Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions is a professional franchise from that located in Downtown Detroit. It was established in Portsmouth, Ohio, as Spartans in 1930 and later moved to Michigan’s capital. This team has competed in the NFC North division since 2001. Their mascot is Roary the Lion.

History of franchise

The Spartans had a poor start in their first season, taking only 8th place in the 1930 season, and quickly made conclusions from their mistakes and took second place the next year. They qualified for the first-ever playoff in 1932 but lost to the Chicago Bears. That was their latest playoff before moving to Detroit because the league introduced divisional ranking. They took second place in the Western division and couldn’t compete for the champion’s title. That was the division winner’s privilege.

Moving to Detroit in 1934 had a positive impact on the team. It was the second or third team during that period. Their inaugural season was memorable due to a 10-game streak, including seven shutouts. However, three further losses to the Packers and Bears left them without qualifying for the playoff.

Hey had a modest 7-3-2 record the next season, but that score helped the Lions win the division. They competed for the championship for the first time. Their opponents were famous Giants, but the accurate tactics beat them 26-7. According to the traditions, the league champion competed with Pro All-Stars. The Lions swept them in Denver 46-0, scoring six touchdowns. Three of them occurred in the third quarter.

Interestingly, Detroit teams won other 1935 competitions: Tigers gained the World Series, and Red Wings were the best NHL team. Some individual Detroiters won some disciplines. Thus, Detroit became the City of Champions and attracted thousands of people supporting its economy damaged by the Great Depression.

The successive triumph happened only in 1952 under the coaching of Buddy Parker. He released three consecutive attempts to become the champions and succeeded twice. Next, coach George Wilson led the team to the NFL Championship in 1957 and three successive Playoff Bowls against the AFL Franchises until the creation of the Super Bowls.

The period between 1970 and 1981 was a period of mediocrity. The team from Detroit appeared only once in the playoff just in the inaugural NFL season after the merger with AFL. They appeared in the same division with Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings. They were stable between the second and third place, but that place wasn’t enough to pretend for the playoff. The Lions took 8th place in the striking 1982 season but lost in the first round.

Since the 1990s, the team has increased the frequency of playoff appearances. The only exception is the 200s. But the times when the Lions won the conference are very distant. That happened in 1957. Now they fail to pass the Wild card level.

Thanksgiving tradition
The Detroit Lions is one of the teams who play Thanksgiving Day. This tradition has continued since 1934 without interruptions. Dallas Cowboys is another regular participant in that series.

Honorary players

Despite the fact that the Lions have 0 champion’s titles, this team delivered some outstanding performers. Their numbers are retired, and you can see their plaques in the hall of fame. That’s the quarterback Dutch Clark who was the first champion with the Detroit team. Interesting that the team has three retired numbers, 20. Barry Sanders was the latest Pro Football Hall of Famer who wore this number despite the significant impact of his previous colleagues Lem Barney and Billy Sims. Chuck Hughes, number 85, was retired because of his early death. Later it returned to circulation.