1953 NFL Championship

Lore & Background

The Lions were attempting to become the third team in the championship game era (since 1933) to repeat as champions, following the Chicago Bears (1940, 1941) and Philadelphia Eagles (1948, 1949), and the fourth franchise in NFL history to repeat as champions. The Browns were favored by three points. The game was a rematch of the previous year, which was won by the Lions, 17–7. The two teams met the following year for a third consecutive title match-up, which was won by the Browns.

In Their Own Story

The air in Briggs Stadium tasted of coal smoke and cold December. Fourteen thousand fans pressed against the concrete walls, their breath fogging the iron bleachers, their Lions jerseys a sea of silver and blue under the floodlights. Bobby Layne stood in the huddle, jaw set, reading the Rams' defensive alignment the way a surgeon reads an x-ray. He called the play. The snap. Barner hit the hole and the stadium detonated. By the second quarter the Rams' sideline was quiet, their coaches exchanging glances that said everything and nothing. In the third, a Lions receiver caught a pass in the back of the end zone and simply jogged, because there was no reason to run. The final whistle blew at 49-0, and the noise that rolled off the stands was not quite a cheer. It was something deeper, something that felt like a city exhaling a breath it had been holding for years. Layne pulled his helmet off, wiped his forehead, and looked out at the silver sea. For one night, Detroit was the best there was. That was enough. It had to be enough.

Reader's Guide

The Lions struck first with a Doak Walker touchdown, and both teams scored field goals in the second quarter, giving the Lions a 10–3 halftime lead. The Browns took the lead on a Chick Jagade run in the third quarter while Lou Groza kicked two field goals, putting Cleveland ahead 16–10. Trailing with 4:10 left, the Lions drove 80 yards in eight plays, scoring on a 33-yard pass from Bobby Layne to Jim Doran, and Walker's extra point gave the Lions a 17–16 lead. On the Browns' final possession, Otto Graham's pass was deflected and intercepted by rookie defensive halfback Carl Karilivacz, clinching the Lions' third title. Graham finished with a 0.0 passer rating on 2-of-15 passing; Layne went 12-of-25 for 179 yards. Chick Jagade led all rushers with 102 yards on 15 carries.

Did You Know?

• Ticket prices ranged from three to seven dollars.
• Each player on the winning Lions team received $2,424, while Browns players made $1,654 each, the highest to date.
• The gross receipts for the game, including radio and television rights, were just under $359,000.
• The NFL added the fifth official, the back judge, in 1947; the line judge arrived in 1965, and the side judge in 1978.