Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan, competing as a member of the National Football League (NFL). The Lions compete in the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The team plays their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit. One of the oldest franchises in professional football, they joined the National Football League in 1930, were bought by George A. Richards, a radio executive, and moved to Detroit and changed their name to the Lions in 1934, winning their first NFL Championship the following season. The Lions enjoyed early success, winning four NFL championships between 1935 and 1957, but have faced challenges with consistency since then, experiencing numerous playoff droughts. They are the only franchise operational for the entirety of the Super Bowl era to not appear in a Super Bowl.

Origins and Early History

The Lions franchise was originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio as the Spartans — originally an independent team, they joined the National Football League in 1930, after which they compiled a 28–16–7 record by the end of the 1933 season, including a berth in the first-ever game with the league title at stake in 1932. The Spartans played in the first-ever playoff game against the Chicago Bears in 1932, ultimately losing 9–0.

In 1934, George A. Richards, a radio executive who owned WJR, a radio affiliate of the NBC Blue Network (the forerunner to today's ABC), purchased the Portsmouth Spartans for $8,000 and moved the team to Detroit, renaming them the Detroit Lions. Richards picked the name because he intended to put together a team that would be the "king of the NFL," much like the lion was the king of the jungle. He also wanted a tie-in to baseball's Detroit Tigers.

In their inaugural season in Detroit, the Lions started off with a 10-game win streak that included seven shutouts, but lost the last three games of the season to the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears and finished in second place behind the Bears in the Western Division. That debut season also launched one of the most enduring traditions in professional football. In 1934, team owner George A. Richards negotiated an agreement with NBC to carry his Thanksgiving game live across all of the network's stations, and excluding the years of 1939–1944 due to World War II, the Lions have played on Thanksgiving ever since.

In 1935, Dutch Clark led the NFL with 55 points, while Ernie Caddel led the league with 621 yards as they carried the Lions to a 7–3–2 record, which was first in the Western Division. As a result, they advanced to the 1935 NFL Championship Game against the New York Giants, played on December 15, 1935, in front of 15,000 fans in Detroit. The Lions won the game 26–7 to secure the franchise's first World Championship, contributing to Detroit's City of Champions sports season, during which the Detroit Tigers also won the 1935 World Series and the Detroit Red Wings captured the 1936 Stanley Cup.

The Championship Era and Subsequent Decline

Under new coach Buddy Parker and with quarterback Bobby Layne, running back Doak Walker, and tackle Lou Creekmur, the Lions reached the pinnacle of NFL success in the 1950s. The Lions have won four National Football League championships, securing victory against the New York Giants in 1935, and defeating the Cleveland Browns in 1952, 1953, and 1957.

The Lions drafted future Hall of Fame linebacker Joe Schmidt in the seventh round of the 1953 NFL draft. They 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.

Since their last title in 1957, the Lions have been looking in vain for the top spot. While outstanding players such as Joe Schmidt, Yale Lary, Lem Barney, and Dick "Night Train" Lane earned election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the best the Lions were able to accomplish as a team for the next 26 seasons were wild-card berths in 1970 and 1982.

The 1940s saw the Lions win only 35 games. The low point was when they went 0–11 in 1942, scoring only five touchdowns all season, getting shut out five times, and never scoring more than seven points in a single game.

The 1980s and 1990s brought renewed hope. The Lions finally ended their long championship drought by winning the NFC Central Division championship in 1983. Under Coach Wayne Fontes and paced by Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders, the team's all-time rushing leader, the Lions also won divisional titles in 1991 and 1993. Detroit's first playoff victories since 1957 took the Lions all the way to the 1991 NFC Championship Game for the first time in franchise history.

The early 2000s, however, represented a different kind of nadir. In 2001, the team hired former NFL linebacker Matt Millen to serve as general manager, despite the fact that he had no previous front-office experience. Millen oversaw one of the most disastrous stretches for an NFL franchise of all time, as the Lions had a cumulative record of 31–84 during his tenure, and he was met with a number of fan protests over his continued employment. He was fired early in the 2008 season, which saw the Lions post the first 0–16 season in league history.

Notable Players and Hall of Famers

The Detroit Lions franchise has produced some of the most celebrated players in NFL history. The Lions' long history has been filled with dynamic personalities, including 14 members of the franchise who were elected to the Hall of Fame.

Unlike previous Detroit pro football teams, the new Lions team was loaded with some of the finest players of the day, and the team leader was Dutch Clark, a true triple-threat superstar and the last NFL dropkicker, who became a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Lions have had several all-star players throughout their history, including Bobby Layne, star quarterback who led Detroit to three of its four National Football Championships, and Earl "Dutch" Clark, the team's first quarterback, who led them to the National Championship in 1935.

