| Team: | Detroit Drive |
| Year: | 1988 |
| Record: | 9–3 |
| Division Place: | 2nd |
| Coach: | Tim Marcum |
| Stadium: | Joe Louis Arena |
| Playoffs: | Won Semi-Finals (Gladiators) 34-25 Won ArenaBowl II (Bruisers) 24–13 |
| Previous: | N/A |
The 1988 Detroit Drive season was the first for the Drive.
The Drive began play in as a member of the Arena Football League. Under head coach Tim Marcum, the Drive finished the regular season 9-3 after starting the season 2-3.[1] [2] Two of the Drive's losses came at the hands of the Chicago Bruisers, who finished the season with one loss. The Drive would get a chance at revenge when they advanced to ArenaBowl II against the Bruisers,[3] and they were able to defeat the Bruisers 24-13.[4]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Results | Game site | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | |||||
| 1 | April 28 | Pittsburgh Gladiators | L 51–57 | 0–1 | Joe Louis Arena | |
| 2 | May 9 | at New York Knights | W 54–48 | 1–1 | Madison Square Garden | |
| 3 | May 13 | at New England Steamrollers | W 29–24 | 2–1 | Providence Civic Center | |
| 4 | May 19 | Chicago Bruisers | L 29–35 | 2–2 | Joe Louis Arena | |
| 5 | May 27 | at Chicago Bruisers | L 31–36 | 2–3 | Rosemont Horizon | |
| 6 | June 2 | Pittsburgh Gladiators | W 30–25 | 3–3 | Joe Louis Arena | |
| 7 | June 10 | Los Angeles Cobras | W 39–26 | 4–3 | Joe Louis Arena | |
| 8 | June 16 | at Los Angeles Cobras | W 38–14 | 5–3 | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | |
| 9 | June 23 | at New York Knights | W 49–9 | 6–3 | Madison Square Garden | |
| 10 | July 1 | at Pittsburgh Gladiators | W 28–9 | 7–3 | Civic Arena | |
| 11 | July 9 | New England Steamrollers | W 46–10 | 8–3 | Joe Louis Arena | |
| 12 | July 5 | New York Knights | W 48–17 | 9–3 | Joe Louis Arena | |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Results | Game site | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | |||||
| Semi-finals | July 22 | Pittsburgh Gladiators | W 34–25 | 1–0 | Joe Louis Arena | |
| ArenaBowl II | July 30 | at Chicago Bruisers | W 24–13 | 2–0 | Rosemont Horizon | |
| Position | Player | Award | All-Arena team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide Receiver/Defensive Back | Ironman of the Year | 1st | ||
| Fullback/Linebacker | none | 1st | ||
| Offensive Line/Defensive Line | none | 2nd | ||
| Defensive Secondary | none | 2nd | ||
| Kicker | none | 2nd |