1976 Detroit Lions Roster
National Football League (NFL)
Team Record: 6-8
Finishing 3rd in the NFL's Central Division of the National Football Conference
Coach: Tommy Hudspeth (5-5)
Coach: Rick Forzano (1-3)
Location: Detroit, Michigan
1976 Detroit Lions StatisticsTeam Record: 6-8
Finishing 3rd in the NFL's Central Division of the National Football Conference
Coach: Tommy Hudspeth (5-5)
Coach: Rick Forzano (1-3)
Location: Detroit, Michigan
1976 Detroit Lions Results
The Detroit Lions of the National Football League ended the 1976 season with a record of 6 wins and 8 losses, finishing third in the NFL's Central Division of the National Football Conference.
Detroit scored 262 points, while the defense allowed 220. Dexter Bussey rushed for a team-leading 858 yards for the Lions, and Lawrence Gaines additionally aided the ground game.
Greg Landry tossed for 2,191 yards. Ray Jarvis topped pass catchers, hauling in 39 balls for 822 yards, while Charlie Sanders provided receiving help also.
James Hunter picked off 7 opponent throws.
Tommy Hudspeth and Rick Forzano coached the team.
Click on column headings to sort.
| # | Player | Pos. | Birth Date | Height | Weight | College | Hometown | GP | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Lem Barney | LCB | September 8, 1945 | 6'0" | 188 | Jackson St. | Gulfport, MS USA | 14 | 14 |
| 62 | Lynn Boden | LG | June 5, 1953 | 6'3" | 270 | South Dakota St. | Stromburg, NE USA | 14 | 8 |
| 73 | Russ Bolinger | LG | September 10, 1954 | 6'5" | 255 | California-Riverside | Wichita, KS USA | 12 | 7 |
| 43 | Andy Bolton | RB | May 23, 1954 | 6'1" | 205 | Fisk | Memphis, TN USA | 7 | 0 |
| 24 | Dexter Bussey | RB | March 11, 1952 | 6'1" | 195 | Oklahoma | Dallas, TX USA | 14 | 14 |
| 79 | Don Croft | DT | January 7, 1949 | 6'4" | 254 | Texas-El Paso | Temple, TX USA | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | Gary Danielson | QB | September 10, 1951 | 6'2" | 195 | Purdue | Detroit, MI USA | 1 | 0 |
| 29 | Ben Davis | DB | October 30, 1945 | 5'11" | 180 | Defiance | Birmingham, AL USA | 14 | 0 |
| 78 | Doug English | LDT | August 25, 1953 | 6'5" | 255 | Texas | Dallas, TX USA | 7 | 5 |
| 89 | Dennis Franklin | WR | August 24, 1953 | 6'1" | 185 | Michigan | Massillon, OH USA | 5 | 0 |
| 76 | Rocky Freitas | RT | September 7, 1945 | 6'6" | 270 | Oregon St. | Kailua, HI USA | 14 | 14 |
| 38 | Lawrence Gaines | FB | December 15, 1953 | 6'1" | 237 | Wyoming | Vernon, TX USA | 14 | 7 |
| 74 | Larry Hand | RDT | July 10, 1940 | 6'4" | 250 | Appalachian St. | Paterson, NJ USA | 10 | 10 |
| 71 | Craig Hertwig | LT | January 15, 1952 | 6'8" | 270 | Georgia | Columbus, GA USA | 14 | 9 |
| 81 | David Hill | TE | January 1, 1954 | 6'2" | 229 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | San Antonio, TX USA | 14 | 1 |
| 41 | J.D. Hill | WR | October 30, 1948 | 6'1" | 202 | Arizona St. | Stockton, CA USA | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | Jim Hooks | RB | October 23, 1950 | 5'11" | 225 | Central Oklahoma | Oklahoma City, OK USA | 1 | 0 |
| 70 | Billy Howard | RDE | July 17, 1950 | 6'4" | 252 | Alcorn St. | Clarksdale, MS USA | 13 | 7 |
| 28 | James Hunter | FS | March 8, 1954 | 6'3" | 195 | Grambling St. | Silsbee, TX USA | 13 | 8 |
| 45 | Ray Jarvis | WR | February 2, 1949 | 6'0" | 200 | Norfolk St. | Chesapeake, VA USA | 14 | 13 |
