Detroit Lions

The Ohio-based Portsmouth Spartans joined the NFL in 1930. They faced the Chicago BearsChicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL), competing in the NFC North. They play at Soldier Field in Chicago and are headquartered at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Illinois. The franchise originated as the Staley Starch Company's team in Decatur, Illinois, and joined the American Professional Football Association, later renamed the NFL, as a charter member on September 17, 1920. One of two surviving NFL charter franchises, the team adopted its current name in 1922. The Bears have won nine league championships, including Super Bowl XX following the 1985 season. The McCaskey family has controlled the team since founder George Halas died in 1983.Open the full entry in an indoor championship-deciding game at Chicago Stadium in 1932, a contest that helped prompt rule changes and the subsequent introduction of divisions and an annual title game.⁠[1]

Radio executive George A. Richards bought the Spartans for $8,000 in 1934, moved them to Detroit and renamed them the Lions. A team featuring Dutch Clark won the NFL title in 1935. Its Thanksgiving game tradition began in 1934 and continued apart from a hiatus from 1939 through 1944.⁠[1]

The Lions won NFL championships in 1952, 1953 and 1957. Key players included quarterback Bobby Layne, running back Doak Walker, lineman Lou Creekmur and safety Jack Christiansen, with Cleveland a recurring championship rival.⁠[1]

William Clay Ford was the franchise’s sole owner for the 1964–2013 seasons. Martha Firestone Ford took over after his death in 2014, continuing a family ownership structure that later passed to the next generation.⁠[2]

After Wild Card berths in 1970 and 1982, Detroit won the NFC Central in 1983. The teams of coach Wayne Fontes and running back Barry Sanders added division titles in 1991 and 1993, reaching the franchise’s first NFC Championship Game in the 1991 season.⁠[1]

After moving to the Tigers’ Briggs Field in 1938 and the Pontiac Silverdome in 1975, the Lions returned to downtown Detroit in 2002 to play at the indoor Ford Field.⁠[1]

Detroit drafted receiver Calvin Johnson in 2007 but still finished the 2008 season 0–16. Quarterback Matthew Stafford arrived through the 2009 draft, and the pair subsequently helped the Lions return to the playoffs.⁠[3][1]

Sheila Ford Hamp succeeded her mother as principal owner and chair on June 23, 2020. In 2021, the Lions hired general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell and traded for quarterback Jared Goff.⁠[2][1]

Detroit won its first division title since 1993 in 2023 and reached the NFC Championship Game after two playoff victories. The Lions repeated as NFC North champions in 2024, setting a franchise record of 15–2 and earning the NFC’s top seed for the first time. They finished the 2025 regular season 9–8.⁠[2]

Ford Field is at 2000 Brush Street in Detroit, Michigan. Allen Park, where the team has office and training facilities, is distinct from the home stadium’s location; Detroit is the home city used in the team directory.⁠[4][5]

Detroit Lions: Official website: https://www.detroitlions.com/ (opens in a new window) .⁠[6]

Detroit Lions: X: https://twitter.com/Lions (opens in a new window) .⁠[6]

Detroit Lions: YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: https://www.youtube.com/user/detroitlionsnfl (opens in a new window) .⁠[6]

Detroit Lions: LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: https://www.linkedin.com/company/detroit-lions (opens in a new window) .⁠[5]