Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions
Current season
Established 1930 (1930)
First season: 1930
Play in Ford Field
Detroit, Michigan
Headquartered in Allen Park, Michigan
LogoWordmark
League/conference affiliations

National Football League (1930–present)

Current uniform
Team colors

Honolulu Blue, Silver, Black, White[1][2]

                   
Fight song Gridiron Heroes
Mascot Roary the Lion
Theo "Gridiron" Spight
Personnel
Owner(s) Martha Firestone Ford
Chairman Martha Firestone Ford
President Rod Wood
General manager Bob Quinn
Head coach Jim Caldwell
Team history
Championships

League championships (4)

Conference championships (4)

Division championships (4)

Playoff appearances (17)
Home fields

In Portsmouth, Ohio

In Detroit

Former name(s):
Briggs Stadium (1938–1960)

In Pontiac, Michigan

The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The team plays its home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.

Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and called the Portsmouth Spartans, the team formally joined the NFL on July 12, 1930 and began play in the 1930 season.[3] Despite success within the NFL, they could not survive in Portsmouth, then the NFL's smallest city. The team was purchased and relocated to Detroit for the 1934 season.

The Lions have won four NFL championships, tied for 9th overall in total championships amongst all 32 NFL franchises; however, their last was in 1957, which gives the club the second-longest NFL championship drought behind the Arizona Cardinals. They are one of four current teams, the only pre-NFL–AFL merger team, and the only NFC team to have not yet played in the Super Bowl.[4]

Franchise history

Logos and uniforms

Detroit Lions uniform: 2003–2008
Detroit Lions uniform: 1999–2002

Aside from a brief change to maroon in 1948 instituted by then head coach Bo McMillin (influenced by his years as coach at Indiana), the Lions uniforms have basically remained the same since the team debuted in 1930.[5] The design consists of silver helmets, silver pants, and either blue or white jerseys.

Lions logo (1970–2002). A variation of this logo with a black border was used until the 2009 NFL season, when the current logo was implemented.

There have been minor changes to the uniform design throughout the years, such as changing the silver stripe patterns on the jersey sleeves, and changing the colors of the jersey numbers. White trim was added to the logo in 1970. In 1998, the team wore blue pants with their white jerseys along with grey socks but dropped that combination after the season. In 1999, the "TV numbers" on the sleeves were moved to the shoulders.

The shade of blue used for Lions uniforms and logos is officially known as "Honolulu blue", which is supposedly inspired by the color of the waves off the coast of Hawaii. The shade was chosen by Cy Huston in 1935.[6] Houston, the Lions' first vice president and general manager, said of the choice: "They had me looking at so many blues I am blue in the face", Huston said about the selection. "But anyway, it's the kind of blue, I am told, that will match with silver."

In 1994, every NFL team wore throwback jerseys, and the Lions' were similar to the jerseys used during their 1935 championship season. The helmets and pants were solid silver, the jerseys Honolulu blue with silver numbers and the jersey did not have "TV numbers" on the sleeves. The team wore solid blue socks along with black shoes. The helmets also did not have a logo, as helmets were simple leather back then. The Lions also wore '50s-style jerseys during their traditional Thanksgiving Day games from 2001 to 2004 as the NFL encouraged teams to wear throwback jerseys on Thanksgiving Day.

In 2003, the team added black trim to their logo and the jerseys. The face masks on the helmet changed from blue to black with the introduction of the new color. Additionally, an alternate home field jersey which makes black the dominant color (in place of Honolulu Blue) was introduced in 2005.

For 2008, the team dropped the black alternate jerseys in favor of a throwback uniform to commemorate the franchise's 75th anniversary. The throwback uniform became the team's permanent alternate jersey in 2009, replacing the former black alternate.[7] The Lions officially unveiled new logo designs and uniforms on April 20, 2009. The lion on the helmet now has a flowing mane and fangs, and the typeface of "Lions" is more modern.[2]

Home attendance

Home Attendance at Ford Field
Year Total Attendance
2006 487,116
2007 490,436
2008 435,979
2009 395,162
2010 450,286
2011 509,940
2012 510,158
2013 510,369
2014 504,198
Source:[8]

Players of note

Current roster

Detroit Lions roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists

Practice squad

Rookies in italics
Roster updated December 9, 2016
Depth Chart • Transactions
53 Active, 9 Inactive, 10 Practice Squad