| 26 | Dick Jauron | FS | October 7, 1950 | 6'0" | 190 | Yale | Swampscott, MA USA | 6 | 6 |
| 23 | Levi Johnson | RCB | October 30, 1950 | 6'3" | 196 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | Corpus Christi, TX USA | 14 | 14 |
| 25 | Horace King | FB | March 5, 1953 | 5'10" | 208 | Georgia | Athens, GA USA | 7 | 7 |
| 66 | Bob Kowalkowski | RG | November 5, 1943 | 6'3" | 240 | Virginia | Upper Darby, PA USA | 14 | 14 |
| 11 | Greg Landry | QB | December 18, 1946 | 6'4" | 210 | Massachusetts | Nashua, NH USA | 14 | 12 |
| 52 | Jim Laslavic | MLB | October 24, 1951 | 6'2" | 237 | Penn St. | Pittsburgh, PA USA | 12 | 12 |
| 65 | Ken Long | G | July 24, 1953 | 6'3" | 265 | Purdue | Pittsburgh, PA USA | 13 | 0 |
| 12 | Errol Mann | K | June 27, 1941 | 6'0" | 200 | North Dakota | Breckenridge, MN USA | 6 | 0 |
| 68 | Mark Markovich | C-G | November 7, 1952 | 6'5" | 256 | Penn St. | Latrobe, PA USA | 14 | 0 |
| 83 | Jim Mitchell | LDT | September 15, 1948 | 6'3" | 245 | Virginia St. | Danville, VA USA | 14 | 14 |
| 63 | Jon Morris | C | April 5, 1942 | 6'4" | 254 | Holy Cross | Washington, DC USA | 14 | 14 |
| 57 | Garth Napel | LB | March 27, 1954 | 6'1" | 213 | Texas A&M | Los Angeles, CA USA | 14 | 0 |
| 50 | Paul Naumoff | LLB | July 3, 1945 | 6'1" | 215 | Tennessee | Columbus, OH USA | 14 | 12 |
| 55 | Ed O'Neil | LB | September 8, 1952 | 6'3" | 236 | Penn St. | Warren, PA USA | 14 | 4 |
| 80 | Herb Orvis | DT | October 17, 1946 | 6'5" | 248 | Colorado | Petoskey, MI USA | 2 | 2 |
| 44 | Bob Picard | WR | November 24, 1949 | 6'1" | 195 | East. Washington | Omak, WA USA | 8 | 0 |
| 27 | Reggie Pierson | DB | December 13, 1952 | 5'11" | 185 | Oklahoma St. | Los Angeles, CA USA | 4 | 0 |
| 72 | Ernie Price | DE | September 20, 1950 | 6'4" | 248 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | Corpus Christi, TX USA | 14 | 0 |
| 14 | Joe Reed | QB | January 8, 1948 | 6'1" | 195 | Baylor | Newport, RI USA | 13 | 2 |
| 1 | Benny Ricardo | K | January 4, 1954 | 5'10" | 175 | San Diego St. | Asuncion, Paraguay | 8 | 0 |
| 88 | Charlie Sanders | TE | August 25, 1946 | 6'4" | 225 | Minnesota | Richlands, NC USA | 13 | 13 |
| 82 | Ken Sanders | LDE | August 22, 1950 | 6'5" | 240 | Howard Payne | Valley Mills, TX USA | 14 | 14 |
| 10 | Ian Sunter | K | December 21, 1952 | 6'1" | 215 | none | Dundee, Scotland | 3 | 0 |
| 33 | Bobby Thompson | KR | January 16, 1947 | 5'11" | 195 | Oklahoma | Raleigh, NC USA | 14 | 0 |
| 39 | Leonard Thompson | WR | July 28, 1952 | 5'11" | 192 | Oklahoma St. | Oklahoma City, OK USA | 14 | 1 |
| 27 | Maurice Tyler | DB | July 19, 1950 | 6'0" | 188 | Morgan St. | Karnack, TX USA | 9 | 0 |
| 49 | Larry Walton | WR | February 8, 1947 | 6'0" | 180 | Arizona St. | Johnstown, PA USA | 14 | 14 |
| 59 | Charlie Weaver | RLB | July 12, 1949 | 6'2" | 220 | USC | Greenwood, MS USA | 14 | 14 |
| 18 | Herman Weaver | P | November 17, 1948 | 6'4" | 210 | Tennessee | Villa Rica, GA USA | 14 | 0 |
| 40 | Charlie West | SS | August 31, 1946 | 6'1" | 197 | Angelo State (TX) | Terrell, TX USA | 14 | 14 |
| 77 | John Woodcock | DT | March 19, 1954 | 6'3" | 246 | New Mexico | Eureka, CA USA | 14 | 4 |
| 75 | Jim Yarbrough | LT | October 28, 1946 | 6'5" | 265 | Florida | Charlotte, NC USA | 11 | 5 |
