1958: Newly-Acquired Bobby Layne Leads Steelers to Win in First Game

On October 12, 1958 at Pitt Stadium, star quarterback Bobby Layne took the field with his new team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, after eight highly accomplished seasons in Detroit (he originally came into the NFL as a backup with the Bears and also spent a year with the short-lived New York Bulldogs). No one could say that the hard-driving, hard-drinking Texan threw picturesque passes, but Layne more than made up for it with his fiery leadership and ability in the clutch. Under the guidance of Head Coach Buddy Parker and with formidable offensive weapons at his disposal, he became the master of the two-minute drill and a feared deep passer. The Lions made it to three consecutive NFL Championship games from 1952-54, all against Paul Brown’s Cleveland Browns, and won the first two.

After a down year in 1955 (Layne suffered a shoulder injury in the off-season), the Lions just missed winning the Western Conference in ’56 when Layne was knocked out of the decisive encounter with the Chicago Bears by a late blind-side tackle by DE Ed Meadows. A veteran quarterback, Tobin Rote, was obtained from Green Bay for 1957 to add depth at the position, and then Coach Parker abruptly quit the team during the preseason. Under Parker’s successor, George Wilson, Layne and Rote split time, and when Layne suffered a broken leg late in the season, it was Rote leading the club the rest of the way to the NFL Championship.

With a quarterback controversy brewing and friction developing with Wilson, the 31-year-old Layne was dealt to the Steelers for third-year QB Earl Morrall and two draft picks following the second week of the 1958 season. In Pittsburgh, he was reunited with Buddy Parker. He was also with a club that had not posted a winning record in the past eight years (they went 6-6 under Parker in ’57).

The Steelers had lost their first two games with Morrall at quarterback and were badly embarrassed by the Browns in their last game prior to Layne’s joining the club. It was a different situation with Layne in the lineup for Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles, after three straight losing seasons, were in transition under a new coach, Buck Shaw, and a new veteran quarterback, Norm Van Brocklin, who had been obtained from the Rams.

Early in the first quarter, Philadelphia FB Clarence Peaks fumbled and DT Joe Lewis recovered for the Steelers. On the first play, HB Tom Tracy (a former teammate of Layne’s in Detroit) scored a touchdown with a 31-yard carry on a reverse. The Eagles responded with a 36-yard field goal by Bobby Walston that made the score 7-3.

The Steelers got another TD before the end of the period after DT Frank Varrichione recovered a fumbled punt by Eagles DB Rocky Ryan which gave them the ball on the Philadelphia 30 yard line - a penalty moved it up to the 15. Layne hit end Dick Lucas with a nine-yard pass to set up a one-yard scoring run by FB Tank Younger.

In the second quarter, Pittsburgh recovered yet another fumble in Eagles territory, again at the 30 yard line. Tracy ran in from the one after a drive that featured an 11-yard run by Layne and the Steelers took a 21-3 lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, safety Gary Glick intercepted a Van Brocklin pass and returned it 23 yards to the Philadelphia 37. Layne and the Steelers kept the ball on the ground and Tom Miner kicked a 26-yard field goal to conclude the scoring. Pittsburgh won Layne’s debut by the decisive score of 24-3.

The opportunistic Steelers defense made the most of three Eagles fumbles and the interception. The Eagles gained just 59 yards on the ground, as opposed to 214 for the Steelers. Pittsburgh led in first downs, 19 to 16.

Bobby Layne completed 10 of 20 passes for 81 yards - two long passes were narrowly missed by Pittsburgh receivers. Norm Van Brocklin, playing from behind the entire game, completed 16 of 37 passes for 148 yards.

Said Layne afterward, “I never got the seat of my pants dirty when I went back to pass and that’s just one of the reasons I know the Pittsburgh Steelers are a good team.”

The Steelers lost their next two games, but then ran off five straight wins and ended up with a 7-4-1 record to place third in the Eastern Conference. The Eagles ended up tied at the bottom with the Cardinals at 2-9-1.

Bobby Layne led the NFL in yards per attempt (8.7) and yards per completion (17.6). His 2510 passing yards and low 3.7 interception percentage both ranked second. He tossed 14 touchdown passes and had 12 throws picked off. Rookie split end Jimmy Orr especially benefited from his presence, leading the league with a gaudy 27.6 yards-per-catch on 33 receptions for 910 yards with seven touchdowns.