→ AFC rosters → NFC rosters

AFC East
BUF
MIA
NE
NYJ
North
BAL
CIN
CLE
PIT
South
HOU
IND
JAX
TEN
West
DEN
KC
OAK
SD
NFC East
DAL
NYG
PHI
WAS
North
CHI
DET
GB
MIN
South
ATL
CAR
NO
TB
West
ARI
LA
SF
SEA

Retired numbers

Detroit Lions retired numbers
No. Player Position Tenure
7 Dutch Clark QB 1934–1938
20 Barry Sanders RB 1989–1998
22 Bobby Layne QB, K 1950–1958
37 Doak Walker HB, K, P 1950–1955
56 Joe Schmidt LB 1953–1965
85 Chuck Hughes 1 WR 1970–1971

Notes:

Special cases:

Pro Football Hall of Famers

Detroit Lions Hall of Famers
Players
No. Name Positions Seasons Inducted No. Name Positions Seasons Inducted
20 Lem Barney DB1967–1977 1992 22 Bobby Layne QB 1950–1958 1967
24 Jack Christiansen DB1951–1958 1970 44 Dick LeBeau DB 1959–1972 2010
7 Dutch Clark QB
Coach		1934–1938
1937–1938 		1963 30 Ollie Matson RB 1963 1972
76 Lou Creekmur G/T1950–1959 1996 20 Barry Sanders RB 1989–1998 2004
77 Curley Culp DT1980–1981 2013 88 Charlie Sanders TE 1968–1977 2007
35 Bill Dudley HB1947–1949 1966 56 Joe Schmidt LB
Coach 		1953–1965
1967–1972 		1973
72 Frank Gatski C1957 1985 63 Dick Stanfel OG 1952–1955 2016
35 John Henry Johnson FB1957–1959 1987 37 Doak Walker HB 1950–1955 1986
81 Dick "Night Train" Lane CB1960–1965 1974 50 Alex Wojciechowicz C, LB 1938–1946 1968
28 Yale Lary DB, P1952–1953
1956–1964 		1979

Michigan Sports Hall of Fame

Coaches

Current staff

Detroit Lions staff
Front Office
  • Owner/Chairman – Martha Firestone Ford
  • Vice Chairman – William Clay Ford Jr.
  • President – Rod Wood
  • Special Advisor to the President - Ernie Accorsi
  • COO - Allison Maki
  • Executive Vice President/General Manager – Bob Quinn
  • Vice President of Football Administration - Matt Harriss
  • Chief of Staff/Assistant to the General Manager – Kevin Anderson
  • Director of Player Personnel – Kyle O'Brien
  • Senior Personnel Executive – Brian Xanders
  • Director of College Scouting – Lance Newmark
  • Director of Pro Scouting - Brendan Prophett
  • Assistant Director of Pro Personnel - Rob Lohman
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
  • Offensive Coordinator – Jim Bob Cooter
  • Quarterbacks – Brian Callahan
  • Running Backs – David Walker
  • Wide Receivers – Robert Prince
  • Tight Ends – Al Golden
  • Quality Control/Offensive Line - Michael McCarthy
  • Offensive Assistant/Research & Analysis - Evan Rothstein
  
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
  • Special Teams Coordinator – Joe Marciano
  • Special Teams Assistant - Devin Fitzsimmons
Strength and Conditioning
  • Head Strength and Conditioning – Harold Nash
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Josh Schuler
Coaching Support Staff
  • Director of Football Research/Special Projects - Randy Edsall
  • Director of Coaching Operations - Gina Newell

→ Coaching Staff
→ Management
→ More NFL staffs

AFC East
BUF
MIA
NE
NYJ
North
BAL
CIN
CLE
PIT
South
HOU
IND
JAX
TEN
West
DEN
KC
OAK
SD
NFC East
DAL
NYG
PHI
WAS
North
CHI
DET
GB
MIN
South
ATL
CAR
NO
TB
West
ARI
LA
SF
SEA

Divisions and division rivals

The Lions have been a part of multiple divisions and have had several division rivals in their existence. Their oldest rivals are the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, whom they have been paired with in a division since 1933. The Minnesota Vikings have been in a division with Detroit ever since their inaugural season in 1961. Other notable longtime division opponents were the Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams (29 seasons from 1937–1966, except for 1943), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (25 seasons from 1977–2001), the San Francisco 49ers (17 seasons from 1950–1966), the Chicago Cardinals (16 seasons from 1933–1949, except for 1944), and the Baltimore Colts (14 seasons from 1953–1966).

