1989 Detroit Lions season

1989 Detroit Lions season
Owner	William Clay Ford, Sr.
General manager	Russ Thomas
Head coach	Wayne Fontes
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

Main article: 1989 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 Owner and President – William Clay Ford, Sr. Executive Vice President and General Manager – Russ Thomas Treasurer – William Clay Ford, Jr. Vice President for Finance – Chuck Schmidt Vice President for Player Personnel – Jerry Vainisi Director of Player Personnel – Joe Bushofsky Director of Pro Scouting – Ron Hughes Head coaches Head Coach – Wayne Fontes Offensive coaches Quarterbacks and Receivers – Mouse Davis Quarterbacks and Receivers – June Jones Running Backs – Dave Levy Tight Ends – Charlie Sanders Offensive Line – Jerry Wampfler

Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers – Woody Widenhofer Defensive Line – Dick Modzelewski Inside Linebackers – Herb Paterra Defensive Backs – Billie Matthews Administrative Assistant – Don Clemons Administrative Assistant – Mike Murphy Special teams coaches Special Teams – Frank Gansz

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 10, 1989	Phoenix Cardinals	L 16–13	36,735
2	September 17, 1989	at New York Giants	L 24–14	76,021
3	September 24, 1989	Chicago Bears	L 47–27	71,418
4	October 1, 1989	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 23–3	43,804
5	October 8, 1989	at Minnesota Vikings	L 24–17	55,380
6	October 15, 1989	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 17–16	46,225
7	October 22, 1989	Minnesota Vikings	L 20–7	51,579
8	October 29, 1989	at Green Bay Packers	L 23–20 OT	53,731
9	November 5, 1989	at Houston Oilers	L 35–31	48,056
10	November 12, 1989	Green Bay Packers	W 31–22	44,324
11	November 19, 1989	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 42–7	55,720
12	November 23, 1989	Cleveland Browns	W 13–10	65,624
13	December 3, 1989	New Orleans Saints	W 21–14	38,550
14	December 10, 1989	at Chicago Bears	W 27–17	52,650
15	December 17, 1989	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 33–7	40,362
16	December 24, 1989	at Atlanta Falcons	W 31–24	7,792

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	362	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

External links

• 1989 Detroit Lions at Pro-Football-Reference.com