Detroit Lions

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Detroit Lions
Founded in 1929
playing in Detroit , Michigan
league

National Football League (1930-present)

Team colors Blue, silver, black, white
mascot Roary
staff
owner Sheila Ford Hamp
General manager Bob Quinn
Head coach Matt Patricia
Team history
  • Portsmouth Spartans (1929-1933)
  • Detroit Lions (1934-present)
successes
NFL Champion (4)
  • NFL Championships (4)
    1935, 1952, 1953, 1957
Conference winner (4)
  • NFL National: 1952
  • NFL Western: 1953, 1954, 1957
Division Winner (4)
  • NFL West: 1935
  • NFC Central: 1983, 1991, 1993
Play-off participations (18)
  • NFL: 1932, 1935, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1970, 1982, 1983, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2011, 2014, 2016
Stages
The home stadium of the Lions

The Detroit Lions are an American football team of the US National Football League (NFL) in Detroit , Michigan . They belong together with the Chicago Bears , the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers of the Northern Division within the National Football Conference (NFC). The team colors are Honolulu blue and silver, the helmet is decorated with a blue lion on a silver background.

The Lions had their most successful period in the 1950s, when they won three of their four NFL Championships. Since the resignation of running back Barry Sanders in 1999, they had to wait until 2011 to qualify for the play-offs again . In 2008, the Lions lost all 16 regular season games , making them the first NFL team to have achieved this dubious record since the regular season was expanded to 16 games in 1978. Despite this negative experience, Lions fans showed their humor after the last game. After the 21:31 loss to the Green Bay Packers, they chanted : Yes we can . However, they are not the first team to lose all games: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers failed to win a game in 1976 either. However, the regular season consisted of only 14 games at the time, and it was the first season for the Buccaneers to enter the league at the time. In the 2017 season this negative brand was discontinued by the Cleveland Browns who in turn ended the season with no win and 0-16. The Lions are one of four teams that have never played in the Super Bowl . Since the Lions were able to win their last title in 1957 , they have to experience the second longest losing streak to a title after the Arizona Cardinals .

Since 1945 Lions have played nonstop at home on Thursdays on Thanksgiving Day.

history

Foundation and early years

The Detroit Lions were founded in Portsmouth in 1929 as the Portsmouth Spartans . After successfully playing against local semi and full professional teams, they were inducted into the NFL. There they played very successfully with head coach George Clark and college star Earl Clark . In 1931 you could be runner-up and in 1932 after the regular season you were at the top of the table together with the Chicago Bears . In order to clarify the question of the rightful title holder, an additional game was agreed. This game is now considered the first unofficial play-off game in NFL history. The Spartans were defeated by the Bears with 0: 9 points. However, the gnawing global economic crisis to the Spartans, which is why they were like many other teams on the ropes. To save the crew, Joe Carr , NFL commissioner from 1921 to 1939, devised a plan to move the Spartans to Detroit . A buyer was also found in George A. Richards , director of the radio station World Junior Records (WJR). So the team was renamed the Detroit Lions in 1934, based on the city's professional baseball team, the Detroit Tigers . In retrospect, the move turned out to be very successful for the NFL, as they were finally able to establish a team in the "Motor City" in the fifth attempt. In addition, the Detroit Lions first won the NFL title in 1935 , the same year the Detroit Tigers first won the World Series and just before the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup for two years .

2009 season

Due to their historically poor record of 0-16 from last season, the Lions were allowed to select the first player in the 2009 NFL Draft . They chose quarterback Matthew Stafford . However, Stafford could not convince, also due to an injury, and so the Lions only got two wins during the season. The renewal of the Lions had been initiated by the new head coach Jim Schwartz , and so the Lions succeeded on September 27, 2009, with a 19:14 win in the home game against the Washington Redskins , the first victory since December 23, 2007. Previously, the Lions lost 19 games across the seasons.

2010 season

After the disappointing results of the past seasons, the Lions started the 2010 season more optimistically. With the second pick in the NFL Draft, the Lions chose the defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh , who already strengthened the Lions' defense considerably in the first few games . Nevertheless, the season began with a disenchantment, as Lions starting quarterback Matthew Stafford injured his shoulder in the first game of the season and was only able to play three games in the further course of the season. Due to an improved defense, the Lions finished the season with a 6-10 record.

