Martin Mayhew, Jim Schwartz Rid the Detroit Lions of Bobby Layne’s Curse

May 21, 2010   ·   Patrick Mucha   ·   Jump to comments

When the Lions blindsided their star quarterback Bobby Layne with news that he had been traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in week two of the 1958 season, the star quarterback, newly recovered from a triple leg fracture that prevented him from finishing the previous year’s championship run, was bitter...to say the least.
Perhaps rightfully so—it was Layne that won back-to-back NFL championships in ’52 and ’53 for the Lions and set the ’57 championship stage for alternate QB Tobin Rote, a technically proficient and more even-keel player than the fiery Bobby Layne, who was known better for his piss and vinegar leadership, heavy drinking, and unwillingness to wear a facemask, than for his ability to throw a football.
As Layne got on the plane, he begrudgingly muttered, “the Lions won’t win for fifty years,” and whether he meant it at the time or not, he was right.
It’s truly poetic that the 50th and final season of the Cu...

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