for championships, but were still in need of a franchise quarterback. To solve this, they traded fullback Camp Wilson to the New York Yanks in exchange for quarterback Bobby Layne. After finishing a disappointing 6–6 in 1950, head coach Bo McMillin resigned. He was replaced by Buddy Parker, who had previously played for the Lions in the mid-1930s, including being a part of the 1935 championship team. The following season saw the Lions improve with a 7–4–1 record. In 1952, the Lions finished with a 9–3 record, tied with the Los Angeles Rams for first in the NFL's National Conference. Thus, for the first time in 17 years, the team returned to the playoffs. In the National Conference Playoff, the Lions defeated the Rams 31–21 in front of nearly 50,000 spectators at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, playing in fog. The win sent the Lions back to the NFL Championship Game against the Cleveland Browns, which was the first of four championship games the two teams would play against each other during the decade. The Lions defeated the Browns by a score of 17–7 to win the second title in franchise history. The next year saw the Lions enjoy one of the greatest seasons in franchise history. They would draft future Hall of Fame linebacker Joe Schmidt in the seventh round of the 1953 NFL Draft. The Lions went 10–2, which was good for first place in the renamed Western Conference. In addition, the team had seven Pro Bowlers, eight All-Pros, and swept their division rivals Chicago and Green Bay in four consecutive weeks. The Lions faced the Browns in the 1953 NFL Championship Game, in which Layne found Jim Doran for a 33-yard game-winning touchdown in the final minutes to win 17–16. In 1954, the Lions would finish with a 9–2–1 record. They faced the Browns in the NFL Championship Game for a third consecutive season. This time, however, the Browns destroyed the Lions 56–10, ruining their shot at a three-peat. Despite the Lions' success early in the decade, the mid-1950s looked like a falling off point for the team. The Lions won only three games in 1955. In the following season, the team finished in second place to the Chicago Bears with a 9–3 record. During the 1957 preseason, Buddy Parker stunned the football world by announcing his resignation from the organization. George Wilson would take over as head