1958 Green Bay Packers season
| 1958 Green Bay Packers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Dominic Olejniczak (President) |
| General manager | Verne Lewellen |
| Head coach | Ray McLean |
| Home field | City Stadium Milwaukee County Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 1–10–1 |
| Division place | 6th NFL Western |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
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.[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, Forrest Gregg, and Jerry Kramer, as well as future All-Pros Ron Kramer, Max McGee, Bill Forester, and Dan Currie.
Offseason
NFL Draft
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]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Dan Currie | Linebacker | Michigan State |
| 2 | 15 | Jim Taylor | Fullback | LSU |
| 3 | 27 | Dick Christy | Back | North Carolina State |
| 3 | 36 | Ray Nitschke | Linebacker | Illinois |
| 4 | 39 | Jerry Kramer | Guard | Idaho |
| 5 | 51 | Joe Francis | Quarterback | Oregon State |
| 6 | 62 | Ken Gray | Tackle | Howard Payne |
| 7 | 75 | Doug Maison | Back | Hillsdale |
| 8 | 86 | Mike Bill | Center | Syracuse |
| 9 | 99 | Norm Jarock | Back | St. Norbert |
| 10 | 110 | Carl Johnson | Tackle | Illinois |
| 11 | 123 | Harry Horton | End | Wichita State |
| 12 | 134 | Wayne Miller | End | Baylor |
| 13 | 147 | Gene Cook | End | Toledo |
| 13 | 153 | Don Herndon | Back | Tampa |
| 14 | 158 | Harry Hauffe | Tackle | South Dakota |
| 15 | 171 | Tom Newell | Back | Drake |
| 16 | 182 | Arley Finley | Tackle | Georgia Tech |
| 17 | 195 | Joe Reese | End | Arkansas Tech |
| 18 | 206 | Chuck Strid | Guard | Syracuse |
| 20 | 230 | John DuBose | Back | Trinity (TX) |
| 21 | 243 | Jerry Kershner | Tackle | Oregon |
| 22 | 264 | Franklin Merlino | Back | Florida State |
| 23 | 267 | Jack Ashton | Guard | South Carolina |
| 24 | 278 | John Jereck | Tackle | Detroit |
| 25 | 291 | Larry Plenty | Back | Boston College |
| 26 | 302 | Esker Harris | Guard | UCLA |
| 27 | 315 | Neil Habig | Center | Purdue |
| 28 | 326 | Dave Crowell | Guard | Washington State |
| 29 | 339 | Bob Haynes | Tackle | Sam Houston State |
| 30 | 350 | John Peters | Tackle | Houston |
- Yellow indicates a future Pro Bowl selection
- Green indicates a future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 28 | Chicago Bears | L 34–20 | 0–1–0 | City Stadium | |
| 2 | October 5 | Detroit Lions | T 13–13 | 0–1–1 | City Stadium | |
| 3 | October 12 | Baltimore Colts | L 24–17 | 0–2–1 | Milwaukee County Stadium | |
| 4 | October 19 | at Washington Redskins | L 37–21 | 0–3–1 | Griffith Stadium | |
| 5 | October 26 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 38–35 | 1–3–1 | City Stadium | |
| 6 | November 2 | at Baltimore Colts | L 56–0 | 1–4–1 | Memorial Stadium | |
| 7 | November 9 | at Chicago Bears | L 24–10 | 1–5–1 | Wrigley Field | |
| 8 | November 16 | Los Angeles Rams | L 20–7 | 1–6–1 | City Stadium | |
| 9 | November 23 | San Francisco 49ers | L 33–12 | 1–7–1 | Milwaukee County Stadium | |
| 10 | November 27 | at Detroit Lions | L 24–14 | 1–8–1 | Briggs Stadium | |
| 11 | December 7 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 48–21 | 1–9–1 | Kezar Stadium | |
| 12 | December 14 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 34–20 | 1–10–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
Standings
| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Baltimore Colts | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 8–2 | 381 | 203 | L2 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 7–3 | 344 | 278 | W3 | |
| Chicago Bears | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 7–3 | 298 | 230 | W2 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | 4–6 | 257 | 324 | W2 | |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 7 | 1 | .364 | 3–6–1 | 261 | 276 | L2 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 1 | 10 | 1 | .091 | 0–9–1 | 193 | 382 | L7 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Roster
| 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
Milestones
- Worst regular season record in franchise history
References
- ^ Maraniss, David (September 14, 1999). "In throes of winter, a team in disarray is reborn". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. book excerpt. p. 1A.
- ^ "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.
- "1958 Green Bay Packers statistics". Pro-football-reference.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
- "Sports Encyclopedia – Green Bay Packers". Sportsencyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2007.