The Lions also have a preseason rivalry with the Cleveland Browns, dubbed the Great Lakes Classic.[10] The two teams have been playing for The Barge Trophy since 2002.[11] The Lions and Browns had a solid rivalry in the 1950s, when they met four times for the NFL championship (Detroit won three of the matchups).

NFL Western Division: 1933–1949

NFL National Conference: 1950–1952

NFL Western Conference: 1953–1966

NFL Central Division: 1967–1969

NFC Central: 1970–2001

NFC North: 2002–present

Radio and television

Radio

The Lions' flagship radio station is WJR 760 AM. Dan Miller does play-by-play, Jim Brandstatter does color commentary, and Tony Ortiz provides sideline reports.[12]

The team moved to WJR for the 2016 NFL season, ending a 20-year relationship with CBS Radio-owned WXYT-FM. The decision to part with WXYT was reportedly instigated by a demand by the team for the station to fire on-air personality Mike Valenti—who has had a history of making comments critical of the Lions during his drive-time show—as a condition of any future renewal. A CBS Radio spokesperson stated that their refusal was meant to maintain the station's integrity.[13][14]

TV

Preseason

In 2015, WJBK took over from WXYZ-TV as the flagship station for Lions preseason games. The announcers are Matt Shepard with play-by-play, Rob Rubick and Nate Burleson with color commentary, and FOX2's Jennifer Hammond with sideline reports. Wraparound shows and preseason games are produced by Fox Sports Detroit which also airs replays of the broadcasts.

Regular season

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 on either Fox(odd-numbered years) or CBS(even-numbered years). The Detroit Lions were the last NFC team to play on NBC, since they got football back in 2006 (the Lions at Saints game on December 4, 2011 marked their 1st appearance). The Lions' official regular season pregame show is The Ford Lions Report.

Blackouts

The Lions' winless performance in 2008 and 2–14 season in 2009, coupled with the effects of the Great Recession in Michigan, led to several local broadcast blackouts, as local fans did not purchase enough tickets by the 72-hour blackout deadline. In 2008, five of the Lions' final six home games of the season did not sell out, with the Thanksgiving game being the exception. The first blackout in the seven-year history of Ford Field was on October 26, 2008, against the Washington Redskins. The previous 50 regular season home games had been sellouts. The second home game of the 2009 season in which the Lions broke the losing streak (also against the Washington Redskins) was blacked out locally, as well as the comeback victory over the Cleveland Browns. The Lions had only one blackout in 2010, the Washington Redskins game, which the Lions won 37–25.[15]

Games were also often blacked out at the Lions' previous home, the (perhaps oversized) 80,000-seat Pontiac Silverdome, despite winning seasons and the success and popularity of star players such as Barry Sanders.

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "Detroit Lions Team Capsule" (PDF). 2016 Official National Football League Record and Fact Book. National Football League. July 15, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Lions Unveil New Comprehensive Brand; Team modifies team logo and uniforms and introduces new brand". Detroit Lions. April 20, 2009. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Detroit Lions Team Facts". Pro Football Hall of Fame. December 29, 2014. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  4. ↑ "21 Football Facts to Fake Your Super Bowl Street Cred".
  5. ↑ Griffith 2012, p. 144.
  6. ↑ Griffith 2012, p. 139.
  7. ↑ Kowalski, Tom (February 9, 2009). "Tom Lewand: Lions' black uniforms discarded". The Grand Rapids Press. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  8. ↑ ESPN NFL Attendance Report
  9. ↑ "Lions to retire Smith's No. 93 in '09". ESPN. Associated Press. March 21, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-21.
  10. ↑ Baskin, Andy (August 18, 2011). "Baskin: Browns-Lions battle for 'Barge' trophy". WEWS-TV. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
  11. ↑ Schudel, Jeff (November 22, 2009). "Great Lakes Classic has lacked luster since its beginning". The Morning Journal. Retrieved 2009-03-21.
  12. ↑ Detroit Lions Official Site: Detroit Lions Radio Network Affiliates
  13. ↑ "CBS Detroit: Lions censorship demands caused split". The Detroit News. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  14. ↑ "Want to listen to the Lions in 2016? Tune in to WJR-AM". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  15. ↑ Kowalski, Tom (October 28, 2010). "Detroit Lions' game on Sunday will be blacked out locally". MLive.com. The Grand Rapids Press. Retrieved October 29, 2010.

Bibliography

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