lions lost the first game of the regular season to the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

by a 17–3 score in heavy fog at

Kezar Stadium Kezar Stadium is an outdoor athletics stadium in San Francisco, California, located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park. It is the former home of the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders (first AFL se ...

in San Francisco. The loss was the fourth in a row for the Lions against the 49ers, dating back to the 1950 season. The Lions' offense was limited to a 21-yard field goal by

in the second quarter. Detroit turned the ball over five times on three interceptions and two fumbles. Joe Perry rushed 19 times for 80 yards and scored the 49ers first touchdown.

Week 2: at Los Angeles

On Friday, October 3, 1952, the Lions defeated the defending NFL champion

, 17–14, at the

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Conceived as a hallmark of civic pride, the Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a mem ...

threw two touchdown passes to

, the first set up by a Les Bingaman interception. The Lions led, 14–0, but the Rams scored later in the second quarter on a 20-yard run.

kicked a 13-yard field goal in the third quarter that ended up providing the deciding margin.

Week 3: San Francisco

On October 12, 1952, the Lions lost, 28-0 for the fifth consecutive time to the San Francisco 49ers. The Lions did not convert a first down in the first half, totaled only 114 yards of offense in the game, and were shut out for the first time since October 1948. The game was played at Briggs Stadium in front of the largest home crowd (56,822) in Lions history to that point. Bob Latshaw in the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

'' called it "as inept an exhibition as has ever been seen in Briggs Stadium", as the 49ers "smother dany semblance of a Detroit offense." Having been billed as a championship contender in the preseason, the Lions had a 1-2 record after three regular season games.

Week 4: Los Angeles

On October 19, 1952, the Lions defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 24-16, in front of a crowd of 40,152 at Briggs Stadium. After the Lions' poor performance the prior week against the 49ers, the Detroit crowd booed the Lions as they came onto the field. The boos continued as the Rams took a 13-0 lead in the second quarter. From that point forward, the Lions outscored the Rams, 24 to 3. The comeback began with a 64-yard touchdown pass from

. The Lions scored two more touchdowns in the third quarter on a 29-yard interception return by

LaVern Torgeson LaVern Earl "Torgy" Torgeson (February 28, 1929 – March 20, 2015) was an American football player and coach. He played college football for Washington State from 1948 through 1950. Torgeson played professionally in the National Football League ...

and a 10-yard touchdown pass from Bob Hoernschemeyer to Cloyce Box.

added a field goal in the fourth quarter.

Week 5: at Green Bay

On October 26, 1952, the Lions defeated the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

, 52–17, before a crowd of 24,656 at City Stadium in Green Bay. The 52 points scored by the Lions tied the franchise's all-time, single-game scoring record.

threw three touchdown passes, and Bob Hoernschemeyer rushed for two touchdowns.

Jug Girard Earl Francis "Jug" Girard (January 25, 1927 – January 17, 1997) was an American football player. He played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as an End (football), end, Halfback (American football), halfback, quarterback, Punter ...

caught two touchdown passes and gained 130 yards, 69 receiving and 61 rushing. The Lions also scored on a 46-yard interception return by Bob Smith and a 65-yard punt return by

. The defense held the Packers to 53 rushing yards, recovered four fumbles, and intercepted five passes.

scored nine points on a 16-yard field goal and six extra points.

Week 6: Cleveland

On November 2, 1952, the Lions defeated the

, 17-6, in front of a crowd of 56,029 at Briggs Stadium. The game was the first meeting between the Lions and the Browns, the latter having joined the NFL in 1950. On defense, the Lions forced four turnovers, including three interceptions, and held the Browns to two

Lou Groza Louis Roy Groza (January 25, 1924 – November 29, 2000), nicknamed "the Toe", was an American professional football player who was a placekicker and offensive tackle while playing his entire career for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America F ...

field goals. On offense,

threw two touchdown passes to

. Hart, playing on his 24th birthday, caught eight passes for 109 yards.

also kicked a 43-yard field goal. Defensive end

at one point sacked Cleveland quarterback

Otto Graham Otto Everett Graham Jr. (December 6, 1921 – December 17, 2003) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL). Graha ...

on consecutive plays for losses totaling 36 yards. The Lions intercepted three passes and held the Browns to 12 rushing yards in the second half.

Week 7: at Pittsburgh

On November 9, 1952, the Lions defeated the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

, 31–6, before a crowd of 26,170 at

Forbes Field Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland (Pittsburgh), Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to June 28, 1970. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball (MLB) team, and the first home of t ...

in Pittsburgh. Usually a pass-oriented offense, the Lions adopted a different approach against the Steelers, rushing for a season-high 321 yards. Bob Hoernschemeyer rushed for 107 yards on 20 carries, and

contributed 71 yards and two touchdowns on six carries.

completed only four of 17 passes for 70 yards, 46 of which came on a touchdown pass to

in the third quarter. On defense, the Lions held the Steelers to minus three yards rushing and intercepted two passes. Defensive halfback Bob Smith recovered a fumbled lateral that set up a field goal in the first quarter and returned an interception 90 yards late in the game.

