Team Spotlight: Detroit Lions

Members of the NFL's (National Football League) NFC (National Football Conference) North division, the Detroit Lions are a professional football team based out of – you guessed it – Detroit, Michigan. Though they were originally called the Portsmouth Spartans and based in Portsmouth Ohio, eventually, they would call downtown Detroit-located Ford Field their home. They relocated to Detroit when it was discovered that the team simply could not be supported by tiny Portsmouth. The relocation and new name, Detroit Lions, took place in 1934.

Since 1957, their fourth NFL championship, they have suffered one of the longest championship droughts in the NFL (second only to the Arizona Cardinals). When it comes to Super Bowls, they have never played a single one. In fact, since the Super Bowl first began, they’re one of the only franchised teams (during the entire Super Bowl's history) never to make an appearance.

A Little Bit About the Team

Including championships and key people, here's a little more information on the Detroit Lions:

• NFC Central Division championships – 1993, 1991, 1983
• NFL Western Conference championships – 1957, 1954, and 1953
• NFL National championship – 1952
• Pre-1970 AFL/NFL merger, NFL Championships – 1957, 1953, 1952, 1935

Key team personnel:

• Matt Patricia – head coach
• Bob Quinn – general manager
• Rod Wood – president
• Chairman/owner – Martha Firestone Ford

Team colors – silver and Honolulu blue

Rory the Lion is their mascot

An uninterrupted Thanksgiving Day game tradition has been in effect for the Lions since 1934.

Retired Numbers and Hall of Famers

Numbers retired by the Detroit Lions consist of the following: 85 (Chuck Hughes), 56 (Joe Schmidt), 37 (Doak Walker), 22 (Bobby Layne), 20 (Barry Sanders, Billy Sims, and Lem Barney), and 7 (Dutch Clark).

Pro Football Hall of Famer's for the Detroit Lions include the following: Yale Larry, John Henry Johnson, Dick "Night Train" Lane, Alex Karras, Frank Gatski, Curley Culp, Bill Dudley, Lou Creekmur, Dutch Clark, Jack Christiansen, and Lem Barney.

Those "Other" NFL Teams

In the existence of the Detroit Lions, several teams have been singled out as rivals. Since facing them in the 1930s, the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears have had a relatively fierce rivalry going with the Lions. Since their inaugural 1961 season, the Minnesota Vikings have been in pretty severe contention with the Lions, as well. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been a longtime division opponent. Both playing for The Barge Trophy since 2002, the Lions and the Cleveland Browns have also gone at it aggressively. They met in four NFL championships back in the 50s. Three of those were won by Detroit.

Go Team, Go!

An official decision to add cheerleaders to the organization was made by the Lions back on June 13, 2016. The cheerleading squad, it was decided at the time, would be coached by Rebecca Girard-Smoker (former Detroit Pistons dance team director). The Detroit Lions cheerleaders are active in community events and part of the entertainment during halftime.

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