In 1980, the Lions got off to a 4-0 start, which prompted Jimmy (Spiderman) Allen and some teammates to record their boasting version of "Another One Bites the Dust." They finished the season 9-7 and once again failed to make the playoffs.
Jim Schwartz could not survive Black Monday as the Detroit Lions' coach, Dave Dye reports on Fox Sports Detroit.
Chris McCosky reports in the Detroit News that defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan were fired, too
Schwartz was fired with two years and reportedly $12 million remaining on his contract. His team blew fourth-quarter leads in seven of their nine defeats, and he appeared to suffer a meltdown during the waning moments of one disaster, yelling at fans.
He finished with a 29-52 record in five years, including one playoff loss two seasons ago.
The last straw was Schwartz's failure to make the playoffs this year after the Lions jumped out to a 6-3 start to take control of the NFC North.
However, they were unable to take advantage of injuries to Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler, losing six of their final seven games to finish 7-9.
Schwartz inherited a 0-16 team and improved that record each of his first three years - to 2-14 in 2009, 6-10 in 2010 and 10-6 in 2011.
Below is a YouTube recording of "Gridiron Heroes," the Lion's traditional fight song, which dates from the 1930s.
Lyrics:
(Verse)Hail the colors Blue and Silver let them wave.
(Chorus)
Sing their song and cheer the Gridiron Heroes brave,
Fighting for fame, winning the game,
Dashing to victory as they go.
Forward down the field,
A charging team that will not yield.
And when the Blue and Silver wave,
Stand and cheer the brave.
Rah, Rah, Rah.
Go hard, win the game.
With honor you will keep your fame.
Down the field and gain,
A Lion victory!
