From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NFL team season
The
1958 Green Bay Packers season
was their 40th season overall and their 38th season in the
National Football League
. The team finished with a 1?10?1 record under first-year head coach
Ray McLean
for a last-place finish in the league in
1958
and the worst record ever posted by a
Packers
team.
In the immortal words of New York sportswriter and Green Bay native
Red Smith
: "they overwhelmed one opponent, under-whelmed ten, and whelmed one."
[1]
The tie came in week two and the three-point win in week five; during the seven-game losing streak to end the season the Packers lost by an average margin of over 22 points and got no closer than ten. The Packers finished 1958 allowing a league-worst 382 points in the 12-game season (31.8 points per game).
McLean was the top assistant on the coaching staff in
1957
and was given a one-year contract as head coach after
Lisle Blackbourn
was fired in early January 1958 with a year remaining ($25,000) on a five-year contract.
[2]
[3]
[4]
Following the final game of the 1958 season, McLean resigned on December 17,
[5]
[6]
which paved the way for the historic hiring of
Vince Lombardi
in January
1959
, who started turning things around in his first season.
[7]
[8]
The underachieving 1958 team was loaded with talent, with future
hall of famers
Bart Starr
,
Paul Hornung
,
Jim Taylor
,
Ray Nitschke
,
Jim Ringo
,
Bobby Dillon
,
Forrest Gregg
, and
Jerry Kramer
, as well as future All-Pros
Ron Kramer
,
Max McGee
,
Bill Forester
, and
Dan Currie
. This is the only season that the team wore blue and white uniforms, the next year they would switch to the familiar green and gold color scheme which has remained ever since.
Offseason
[
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]
NFL draft
[
edit
]
The first four rounds of the 1958 Draft were conducted in early December
1957
, when Blackbourn was head coach. The remaining 26 rounds were selected in late January. This draft by the Packers is regarded as among the best in NFL history.
[9]
Regular season
[
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]
Schedule
[
edit
]
Week
|
Date
|
Opponent
|
Result
|
Record
|
Venue
|
Attendance
|
1
|
September 28
|
Chicago Bears
|
L
20?34
|
0?1?0
|
City Stadium
|
32,150
|
2
|
October 5
|
Detroit Lions
|
T
13?13
|
0?1?1
|
City Stadium
|
32,053
|
3
|
October 12
|
Baltimore Colts
|
L
17?24
|
0?2?1
|
Milwaukee County Stadium
|
24,553
|
4
|
October 19
|
at
Washington Redskins
|
L
21?37
|
0?3?1
|
Griffith Stadium
|
25,228
|
5
|
October 26
|
Philadelphia Eagles
|
W
38?35
|
1?3?1
|
City Stadium
|
31,043
|
6
|
November 2
|
at
Baltimore Colts
|
L
0?56
|
1?4?1
|
Memorial Stadium
|
51,333
|
7
|
November 9
|
at
Chicago Bears
|
L
10?24
|
1?5?1
|
Wrigley Field
|
48,424
|
8
|
November 16
|
Los Angeles Rams
|
L
7?20
|
1?6?1
|
City Stadium
|
28,051
|
9
|
November 23
|
San Francisco 49ers
|
L
12?33
|
1?7?1
|
Milwaukee County Stadium
|
19,786
|
10
|
November 27
|
at
Detroit Lions
|
L
14?24
|
1?8?1
|
Briggs Stadium
|
50,971
|
11
|
December 7
|
at
San Francisco 49ers
|
L
21?48
|
1?9?1
|
Kezar Stadium
|
50,793
|
12
|
December 14
|
at
Los Angeles Rams
|
L
20?34
|
1?10?1
|
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
|
54,634
|
Note:
Intra-conference opponents are in
bold
text.
|
Standings
[
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]
Note:
Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Roster
[
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]
Green Bay Packers roster
|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
|
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Rookies and first-year players in italics
|
Awards, records, and honors
[
edit
]
Milestones
[
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]
- Worst regular season record in franchise history
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Maraniss, David (September 14, 1999).
"In throes of winter, a team in disarray is reborn"
.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
. book excerpt. p. 1A. Archived from
the original
on April 27, 2016
. Retrieved
November 19,
2015
.
- ^
"Blackbourn is fired; McLean new coach"
.
Milwaukee Journal
. January 7, 1958. p. 13, part 2.
- ^
Lea, Bud
(January 8, 1958).
"McLean popular choice of fans and players alike"
.
Milwaukee Sentinel
. p. 4, part 2.
- ^
"McLean is named new Packer coach"
.
Reading Eagle
. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. January 7, 1958. p. 17.
- ^
"Packers shake up front office; McLean quits, Detroit Lions next?"
.
Milwaukee Journal
. December 17, 1958. p. 18, part 2.
- ^
"McLean quits, joins Lions staff"
.
Milwaukee Sentinel
. December 18, 1958. p. 8, part 2.
- ^
Johnson, Chuck (January 29, 1959).
"Packers name Vince Lombardi head coach, general manager"
.
Milwaukee Journal
. p. 11, part 2.
- ^
Johnson, Chuck (February 3, 1959).
"Lombardi reception warm, despite cold"
.
Milwaukee Journal
. p. 14, part 2.
- ^
Wolf, Bob (May 3, 1979).
"Packers' 1958 draft may have been greatest ever"
.
Milwaukee Journal
. p. 3, part 3.
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Franchise
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Records
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Stadiums
| |
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Training facilities
| |
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Culture
| |
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Lore
| |
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Rivalries
| |
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Division championships (21)
| |
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Conference championships (9)
| |
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League championships (13
†
)
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Media
| |
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Current league affiliations
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†
does not include
1966
or
1967
NFL championships
|