Barry Sanders stands as perhaps the most electrifying player in franchise history. One of the game's most electrifying runners, Barry Sanders rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his 10 seasons with the Detroit Lions (1989–1998). He was the first running back ever to do so. Sanders became the franchise's first 2,000-yard rusher, achieving 2,053 yards in 1997. His career rushing total of 15,269 yards remains the franchise record. In 2023, the Lions immortalized Sanders with an 8-foot bronze statue located outside of Ford Field.

With the first overall pick of the 2009 NFL draft, Detroit drafted quarterback Matthew Stafford, who became the hub of a potent passing attack that also featured All-Pro wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Calvin Johnson set the franchise record for career receptions with 731 (2007–2015). Johnson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. Stafford himself set the franchise mark for career passing yards with 45,109 yards during his tenure from 2009 to 2020.

Among other notable Hall of Famers who wore the Honolulu blue and silver, the franchise's inductees include cornerback Dick "Night Train" Lane (1960–1965), linebacker Joe Schmidt (1953–1965), halfback Doak Walker (1950–1955), quarterback Bobby Layne (1950–1958), and wide receiver Calvin Johnson (2007–2015).

Ford Field

In 1975, the Lions moved into the Pontiac Silverdome where they played for 37 years before, in 2002, the team moved back to downtown Detroit and into a new domed stadium, Ford Field.

On August 20, 1996, the Lions, owned by William Clay Ford, announced plans to build a new domed stadium in downtown Detroit. In November 1996, voters approved a referendum that paid for 51% of the football stadium, while the team paid the remaining 49% of the $500 million total cost. The naming rights were purchased by the Ford Motor Company for $40 million over 20 years; the Ford family holds a controlling interest in the company, and they have controlled ownership of the Lions franchise since 1964.

The first game played at Ford Field was a Detroit Lions preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 24, 2002, in which Detroit lost 35–22. The first regular season game was against the Green Bay Packers on September 22, 2002. Ford Field is a domed American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, and primarily serves as the home of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. The regular seating capacity is approximately 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for basketball.

One architectural hallmark of Ford Field is its integration of Detroit's industrial heritage. Its unique design incorporates parts of the old Hudson's warehouse, blending history with modern architecture. Unlike most prior domed stadiums, Ford Field allows a large amount of natural light to reach the field, thanks to immense skylights and large glass windows at the open corners; the windows along the ceiling are frosted to mimic the automotive factories that are prevalent in Metro Detroit.

Ford Field hosted Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006, where the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks. The 2009 NCAA Final Four was also held at Ford Field.

The Dan Campbell Era and Recent Resurgence

The current head coach of the Lions is Dan Campbell, who was hired on January 20, 2021. In 2023, Campbell led the Lions to their first division title since 1993, their first playoff win since 1991, and their second-ever NFC Championship Game appearance.

The Lions finished the 2023 regular season with a 12–5 record, tying a franchise record for wins and ending up in a three-way tie with the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys for the best record in the NFC. Their .706 winning percentage was their best since 1991.

In their first playoff game at Ford Field, the Lions defeated their former quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams 24–23 in the Wild Card game for their first playoff victory since the 1991 season, ending the longest winless postseason drought in the NFL. The Lions then hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Round, which marked the first time the Lions hosted two playoff games in the same season in franchise history, defeating the Buccaneers 31–23 to advance to the NFC Championship — where they yielded a 24–7 lead and lost to the San Francisco 49ers 34–31.

The following year delivered even greater regular-season heights. During the 2024 season, Campbell's Lions set records in the regular season, posting the most wins (15), touchdowns scored (70), and points scored (564) in a single season in franchise history. The Lions captured their second-consecutive NFC North division title with a 31–9 win in Week 18 over rival Minnesota and secured the number-one seed in the NFC for the first time in team history. Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes were named 2023 coach and executive of the year, respectively, in a vote by their peers.

Traditions and Identity

The Detroit Lions have several longstanding traditions. One of the oldest is an annual game on Thanksgiving Day, an institution that began in 1934. This game has been played on the holiday every year except during World War II (1939–1945).

The blue used by the Lions is officially known as "Honolulu blue," which is inspired by the color of the waves off the coast of Hawaii. Aside from a brief change to scarlet and black from 1948 to 1950 instituted by then head coach Bo McMillin, the Lions' uniforms have basically remained the same since they moved to Detroit in 1934 — silver helmets, silver pants, and either blue or white jerseys.

In addition to its mascot, Roary the Lion, the team has its own anthem, "Gridiron Heroes," composed by Wayne State University band leader Graham Overgard, which dates back to the 1930s.

The Lions' flagship radio station is WXYT-FM. Regular season games are broadcast regionally on Fox, except when the Lions play an AFC team in Detroit, in which case the game airs regionally on CBS. The Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit is always televised nationally, alternating between Fox in odd years and CBS in even years.