2011 season

The return to the play-offs succeeded the Lions in the 2011 season. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was able to play the entire season without injury and scored 5,038 passing yards. He was only the fourth player in NFL history to throw passes over 5,000 yards in one season. He was again supported by a strong defensive line and Pro Bowl wide receiver Calvin Johnson , who set up the season best of all wide receivers with 1,681 receiving yards. The Lions reached the play-offs (NFL) for the first time in ten years with a record of ten wins and six losses , but lost to the New Orleans Saints in the first round at 28:45.

2012 season

Rookie Mikel Leshoure scored three touchdowns in a quarter in his sixth NFL game, at 31:14 in Jacksonville. After Earl Clark , he is the second Lions player to do so. After the season, Jason Hanson retired after 21 years with the Lions as a kicker . Until he retired at 42, he was the oldest active player in the NFL. With 327 games, he holds the NFL record for most games for a club.

2013 season

The Lions started the season with a win against the Minnesota Vikings . The first half of the season up to Bye Week in the ninth week of the regular season, the Lions were able to close very successfully with a record of five wins and three defeats. By the end of week 10 after beating the Chicago Bears, the Lions were in first place in their division. After a score of 1-4 from the five games that followed, the Lions dropped to third place in week 15. Another six days later they lost the game against the New York Giants at Ford Field and could not qualify for the play-offs again. After a 14-13 defeat in the last game of the season against Minnesota Vikings, a balanced record was narrowly missed and they ended the season with seven wins and nine losses. Matthew Stafford scored the third most (4,650) yards in the regular season in the passing game . After the season, Jim Caldwell was signed as the new head coach.

For Detroit, Ndamukong Suh ( defensive tackle ) and Calvin Johnson ( wide receiver ) were elected to the Pro Bowl . Due to injury, Calvin Johnson could not compete. Suh lost in Team Sanders just under 21:22.

2014 season

The Lions made it to the play-offs of the 2014 NFL season after finishing second in the NFC North , behind the Green Bay Packers . In the wild card game they then failed directly against the Dallas Cowboys and were defeated 24:20.

A total of five Lions players made it into the 2014 Pro Bowl. The first choice was Calvin Johnson (wide receiver), Ndamukong Suh (defensive tackle) and Glover Quin ( safety ). Later moved Golden Tate (wide receiver) and Matthew Stafford ( quarterback ) to.

After the season, Ndamukong Suh moved to the Miami Dolphins , where he signed a six-year contract that made him the highest-paid defense player in the league by then. Two days earlier, the long-time owner of the Lions William Clay Ford died at the age of 88, which is why the players wore patches with his initials in the following season.

2015 season

By their bye week , the Lions could only win one out of eight games. As a result, the offensive coordinator and two other coaches were fired. In addition, General Manager Martin Mayhew and President Tom Lewand were sacked. This was later replaced by Rod Wood . In the second half of the season, the team was able to achieve some wins again, which ended the season with a 7-9 record in third place in the division. After more than 20 years, the Lions won again on November 15th in Green Bay , Lambeau Field . However, the second leg was lost and is known as the Miracle at Motown . After the season, Calvin Johnson , the Lions' most successful wide receiver to date, retired after nine seasons.

2016 season

By week 12, every Lions game was decided by a point difference of seven or less, something that has never happened before in the NFL. By week 14, the Lions led the division with a score of 9-4. However, the last three games were lost, which is why the season ended in second place. Due to the tie-breaker regulations of the NFL, the Lions received the last NFC play-off spot ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the wildcard round, the Lions had to play against the Seahawks. However, this game was clearly lost with 6:26. With this defeat, the Lions lost nine play-off games in a row, making it the longest streak in the NFL.

At the end of the season, only the kicker Matt Prater was elected to the Pro Bowl because he scored the winning field goal in the last second in some games .