Layne played another four seasons with the Steelers but, while still effective, he didn’t attain the level of success that he had in Detroit. A multi-talented player earlier in his career – he had been a good running quarterback (he led NFL quarterbacks in rushing three times) and placekicker – wear and tear were beginning to erode his skills. One of the last players to not wear a facemask, he also chose to take the field with minimal padding throughout his career (no hip or thigh pads and the thinnest possible shoulder pads). He retired as the NFL’s career leader in pass completions (1814), yards (26,768), and touchdowns (196).

1957: Buddy Parker Abruptly Quits as Coach of Lions

On August 12, 1957 a “Meet the Lions” banquet was held at a hotel in Detroit. The team was still in training camp with the first preseason game coming up shortly and some 600 fans were in attendance. When it was time for Head Coach Buddy Parker to speak, it was assumed that he would utter the usual cliches typical of such occasions. Instead, he said “I can’t handle this team anymore. It’s the worst team I’ve ever seen in training camp. They have no life, no go, just a completely dead team. I’m leaving Detroit football. And I’m leaving tonight.”

At least one member of the audience laughed, thinking that Parker was joking. He was serious, however, and in the end simply walked off the podium and out of the building, leaving behind a stunned group of team executives, fans, and reporters.

Under Buddy Parker, the Lions had been one of the NFL’s strongest teams. Since taking over as head coach in 1951, they had gone 47-23-2 and won three conference titles and back-to-back league championships in 1952 and ’53.

The offense, directed by fiery fellow Texan Bobby Layne at quarterback (pictured at bottom with Parker), was solid and prominently included OT Lou Creekmur, guards Harley Sewell and Dick Stanfel, ends Cloyce Box and Dorne Dibble, and halfbacks Doak Walker and Bob “Hunchy” Hoernschemeyer. Parker proved adept at adjusting the offense to his personnel, effectively utilizing the power of FB Pat Harder, obtained from the Cardinals at age 29 in 1951, and then featuring the outside speed of halfbacks Hoernschemeyer and Gene Gedman while maximizing Walker’s all-around talents. With the resourceful Layne at quarterback, the Lions utilized play action passes to great effect and pioneered in the development of the two-minute offense.

As effective as the offense was, the Lions were especially renowned for their defense. Middle guard Les Bingaman had provided a 300-pound impediment to opposing runners and, when he retired, Joe Schmidt became a groundbreaking and exceptional middle linebacker. The secondary was particularly outstanding, as the Lions led the way in the art of drafting athletes for the defensive backfield. Known as “Chris’s Gang” due to the presence of safety Jack Christiansen, the unit also included fellow safety (and eventual fellow member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame) Yale Lary as well as halfbacks Jim David, Bob Smith, and Bill Stits.

In three consecutive seasons, Parker and the Lions faced off for the NFL title against Paul Brown and the Cleveland Browns; the Lions won the first two of those encounters. But Parker was shattered by the failure to win a third consecutive championship in 1954, losing badly to the Browns by a score of 56-10.

Detroit sank to 3-9 in 1955, but in ’56 the Lions recovered to post a 9-3 record and missed winning the Western Conference by a half game to the 9-2-1 Bears. In the showdown for first place, Layne had been knocked out of the game when blindsided by Chicago’s DE Ed Meadows on a very late hit, although the inability to stop Bears FB Rick Casares, who gained 190 yards rushing, was likely an even larger factor in the loss.

But by the 1957 preseason, a number of issues were rumbling beneath the surface where Buddy Parker and the Lions were concerned. While Parker never elaborated on his reason for the abrupt departure, it was known that he was frustrated with divisions among the team’s owners that had led to meddling and open second-guessing of the coach’s decisions. An hour prior to the banquet, he had been summoned to a suite at the hotel where one of the owners was throwing a cocktail party, and found several of the players there. It might well have been the last straw.

Assistant coach George Wilson was elevated to head coach and the Lions went on to win the NFL championship, once more defeating the Browns in the climactic game. Bobby Layne broke his leg late in the season, but veteran backup Tobin Rote – obtained to provide solid relief in the event of another injury to Layne – capably guided the offense the rest of the way.

Buddy Parker didn’t remain unemployed long - after rumors had him replacing Weeb Ewbank in Baltimore, he was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks after leaving the Lions. Layne was reunited with Parker in 1958, and the perennially-losing Steelers put together a 7-4-1 record.

Parker may have been an excellent tactician who was adept at game management, but he was also temperamental and prone to outbursts. The Lions obtained his services after he had quit the Chicago Cardinals in a huff, where he had been co-coach for a year and was caught in the midst of an ownership dispute. He would abruptly quit the Steelers shortly before the 1965 season, after compiling a 51-47-6 tally through eight years, and was finished as an NFL head coach at age 51.