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The Detroit Lions have had 29 head coaches in their history. The franchise was founded as the Portsmouth Spartans in Portsmouth, Ohio on July 12, 1930. In 1934, they relocated and became the Detroit Lions. Hal Griffen was the team's first head coach and currently Dan Campbell is employed in that role.
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The franchise is currently playing their 93rd season in the NFL. Detroit are yet to win the Super Bowl, however, they have won four NFL championship games (pre-Super Bowl era) in 1935, 1952, 1953, and 1957. Let's look at the history of the Lions' head coaches.
Detroit Lions head coach history table
Here is the complete list of Detroit Lions head coaches:
Detroit Lions' head coach history
Hal Griffen
Hal Griffen was the first head coach for the franchise, then known as the Portsmouth Spartans. He was the coach of the team in 1930 and under him they played 14 games. During his tenure, the Spartans went 5-6-3.
Potsy Clark
Potsy Clark replaced Griffen and was head coach of the Lions from 1931 to 1936. He also made a comeback for the team as the head coach in 1940. Under his tenure, Detroit played 84 games and had a record of 53 - 24 - 7. He also led the team to the playoffs.
Dutch Clark
Dutch Clark has been associated with the franchise since 1931. Before joining as a coach in 1937, he played for them. In the six years as a player, he led the team to the NFL championship in 1935. He served as a coach for a year from 1937-1938 and the Lions won 14 and lost eight games during his time.
Gus Henderson
Gus Henderson joined the franchise in 1939 and served as the head coach for only a year. The Lions played only 11 games that year and had a record of 6-5.
Bill Edwards
After Henderson, Potsy Clark returned to coach for a year in 1940. From 1941 to 1942, Bill Edwards took on the responsibility of coaching the team. A total of 22 games were played under his tenure. They lost 17, won only four games and one game was tied.
John 'Bull' Karcis
The next head coach in line was John 'Bull' Karcis. He served as head coach in 1942 and couldn't do much to improve their game. They played 11 games that year and lost every match.
Gus Dorais
Gus Dorais was the head coach from 1943 to 1947. In his five-year tenure, the Lions played 53 games but tasted more losses than wins. They went 20-31-2.
Bo McMillin
Bo McMillin was hired as head coach in 1948. He was the head coach for the Lions for three seasons until 1950. Nothing worked for Detroit as they lost 24 games out of the 36 played.
Buddy Parker
In 1950 Buddy Parker was chosen as head coach. Things changed immensly during his tenure. He remained head coach until 1956 and they played 84 games during that time. Out of the 84 games, they won 53, lost 29 games while two were draws. The Lions also played four playoff games, winning three of them.
George Wilson
George Wilson was the head coach from 1957 to 1964. They won 53 out of the 104 games. They lost 45 games and drew six. They played two playoff games and won both of them.
Harry Gilmer
After playing for the Washington Redskins and Detroit Lions as a quarterback, Harry Gilmer served as the head coach from 1965 to 1966. Under his watch, Detroit lost 16 and won 10 out of the 28 games played.
Joe Schmidt
Joe Schmidt served as head coach from 1967 to 1972. In his six-year tenure, the Lions had 43 wins, 34 losses, and seven ties. They played one playoff game during his tenure.
Don McCafferty
Two weeks after Joe Schmidt resigned from the head coach position, Don McCafferty signed a three-year deal. However, McCafferty served for only one year in 1973 and the Lions had a record of 6 -7 -1. In 1974, McCafferty suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 53.
Rick Forzano
After McCafferty's sudden death, Rick Forzano became the head coach. He stayed with the franchise until 1976 and under his tenure, the Lions played 42 games. Out of which, he recorded 20 wins and 22 lossses. Forzano also gave Bill Bellichick his first full-time coaching job.
Tommy Hudspeth
Tommy Hudspeth replaced Forzano in 1976 and served in the position until 1977. They played 28 games under him, winning 12 and losing 16.
Monte Clark
Monte Clark was hired in 1978. In his seven-year tenure, they played 105 games, winning 43 games, losing 61 and drawing one. He was dismissed for the 1984 season and was away from the football coaching scene for the next five years.
Darryl Rogers
Darryl Rogers took the job after Clark and was with the franchise from 1985 to 1988. Rogers had an unsuccessful tenure and a record of 18-40. He was fired in 1988.
Wayne Fontes
Wayne Fontes was the head coach after Rogers was fired. The Lions achieved success in his tenure and made it to the playoffs in 1991, 1993, 1994, and 1995. They played 128 games under his watch and held a record of 64-64. Fontes was the head coach for Detroit from 1989 to 1996.
Bobby Ross
Bobby Ross was the next head coach brought in to change the culture of the franchise. He held the position from 1997 to 2000. He resigned in 2000 after they lost a home game against the Miami Dolphins. He was frustrated with the team and accused them of playing just for the paychecks.
Gary Moeller
After Ross resigned mid-way in the 2000's, Gary Moeller became the head coach. He ended his tenure with a 9-7 record. He was fired in early 2001 by team president Matt Millen.
Marty Mornhinweg
Detroit saw a series of defeats when Marty Mornhinweg replaced Moeller in 2001. He was with the team for two seasons and had a record of 5-27. He was released in 2002.
Steve Mariucci
Steve Mariucci was hired by GM Matt Millen in a whooping five-year, $25 million deal, which became the NFL's highest paying coaching contract at the time. Detroit didn't finish above third in their division and had a record of 16-32.
Dick Jauron
Dick Jauron was Detroit's 23rd head coach. He replaced Mariucci and stayed for the 2005 NFL season. In his one season with the Lions, he had a record of 5-11.
Rod Marinelli
Marinelli was the head coach for the next three seasons and the team played 48 games during his tenure. They won 10 games and lost 38. He was fired in 2008 along with the majority of the coaching staff.
Jim Schwartz
Jim Schwartz was the head coach of the Lions from 2009 to 2013. He had a record of 29-51. Detroit made it to the playoffs once in his five-year tenure.
Jim Caldwell
Jim Caldwell replaced Schwartz in 2014 and served as the head coach until 2017. He went 36-28. Detroit made it to the playoffs twice under him, losing both postseason games.
Matt Patricia
Matt Patricia was named the head coach in 2018. He and the then general manager Bob Quinn were fired by Detroit in 2020. He went 13-29-1.
Darrell Bevell
Darrell Bevell was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the 2020 season. The franchise played five games under him, losing four of them.
Dan Campbell
Dan Campbell is the current head coach of Detroit. In 2021 season Campbell held a record of 3-13. He is headed into the 2022 season and would like to make the most of it this season.
Top 5 head coaches of the Detroit Lions
#5 - Joe Schimdt
Tenure: 1967 - 1972
Record: 43-34-7
Playoff Records: 0-1 in playoffs
#4 - Buddy Parker
Tenure: 1951 - 1956
Record: 50-24-2
Playoff Records: 3-1 in the playoffs
#3 - George Clark
Tenure: 1931 - 1936, 1940
Record: 53-25-7
Playoff Records: 1-0 in the playoffs
#2 - George Wilson
Tenure: 1957 - 1964
Record: 24-12-2
Playoff Records: 2-0 in the playoffs
#1 - Wayne Fontes
Tenure: 1989 - 1996
Record: 66-67
Playoff Records: 1-4 in the playoffs
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