Stadium and spectators

season Average attendance
(home games) 		Total audience
(home games)
2006 season 60,889 487.116
2007 season 61,304 490.436
2008 season 54,497 435.979
2009 season 49,395 395.162
2010 season 56,285 450.286
2011 season 63,742 509.940
2012 season 63,769 510.158
2013 season 63,796 510.369
2014 season 63,024 504.198
2015 season 61,347 490.782
2016 season 60,792 486,342
2017 season 64,137 513.100
2018 season 62,795 502.361
Season 2019 61,342 490.737

The Lions have been playing in the newly built Ford Field since the 2002 season . The stadium normally holds 65,000 spectators. However, it can be expanded to 70,000 for soccer games and 80,000 for basketball games. On February 5, 2006, the stadium was the site of the Super Bowl XL , in which the Seattle Seahawks played against the Pittsburgh Steelers . On April 1, 2007, Ford Field was the venue for WrestleMania 23, which was attended by almost 80,000 spectators. Ford secured the name of the stadium for 20 years for a price of 40 million US dollars.

The attendance at home games is between 90 and 98 percent and thus in the middle of the NFL. The lowest occupancy was in the 2009 season , when only 76.6 percent of tickets were sold, the third lowest value in the NFL.

people

player

Current squad

Detroit Lions squad

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receiver

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebacker

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve List

Practice Squad

Rookies in italics

Roster as of September 24, 2019
Depth Chart • Transactions

53 active, 3 inactive, 10 practice squad
Abbreviations for player positions in American football


Offense

QB - Quarterback  | RB - running back  | FB - Fullback  | TE - Tight End  | E / WR - Wide Receiver  | T - tackle  | G - Guard  | C - center

Defense

DT - Defensive Tackle  | DE - Defensive End  | NT - Nose Tackle  | LB - Linebacker  | ILB - Inside Linebacker  | MLB - Middle Linebacker  | OLB - Outside Linebacker  | CB - Cornerback  | NB - Nickelback  | FS - Free Safety  | SS - Strong Safety

Special teams

K - kicker  | P - punter  | KS - Kicking Specialist  | KOS - Kickoff Specialist  | LS - Long Snapper  | RS - Return Specialist  | KOR / KR - Kick Returner  | PR - Punt Returner  | PP - punt protector

Lions in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Jersey number Surname position Active for the Lions Year of admission
7th Earl "Dutch" Clark QB 1931-1932,
1934-1938		 1963
35 Bill Dudley HB 1947-1949 1966
22nd Bobby Layne QB 1950-1958 1967
50 Alex Wojciechowicz C , LB 1938-1946 1968
14th Jack Christiansen DB 1951-1958 1970
39 Hugh McElhenny HB 1964 1970
30th Ollie Matson RB 1963 1972
56 Joe Schmidt LB 1953-1965 1973
81 Dick Lane CB 1960-1965 1974
28 Yale Lary S , P 1952-1953,
1956-1964		 1979
72 Frank Gatski C. 1957 1985
37 Doak Walker HB 1950-1955 1986
35 John Henry Johnson FB 1957-1959 1987
20th Lem Barney CB 1967-1977 1992
76 Lou Creekmur T , G 1950-1959 1996
20th Barry Sanders RB 1989-1998 2004
88 Charlie Sanders TE 1968-1977 2007
44 Dick LeBeau CB 1959-1972 2010
77 Curley Culp DT 1980-1981 2013
63 Dick Stanfel G 1952-1955 2016
71 Alex Karras DT 1958-1970 2020

Jersey numbers that are no longer assigned

Detroit Lions Retired Numbers
No. player position Period
7th Earl "Dutch" Clark QB 1934-1938
20 1 Barry Sanders RB 1989-1998
22nd Bobby Layne QB , K 1950-1958
37 Doak Walker HB , K , P 1950-1955
56 2 Joe Schmidt LB 1953-1965
85 3 Chuck Hughes WR 1970-1971
1 Jersey number 20 was banned specifically for Sanders, although the number was also worn by RB Billy Sims and CB Lem Barney , who were top players in their positions with the Lions.
2 With Schmidt's approval, jersey number 56 was reactivated by linebacker Pat Swilling , who came from the Saints . After that, however, no player wore the number again.
3 Number was posthumously withdrawn after Hughes died of a heart attack during a game on October 24, 1971. However, WR Kevin Johnson wore the # 85 during his season in Detroit, with the approval of the Hughes family.
4th The Lions withdrew the number 93 during the 2009 season after Corey Smith disappeared and was later found dead. For the rest of the season, Lions also wore a number 93 sticker on their helmets. For the 2010 season , the number was given to Kyle Vanden Bosch .

