Lions' Coach Ross Retires

D E T R O I T, Nov. 6 -- Detroit Lions coach Bobby Ross retiredtoday, a day after an embarrassing blowout loss to Miami.

Assistant head coach Gary Moeller will take his place at leastfor the rest of this season. Detroit is 5-4.

“He felt he just burned himself out, physically and mentally,”team owner William Clay Ford said. “The gas tank was empty. … Ican assure you this is his own decision.”

Ross alluded to the possibility he would leave after Sunday’s23-8 loss to the Dolphins, calling it “one of the mostembarrassing losses I have ever had.”

“We showed right from the start of the game that we weren’tready to play, and ultimately, that is my responsibility. I won’tback down from that,” Ross said Sunday. “This loss is going tovery hard for me to digest. I’m going to have to go home andreflect on some things and talk them over with my wife.”

Moeller: No Big Changes Planned

In his fourth year with the Lions, Ross, 63, was 27-30 in theregular season and 0-2 in playoff appearances. He replaced WayneFontes, who was fired in December 1996.

Moeller received a three-year contract. He said Ross “did getburned out to some degree. He’s not hurting mentally in anyparticular way.

“Sometimes the pressures get a little heavy. By that I don’tmean that he’s not a fighter because he is a fighter. … Did I seeit coming? In some ways, possibly, because you hear a rumor hereand there. It was surprising to me in a way but understandable aswell.”

Moeller was fired as Michigan’s football coach in 1995 daysafter his arrest during a disturbance at a Detroit-area restaurant.He served two seasons as the Cincinnati Bengals’ tight ends coachbefore being hired in January 1997 as the Lions’ running backscoach. This year, the 58-year-old Moeller has served as anassistant head coach and linebackers coach.

Moeller said he doesn’t plan to make too many changes right now.