[1] This was also the first season that the silhouetted blue lion logo appeared on the helmets.
According to the team, a total of 39,501 season tickets were sold by the Lions for the 1961 campaign.
[2] The Lions played their home games in Briggs Stadium (Tiger Stadium), which had a regular listed seating capacity of 46,194, with an additional 7,000 bleacher seats for football to bring total capacity to 53,194.
[2] Running backs Wide receivers Tight ends Defensive linemen Defensive backs Special teams rookies in italics The Playoff Bowl matched the runners-up of the two conferences to determine third place in the league.
It was played in January at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, the week following the NFL Championship game.