Trainer (Head Coaches)

With George "Potsy" Clark, the Lions won in 1935 , the NFL championship .
Jim Caldwell was the Lions Head Coach from 2014 to 2017 .
# Order of trainers
Games Play as a coach
S. Victories
N Defeats
UE draw
Won% Win rate
* Exclusively active as head coach for the Spartans / Lions
# Surname Period Regular season Play-offs Achievements / Awards reference
Games S. N UE Won% Games S. N
Portsmouth Spartans
1 Hal Griffin * 1930 14th 5 6th 3 .455 - - -
2 Potsy Clark 1931-1933 37 23 10 4th .697 - - -
Detroit Lions
- Potsy Clark 1934-1936 37 25th 10 2 .714 1 1 0 NFL Championship (1935)
3 Dutch Clark 1937-1938 22nd 14th 8th 0 .636 - - -
4th Gus Henderson * 1939 11 6th 5 0 .545 - - -
- Potsy Clark 1 1940 11 5 5 1 .500 - - -
5 Bill Edwards * 1941-1942 14th 4th 9 1 .308 - - -
6th John Karcis * 1942 8th 0 8th 0 .000 - - -
7th Gus Dorais * 1943-1947 53 20th 31 2 .392 - - -
8th Bo McMillin 1948-1950 36 12 24 0 .333 - - -
9 Buddy Parker 1951-1956 72 47 23 2 .671 4th 3 1 UPI NFL Coach of the Year (1956)
NFL Championships (1952, 1953)
10 George Wilson 1957-1964 104 53 45 6th .541 2 2 0 AP NFL Coach of the Year (1957)
NFL Championship (1957)
11 Harry Gilmer * 1965-1966 28 10 16 2 .385 - - -
12 Joe Schmidt 1967-1972 84 43 34 7th .558 1 0 1
13 Don McCafferty 1973 14th 6th 7th 1 .462 - - -
14th Rick Forzano * 1974-1976 32 15th 17th 0 .469 - - -
15th Tommy Hudspeth * 1976-1977 24 11 13 0 .458 - - -
16 Monte Clark 1978-1984 105 43 61 1 .413 2 0 2
17th Darryl Rogers * 1985-1988 58 18th 40 0 .310 - - -
18th Wayne Fontes * 1988-1996 133 66 67 0 .496 5 1 4th AP NFL Trainer of the Year (1991)
Pro Football Weekly NFL Trainer of the Year (1991)
UPI NFC Trainer of the Year (1991)
19th Bobby Ross 1997-2000 57 27 30th 0 .474 2 0 2
20th Gary Moeller * 2000 7th 4th 3 0 .571 - - -
21st Marty Mornhinweg * 2001-2002 32 5 27 0 .156 - - -
22nd Steve Mariucci 2003-2005 43 15th 28 0 .349 - - -
23 Dick Jauron 2005 5 1 4th 0 .200 - - -
24 Rod Marinelli * 2006-2008 48 10 38 0 .208 - - -
25th Jim Schwartz * 2009-2013 80 29 51 0 .363 1 0 1
26th Jim Caldwell 2014-2017 64 36 28 0 .563 2 0 2
27 Matt Patricia * 2018– 32 9 22nd 1 .297 - - -
1 Potsy Clark achieved a total of 53 wins, 25 losses and seven draws for the team.

Rivalries

Due to their long history in the NFL, there has been a rivalry with the Green Bay Packers since 1930 when the Packers and Lions first met. The two teams have been division rivals since the 1933 season and therefore still play against each other at least twice a year. This altercation is the longest running rivalry in the NFL. So far, the Packers have won more victories than the Lions in this rivalry. During this time there were some special games. The Packers defeated the Lions on the last day of the 2008 season with 31:21, which resulted in the Lions having a balance of 0-16 at the end of the season. The 2015 season saw the Lions win again in Green Bay for the first time in 14 years. In the second leg in Detroit, the Packers made the biggest comeback in the history of their encounter. The game, with the Packers trailing 0:20 at halftime and winning 27:23 on the last play, was later referred to as the Miracle in Motown.

