1989 Detroit Lions season
| 1989 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Wayne Fontes |
| General manager | Russ Thomas |
| Owner | William Clay Ford, Sr. |
| Home field | Pontiac Silverdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–9 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC Central |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
The 1989 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 60th season in the National Football League, their 56th as the Detroit Lions.
This season was considered the beginning of the Barry Sanders era at Pontiac Silverdome. Considered one of the greatest draft choices ever, Barry Sanders was drafted 3rd overall by the Lions.
The Lions' divisional rival, the Green Bay Packers had the second pick overall but they passed on Sanders. Instead, they opted for Tony Mandarich.
After starting the season with two wins and nine losses, the Lions won five in a row to finish the season with seven victories and nine losses, which was nonetheless their sixth consecutive season with more losses than wins. Sanders did not disappoint as he was named to the Pro Bowl in his rookie season.
Offseason
NFL Draft
| 1989 Detroit Lions draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Barry Sanders * † | Running back | Oklahoma State | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Personnel
Staff
| 1989 Detroit Lions staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
| |||||
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 10, 1989 | Phoenix Cardinals | L 16–13 | |
| 2 | September 17, 1989 | at New York Giants | L 24–14 | |
| 3 | September 24, 1989 | Chicago Bears | L 47–27 | |
| 4 | October 1, 1989 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 23–3 | |
| 5 | October 8, 1989 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 24–17 | |
| 6 | October 15, 1989 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 17–16 | |
| 7 | October 22, 1989 | Minnesota Vikings | L 20–7 | |
| 8 | October 29, 1989 | at Green Bay Packers | L 23–20 OT | |
| 9 | November 5, 1989 | at Houston Oilers | L 35–31 | |
| 10 | November 12, 1989 | Green Bay Packers | W 31–22 | |
| 11 | November 19, 1989 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 42–7 | |
| 12 | November 23, 1989 | Cleveland Browns | W 13–10 | |
| 13 | December 3, 1989 | New Orleans Saints | W 21–14 | |
| 14 | December 10, 1989 | at Chicago Bears | W 27–17 | |
| 15 | December 17, 1989 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 33–7 | |
| 16 | December 24, 1989 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 31–24 | |
Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Minnesota Vikings(3) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 362 | 356 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 10–4 | 351 | 275 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 312 | 364 | W5 |
| Chicago Bears | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–6 | 4–8 | 358 | 377 | L6 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 320 | 419 | L4 |
Player stats
Rushing
| Player | Attempts | Yards | Average | Long | Touchdowns |
| Barry Sanders | 280 | 1470 | 5.3 | 34 | 14 |
Receiving
| Player | Receptions | Yards | Average | Long | Touchdowns |
| Barry Sanders | 24 | 282 | 11.8 | 46 | 0 |
Awards and honors
- Barry Sanders, National Football League Rookie of the Year Award
- Walter Stanley, NFL Kickoff Return Leader
References
- ↑ "1989 Detroit Lions Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2014.