Bowl, while Parker, then head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, led the Eastern Conference. The Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference by a score of 26–7. In 1960, Wilson hired Don Shula as the defensive coordinator, who later succeeded him as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. The Lions were 7–5 in and advanced to the first edition of the third-place Playoff Bowl, where they defeated the Browns 17–16. Detroit's record was slightly better in 1961 at 8–5–1, went to the Playoff Bowl again, and soundly defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38–10. Despite finishing the 1962 season with 11 victories and 3 defeats – the best win–loss record during Wilson's tenure – they failed for the third consecutive season to edge the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Western Conference, but won a third straight Playoff Bowl, this time 17–10 over the Steelers. Wilson remained with the Lions through 1964, though they were unable reach another NFL championship game after 1957. He resigned on December 23, two days after his five assistant coaches were fired by ownership, and was succeeded by former Lions player Harry Gilmer. Upon his resignation from the Lions, Wilson had compiled a record; only Wayne Fontes had more wins as head coach of Detroit. He then served for one year as an assistant coach under Bill McPeak with the Washington Redskins in . On January 29, 1966, Joe Robbie named Wilson the first head coach of the American Football League's first expansion franchise, the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins finished their first season with a record of 3–11, tying the 1961 Minnesota Vikings and the 1966 Atlanta Falcons for the then-best record for an expansion team. Of the four starting quarterbacks during the Dolphins' inaugural year, one was Wilson's son, George Wilson Jr., who led them to their first win, a 24–7 victory over the Denver Broncos. However, after a poor season performance, he was traded to the Broncos, then soon released on July 15, 1967. Miami improved slightly in 1967 and 1968, going 4–10 and 5–8–1, respectively. After the 1968 season, Wilson's three-year contract expired, leaving uncertainty if he would coach the team in 1969. Robbie stated "George has done a good job with players. That is his strong point. That doesn't mean he's weak in other aspects, but he handles players well." Wilson was signed to a new one-year contract on December 18, 1968. In February