| Regular season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | September 15 - December 30, 1962 |
| East Champions | New York Giants |
| West Champions | Green Bay Packers |
| Championship Game | |
| Champions | Green Bay Packers |
The 1962 NFL season was the 43rd regular season of the National Football League (NFL). Before the season, CBS signed a contract with the league to televise all regular-season games for a $4.65 million annual fee.
The season ended on December 30, when the Green Bay Packers defeated the New York Giants 16-7 in the NFL championship game at Yankee Stadium. The Packers successfully defended their 1961 NFL title, finishing the 1962 season at 14-1; their only loss was to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day at Tiger Stadium.
Major rule changes
- Grabbing any player's facemask is prohibited.
Conference races
The Green Bay Packers won their first ten games, until losing 26-14 on November 22 at Detroit. The Lions' win put them a game behind the Pack rather than 2 games behind, but in the final week, they lost to Chicago, 3-0. Even a Lions win would have been made moot when Green Bay's won 20-17 at L.A. to finish with a record of 13-1.
In the Eastern conference, the Redskins were unbeaten after six games. Their four wins and two ties would have been an .833 record in later years, but in 1962, a tie game was not counted at all. In Week Seven (October 28), the Giants handed the Skins their first loss, 49-34. When Washington lost again the next week, 38-10 to Dallas, the Giants 31-28 win over St. Louis gave them a 6-2 record and the conference lead. The Giants rode a nine-game winning streak to capture the Eastern title and the right to host the title game against Green Bay.
| Week | Western Conference | Record | Eastern Conference | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 teams (Bal, Chi, Det, GB) | 1-0-0 | Tie (Cle, St.L) | 1-0-0 |
| 2 | 4 teams (Bal, Chi, Det, GB) | 2-0-0 | Washington Redskins | 1-0-1 |
| 3 | Tie (Det, GB) | 3-0-0 | Washington Redskins | 2-0-1 |
| 4 | Green Bay Packers | 4-0-0 | Washington Redskins | 3-0-1 |
| 5 | Green Bay Packers | 5-0-0 | Washington Redskins | 3-0-2 |
| 6 | Green Bay Packers | 6-0-0 | Washington Redskins | 4-0-2 |
| 7 | Green Bay Packers | 7-0-0 | Washington Redskins | 4-1-2 |
| 8 | Green Bay Packers | 8-0-0 | New York Giants | 6-2-0 |
| 9 | Green Bay Packers | 9-0-0 | New York Giants | 7-2-0 |
| 10 | Green Bay Packers | 10-0-0 | New York Giants | 8-2-0 |
| 11 | Green Bay Packers | 10-1-0 | New York Giants | 9-2-0 |
| 12 | Green Bay Packers | 11-1-0 | New York Giants | 10-2-0 |
| 13 | Green Bay Packers | 12-1-0 | New York Giants | 11-2-0 |
| 14 | Green Bay Packers | 13-1-0 | New York Giants | 12-2-0 |
Final standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
Note: Prior to 1972, the NFL did not include tie games when calculating a team's winning percentage in the official standings
| Eastern Conference | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 398 | 283 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 312 | 363 |
| Cleveland Browns | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 291 | 257 |
| Washington Redskins | 5 | 7 | 2 | .417 | 305 | 376 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 398 | 402 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 287 | 361 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 10 | 1 | .231 | 282 | 356 |
| Western Conference | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 13 | 1 | 0 | .929 | 415 | 148 |
| Detroit Lions | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 315 | 177 |
| Chicago Bears | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 321 | 287 |
| Baltimore Colts | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 293 | 288 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 282 | 331 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 2 | 11 | 1 | .154 | 254 | 410 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 1 | 12 | 1 | .077 | 220 | 334 |
NFL Championship Game
- Green Bay 16, New York 7 at Yankee Stadium in New York City on December 30.
Playoff Bowl
The Playoff Bowl was between the conference runners-up, for third place in the league. This was its third year (of ten) and it was played a week after the title game.
- Detroit 17, Pittsburgh 10 at Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on January 6, 1963.
Awards
| Most Valuable Player | Jim Taylor, Fullback, Green Bay |
| Coach of the Year | Allie Sherman, New York Giants |
Draft
The 1962 NFL Draft was held on December 4, 1961 at Chicago's Sheraton Hotel & Towers. With the first pick, the Washington Redskins selected back Ernie Davis from Syracuse University.
Coaching changes
Offseason
- St. Louis Cardinals: Wally Lemm became the team's new head coach. Pop Ivy resigned after 12 games into 1961. Chuck Drulis, Ray Prochaska, and Ray Willsey served as co-head coaches for the final two games of the 1961 season.
In-season
- Los Angeles Rams: Bob Waterfield resigned after eight games, and was replaced by Harland Svare.
See also
References
- NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
- NFL History 1961-1970 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
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