Week 8: Dallas

On November 16, 1952, the Lions defeated the

, 43–13, before a crowd of 33,304 at Briggs Stadium. The loss was the eighth straight for the Texans. In the first half, the Lions took a 29-0 lead on two

field goals, a 58-yard punt return by

, an eight-yard run by

, a 55-yard touchdown pass from Layne to

, and a safety when defensive end

Sonny Gandee Sherwin Kenneth "Sonny" Gandee, Sr. (February 27, 1929 – July 21, 2013) was a professional American football linebacker and defensive lineman. After playing college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to grid ...

tackled Pittsburgh quarterback

Frank Tripucka Francis Joseph TripuckaProfile
, polishsportshof.com; accessed December 28, 2015.

in the end zone. In the fourth quarter, Harder kicked his third field goal, and fullback

Ollie Cline Oliver Monroe Cline (December 31, 1925 – May 12, 2001) was a college and professional American football fullback who played for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions in the 1940s and 1950s. A standout high school athlete ...

scored on a two-yard run.

Week 9: at Chicago

On November 23, 1952, the Lions lost to the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

, 24–23, before a crowd of 37,508 at

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago Wh ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Bob Hoernschemeyer scored two rushing touchdowns, and

also kicked a 31-yard field goal for the Lions. The Lions led, 16–10, at halftime, but the Bears took the lead in the third quarter on a 59-yard touchdown pass from

George Blanda George Frederick Blanda (September 17, 1927 – September 27, 2010) was an American football placekicker and quarterback who played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). Blanda played 26 seasons ...

to Billy Stone. The Lions retook the lead, 23–17, when

returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. With nine seconds left in the game, Blanda threw a two-yard touchdown pass to

Ed Sprinkle Edward Alexander Sprinkle (September 3, 1923 – July 28, 2014) was an American professional football player for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He was known to many as "The Meanest Man in Pro Football" and was nicknamed ...

for the winning score.

Week 10: Green Bay

On Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 1952, the Lions defeated the

, 48–24, before a crowd of 39,101 at Briggs Stadium. The Lions scored 100 points in two games against the Packers during the 1952 season. In the Thanksgiving game, the Lions scored on five touchdown passes – three thrown by

and three caught by

. Layne accounted for over 300 yards of total offense – 63 yards on 13 rushing carries and 249 yards on 16 of 30 passing. Box caught a total of nine passes for 155 yards.

scored 17 points on a touchdown run, two field goals, and five extra points. On defense, the Lions forced eight turnovers, including six fumble recoveries.

Week 11: Chicago

On December 7, 1952, the Lions defeated the

, 45–21, before a crowd of 50,410 at

Briggs Stadium Tiger Stadium, previously known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Corktown, Detroit, Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. The stadium was nicknamed "The Corner" for its location at the intersection of U. ...

. The game was the Lions' first victory over the Bears in Detroit since 1945.

and

connected for three touchdown passes in the first half: for 29 and 28 yards in the first quarter and for 25 yards in the second quarter. Layne also threw an 11-yard pass to

in the third quarter. In all, Layne completed 22 of 35 passes for 296 yards. Detroit's defense held the Bears to 37 rushing yards and 171 passing yards and intercepted six Chicago passes. Defensive back

also played at running back, rushing for 54 yards and a touchdown on six carries.

Week 12: Dallas

On Saturday, December 13, 1952, the Lions defeated the

, 41–6, before a small crowd of 12,252 at

. With the win and the Rams' victory the following day, the Lions and Rams became co-champions of the NFL's National Conference. The game had originally been scheduled for December 14 in Dallas, but the NFL assumed control of the Texans one month earlier, and NFL commissioner

Bert Bell De Benneville "Bert" Bell (February 25, 1895 – October 11, 1959) was the National Football League (NFL) commissioner from 1946 until his death in 1959. As commissioner, he introduced competitive parity into the NFL to improve the league's comme ...

decided that the Texans would play their remaining games "on the road."

led the Lions to a 14–0 lead in the first half on touchdown passes of 18 yards (a

flea flicker A flea flicker is an unorthodox play, often called a " trick play", in American football which is designed to fool the defensive team into thinking that a play is a run instead of a pass. It can be considered an extreme variant of the play actio ...

with Layne passing to

who immediately lateraled the ball to

) and 77 yards to

. Layne was injured (strained knee ligament) shortly before halftime and did not return to the game.

Jim Hardy James Francis Hardy (April 24, 1923 – August 16, 2019) was an American football quarterback. He was born in Los Angeles. High school career Hardy attended and played high school football at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. College care ...

took over at quarterback and led the Lions to 27 points in the second half, including two touchdown passes to Box of 40 and 41 yards.

also ran 65 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, the Lions' longest rushing play of the season. Layne completed 10 of 20 passes for 167 yards, and Hardy completed nine of 15 passes for 147 yards. Box caught a total of seven passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns, setting a new Lions' team record with 15 touchdown receptions in a season. Harder scored 17 points in the game on a touchdown, two field goals, and five extra points.

