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1953 NFL Championship Game

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Field	Value
type	nflc
name	1953
visitor	[Cleveland Browns](1953-cleveland-browns-season)
home	[Detroit Lions](1953-detroit-lions-season)
image	[[File:1953 NFL championship game program.jpg]]
visitor_coach	Paul Brown
home_coach	Buddy Parker
visitor_conf	Eastern
home_conf	Western
visitor_abbr	CLE
home_abbr	DET
visitor_record	11–1
home_record	10–2
visitor_qtr1	0
visitor_qtr2	3
visitor_qtr3	7
visitor_qtr4	6
visitor_total	16
home_qtr1	7
home_qtr2	3
home_qtr3	0
home_qtr4	7
home_total	17
date	December 27, 1953
stadium	Briggs Stadium
city	Detroit, Michigan
attendance	54,577
network	DuMont
announcers	Harry Wismer and Red Grange
radio	Mutual
radioannouncers	Earl Gillespie, Chris Schenkel
HOFers	Browns: Paul Brown (coach/gm), Doug Atkins, Len Ford, Frank Gatski, Otto Graham, Lou Groza, Dante Lavelli, Marion Motley, Chuck Noll (as a coach), Bill Willis
Lions: Jack Christiansen, Lou Creekmur, Yale Lary, Bobby Layne, Joe Schmidt, Dick Stanfel, Doak Walker

Lions: Jack Christiansen, Lou Creekmur, Yale Lary, Bobby Layne, Joe Schmidt, Dick Stanfel, Doak Walker |USA The 1953 NFL Championship Game was the 21st annual championship game, held on December 27 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit.

The defending NFL champion Detroit Lions (10–2) of the Western Conference were led by quarterback Bobby Layne and running back Doak Walker, and the Cleveland Browns (11–1) of the Eastern Conference were led by head coach Paul Brown and quarterback Otto Graham. The game was a rematch of the previous year, which was won by the Lions, 17–7. This was the Browns' fourth consecutive NFL championship game appearance since joining the league in , and they were favored by three points.

The Lions were attempting to become the third team in the championship game era (since 1933) to win two titles in a row, following the Chicago Bears (1940, 1941) and Philadelphia Eagles (1948, 1949).

The home underdog Lions rallied in the fourth quarter with a late touchdown and conversion to win by a single point, 17–16. The two teams met the following year for a third consecutive title match-up.

Ticket prices ranged from three to seven dollars.

Game summary

The game proved to be a tight affair, as both teams turned the ball over four times each.

The Lions struck first with a Doak Walker touchdown, and both scored field goals in the second quarter and the Lions led at halftime, 10–3. The Browns took the lead on a Chick Jagade run in the third quarter while Lou Groza kicked two field goals as Cleveland took the lead on 13 straight points in tbe second half.

Trailing 16–10 with four minutes and 10 seconds of play remaining, the Lions started from their own 20-yard line and fought their way 80 yards in eight plays, the touchdown coming on a 33-yard pass from Bobby Layne to Jim Doran in the end zone, and Walker's extra point gave the Lions the lead.

Trailing 17–16, the Browns had one last chance; Ken Carpenter started the drive with a run to his own 28, but an Otto Graham pass intended for Pete Brewster was deflected by rookie defensive halfback Carl Karilivacz, who intercepted the throw, clinching the Lions their third title. Graham had a miserable game, finishing with a 0.0 passer rating on 2-of-15 passing while Detroit's Bobby Layne went 12-of-25 for 179 yards. The leading rusher of the game was Chick Jagade, who ran for 102 yards on 15 carries for Cleveland.

Scoring summary

First quarter
- DET – Doak Walker 1-yard run (Walker kick). Lions 7–0
Second quarter
- CLE – Lou Groza 13-yard field goal. Lions 7–3
- DET – Doak Walker 23-yard field goal. Lions 10–3
Third quarter
- CLE – Chick Jagade 9-yard run (Groza kick). * Tied 10–10*
Fourth quarter
- CLE – Lou Groza 15-yard goal. Browns 13–10
- CLE – Lou Groza 43-yard goal. Browns 16–10
- DET – Jim Doran 33-yard pass from Bobby Layne (Walker kick) Lions 17–16

Officials

Referee: Ron Gibbs
Umpire: Sam Wilson
Head linesman: Dan Tehan
Back judge: James Hamer
Field judge: Carl Rebele
Alternate: John Glascott
Alternate: Yans Wallace

The NFL added the fifth official, the back judge, in ; the line judge arrived in , and the side judge in .

Players' shares

The gross receipts for the game, including radio and television rights, were just under $359,000. Each player on the winning Lions team received $2,424, while Browns players made $1,654 each, the highest to date.

Video

"World's Championship Football Game: Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions, 1953." Detroit Historical Society via YouTube.com (Color highlight film with audio.)
1953 NFL Championship Game – game footage (No audio.)

References

Strickler, George. (December 27, 1953). "Browns, Lions meet for title". Chicago Sunday Tribune.
Strickler, George. (December 28, 1953). "Lions win in last 3 minutes, 17 to 16". Chicago Daily Tribune.
Sell, Jack. (December 28, 1953). "Lions retain NFL title; edge Browns, 17-16". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
(December 28, 1953). "Lions capture pro title 17-16". Eugene Register-Guard.
Prell, Edward. (December 29, 1952). "Lions win pro crown; beat Browns, 17-7". Chicago Daily Tribune.
Sell, Jack. (December 29, 1952). "Lions defeat Browns for NFL title, 17-7". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
(December 27, 1953). "Browns, Lions clash today". Youngstown Vindicator.
Livingston, Pat. (December 28, 1953). "Detroit's rally keeps NFL title". Pittsburgh Press.
(December 14, 1953). "Tickets go on sale for pro grid title". Milwaukee Journal.
(2012-10-01). "Cleveland Browns History - cleveland.com".
(December 24, 1953). "Wallace, Rebele, Hamer to work in title game". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1953-nfl-season nfl-championship-games cleveland-browns-postseason detroit-lions-postseason december-1953-sports-events-in-the-united-states 1953-in-sports-in-michigan american-football-competitions-in-detroit

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