| 1953 Green Bay Packers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Gene Ronzani (10 games) Ray McLean (interim) Hugh Devore (interim) |
| Home field | City Stadium Milwaukee County Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 2–9–1 |
| Division place | 6th NFL Western |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The 1953 Green Bay Packers season was their 35th season overall and their 33rd in the National Football League. The team finished with a 2–9–1 record under head coach Gene Ronzani and interim co-coaches Ray McLean, and Hugh Devore, and finished last in the newly named Western Conference.
Fourth-year head coach Ronzani led the team for the first ten games, but resigned after a nationally televised Thanksgiving Day loss, his eighth loss to the Detroit Lions in four seasons;[1] McLean and Devore co-coached the last two games of the season, both losses. It was the only in-season coaching change in Packers history, until 2018. This season also marked the first season that the Packers played at the recently completed Milwaukee County Stadium.
Offseason
NFL draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Al Carmichael | Halfback | USC |
| 2 | 19 | Gil Reich | Back | Army/Kansas |
| 3 | 31 | Bill Forester | Linebacker | SMU |
| 4 | 43 | Gib Dawson | Halfback | Texas |
| 5 | 55 | Roger Zatkoff | Linebacker | Michigan |
| 6 | 67 | Bob Kennedy | Guard | Wisconsin |
| 7 | 79 | Jim Ringo | Center | Syracuse |
| 8 | 91 | Lauren Hargrove | Back | Georgia |
| 9 | 103 | Floyd Harrawood | Tackle | Tulsa |
| 10 | 115 | Vic Rimkus | Guard | Holy Cross |
| 11 | 127 | Joe Johnson | Halfback | Boston College |
| 12 | 139 | Dick Curran | Back | Arizona State |
| 13 | 151 | Bob Orders | Center | Army/West Virginia |
| 14 | 163 | Charley Wrenn | Tackle | TCU |
| 15 | 175 | Gene Helwig | Back | Tulsa |
| 16 | 187 | John Hlay | Fullback | Ohio State |
| 17 | 199 | Bill Georges | End | Texas |
| 18 | 211 | Jim Philee | Back | Bradley |
| 19 | 223 | Bill Lucky | Defensive tackle | Baylor |
| 20 | 235 | John Harville | Back | TCU |
| 21 | 247 | Bob Conway | Back | Alabama |
| 22 | 259 | Bill Turnbeaugh | Tackle | Auburn |
| 23 | 271 | Bill Murray | End | American International |
| 24 | 283 | James Haslam Jr. | Tackle | Tennessee |
| 25 | 295 | Ike Jones | End | UCLA |
| 26 | 307 | George Bozanic | Back | USC |
| 27 | 319 | Jim McConaughey | End | Houston |
| 28 | 331 | Zack Jordan | End | Colorado |
| 29 | 343 | John O'Brien | Guard | Boston College |
| 30 | 355 | Al Barry | Guard | USC |
- 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 27 | Cleveland Browns | L 0–27 | 0–1 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 22,604 |
| 2 | October 4 | Chicago Bears | L 13–17 | 0–2 | City Stadium | 24,835 |
| 3 | October 11 | Los Angeles Rams | L 20–38 | 0–3 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 23,353 |
| 4 | October 18 | Baltimore Colts | W 37–14 | 1–3 | City Stadium | 18,713 |
| 5 | October 24 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 14–31 | 1–4 | Forbes Field | 22,918 |
| 6 | October 31 | at Baltimore Colts | W 35–24 | 2–4 | Memorial Stadium | 33,797 |
| 7 | November 8 | at Chicago Bears | T 21–21 | 2–4–1 | Wrigley Field | 39,889 |
| 8 | November 15 | Detroit Lions | L 7–14 | 2–5–1 | City Stadium | 20,834 |
| 9 | November 22 | San Francisco 49ers | L 7–37 | 2–6–1 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 16,378 |
| 10 | November 26 | at Detroit Lions | L 15–34 | 2–7–1 | Briggs Stadium | 52,607 |
| 11 | December 6 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 14–48 | 2–8–1 | Kezar Stadium | 31,337 |
| 12 | December 12 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 17–33 | 2–9–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 23,069 |
Standings
| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Detroit Lions | 10 | 2 | 0 | .833 | 8–2 | 271 | 205 | W6 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 8–2 | 372 | 237 | W4 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 8 | 3 | 1 | .727 | 7–3 | 366 | 236 | W2 | |
| Chicago Bears | 3 | 8 | 1 | .273 | 2–7–1 | 218 | 262 | L2 | |
| Baltimore Colts | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 2–8 | 182 | 350 | L7 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 2 | 9 | 1 | .182 | 2–7–1 | 200 | 338 | L5 | |
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 | ||||||
References
- ↑ "Loss-plagued pilot leaves Green Bay pros". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. November 28, 1953. p. 11.