Playoff game – Los Angeles

On December 21, 1952, the Lions defeated the

, 31–21, in a playoff game to decide who would advance to the NFL Championship Game. The Lions had beaten the Rams twice in the regular season and were a 1½-point favorite in the playoff. The playoff game was played in heavy fog and rain at

before a crowd of 47,645.

led both teams with 72 rushing yards on eight carries and scored 19 points on two touchdown runs in the first half, a 43-yard field goal in the third quarter, and four extra points. The Rams double-teamed and sometimes triple-teamed

, which opened the running game and allowed

to have one of his best receiving days. Hart scored in the third quarter on a 24-yard pass from

NFL Championship Game

On December 28, 1952, the Lions defeated the

, 17–7, in the 1952 NFL Championship Game at Memorial Stadium in

. The Lions had defeated the Browns in both a preseason game and in a regular season game and were favored by 3½ points.

rushed for a touchdown in the second quarter, and the Lions led, 7–0, at halftime. In the third quarter,

ran 67 yards for a touchdown to extend the Lions' lead to 14 points. Walker's touchdown in the championship game was his first of the 1952 season. The ''Detroit Free Press'' wrote: "The Doaker was the Walker of old as he twisted and turned, eluded tackler after tackler and ran 67 yards for the Lions' second touchdown." The Browns narrowed the lead to 14–7 on a seven-yard touchdown run by

Chick Jagade Harry Charles Jagade (December 9, 1926 – November 1968) was an American football fullback in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears. He also played in the All-America Football Conference for the Baltimore ...

in the third quarter.

added a 36-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. The Browns' outgained the Lions 384 yards to 258 and had 22 first downs to 10 for Detroit. The Lions' defense mounted four goal-line stands against the Browns' offense led by

, and

missed three field goal attempts.

Awards, honors and league leaders

Team awards

At the end of the regular season, the Lions players selected defensive end

as the team's most valuable player.

All-NFL honors

The following six Lions players won All-NFL honors from the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

(AP),

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...

(UPI) and/or the ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...

'': *

(1st team

P *

(1st team AP,

United Press United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th c ...

P and ''

'' N *

(2nd team, AP) * Bob Hoernschemeyer (1st team DN, 2nd team AP/UP) *

is the basketball (1st team AP, 2nd team DN) * Bob Smith (1st team UP and DN, 2nd team AP)

Pro Bowl

The following seven Lions players were selected to play in the 1953 Pro Bowl: *

* Bob Hoernschemeyer *

* Bob Smith

NFL leaders

Several Lions players were also among the NFL leaders in various statistical categories, including the following: *

:: 15 touchdowns (1st) :: 15 receiving touchdowns (1st) :: 90 points scored (2nd) :: 924 receiving yards (4th) :: 22.0 yards per reception (4th) :: 77.0 receiving yards per game (4th) :: 924 yards from scrimmage (6th) :: 42 receptions (9th) *

:: 21.5 yards per punt return (1st) :: 2 punt returns for touchdown (T-1st) :: 79-yard punt return (4th) :: 731 punt and kick return yards (4th) :: 65-yard rush (7th) :: 322 punt return yards (5th) :: 25.6 yards per kick return (6th) :: 409 kick return yards (10th) * Blaine Earon :: 5 fumbles recovered (T-2nd) *

:: 85 points scored (4th) :: 34 extra points made (2nd) :: 11 field goals made (T-2nd) :: 47.826 field goal percentage (6th) * Bob Hoernschemeyer :: 457 rushing yards (5th) :: 4.3 yards per rushing attempt (5th) :: 45.7 rushing yards per game (6th) *

:: 25.3 yards per kick return (T-7th) :: 182 punt return yards (8th) :: 11.4 yards per punt return (8th) :: 53-yard interception return (8th) :: 58-yard punt return (9th) *

:: 2,410 yards total offense (2nd) :: 20 passes intercepted (2nd) :: 139 passes completed (3rd) :: 1,999 passing yards (3rd) :: 19 passing touchdowns (3rd) :: 166.6 passing yards per game (3rd) :: 4.4 yards per rushing attempt (4th) :: 48.4 pass completion percentage (7th) :: 411 rushing yards (7th) * Bob Smith :: 44.7 yards per punt (2nd) :: 90-yard interception return (2nd) :: 9 interceptions (3rd) :: 184 interception return yards (3rd) :: 2,729 punting yards (6th)

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Five members of the team were later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They are: *

(inducted 1967) *

(inducted 1970) *

(inducted 1979) *

(inducted 1986) *

(inducted 1996) *

(inducted 2016)

References

External links

1952 Detroit Lions on Pro Football Reference

1952 Detroit Lions at jt-sw.comVideo: 1952 NFL Championship Lions vs Browns
{{1952 NFL season by team

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

Detroit Lions seasons National Football League championship seasons