A similar long rivalry exists with the Chicago Bears . This goes back to the 1932 season. In this rivalry, too, the Lions are behind victories.

cheerleader

Since the 2016 season , the Lions have had cheerleaders again after more than 40 years , who show dance choreographies during the game and cheer the audience on.

Balance sheets and records

Detroit Lions / Numbers and Records presents important Lions records, direct comparisons with other American football teams, season records since 1930, and first-round draft picks since 1936.

literature

  • Richard Bak: When Lions Were Kings: The Detroit Lions and the Fabulous Fifties. Wayne State University Press, Detroit 2020, ISBN 978-0-8143-3427-0 .

Web links

Commons : Detroit Lions  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Huddle Football Magazine . April 2017, ISSN  0340-3718 , p. 29 .
  2. ↑ a b c Stefan Feldmann: Relocation History of the NFL: Detroit Lions. bigplay.ch, February 3, 2014, accessed on July 14, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Pro Bowl selection of Lions for the 2014 season
  4. ↑ Josh Alper: Dolphins make it official with Ndamukong Suh. nbcsports.com, March 11, 2015, accessed July 14, 2017 .
  5. ↑ Kevin Patra: Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford Sr. passes away. nfl.com, March 9, 2014, accessed July 14, 2017 .
  6. ↑ Michael Rothstein: Lions to wear Ford Sr. jersey patch. In: ESPN . July 21, 2014, accessed July 14, 2017 .
  7. ↑ Trail in fourth quarter? Nothing new for Lions. In: ESPN . November 24, 2016, accessed July 14, 2017 .
  8. ↑ a b NFL Attendance - 2006. In: espn.go.com. ESPN , accessed July 14, 2017 .
  9. ↑ a b NFL Attendance - 2007. In: espn.go.com. ESPN , accessed July 14, 2017 .
  10. ↑ a b NFL Attendance - 2008. In: espn.go.com. ESPN , accessed July 14, 2017 .
  11. ↑ a b NFL Attendance - 2009. In: espn.go.com. ESPN , accessed July 14, 2017 .
  12. ↑ a b NFL Attendance - 2010. In: espn.go.com. ESPN , accessed July 14, 2017 .
  13. ↑ a b NFL Attendance - 2011. In: espn.go.com. ESPN , accessed July 14, 2017 .
  14. ↑ a b NFL Attendance - 2012. In: espn.go.com. ESPN , accessed July 14, 2017 .
  15. ↑ a b NFL Attendance - 2013. In: espn.go.com. ESPN , accessed July 14, 2017 .
  16. ↑ a b NFL Attendance - 2014. In: espn.go.com. ESPN , accessed July 14, 2017 .
  17. ↑ a b NFL Attendance - 2015. In: espn.go.com. ESPN , accessed July 14, 2017 .
  18. ↑ a b NFL Attendance - 2016. In: espn.go.com. ESPN , accessed July 14, 2017 .
  19. ↑ a b NFL Attendance - 2017. In: espn.go.com. ESPN , accessed January 5, 2018 .
  20. ↑ a b NFL Attendance - 2018. In: espn.go.com. ESPN , accessed January 11, 2020 .
  21. ↑ a b NFL Attendance - 2019. In: espn.go.com. ESPN , accessed January 11, 2020 .
  22. ^ Ford Field - World of Stadiums. worldofstadiums.com, accessed July 14, 2017 .
  23. ^ Lions to retire Smith's No. 93 in '09 . espn.com. March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
  24. ^ Statistics from Hal Griffin . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  25. ^ A b c Statistics by Potsy Clark . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  26. ^ Statistics from Dutch Clark . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  27. ^ Statistics by Al Davis . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  28. ^ Statistics from Bill Edwards . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  29. ↑ statistics John Karcis . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  30. ↑ statistics Gus Dorais . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  31. ^ Statistics by Bo McMillin . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  32. ↑ Buddy Parker's statistics . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  33. ^ Statistics by George Wilson . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  34. ^ Statistics from Harry Gilmer . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  35. ^ Statistics from Joe Schmidt . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  36. ^ Statistics from Don McCafferty . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  37. ↑ Statistics by Rick Forzano . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  38. ^ Statistics from Tommy Hudspeth . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  39. ↑ Statistics from Monte Clark . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  40. ^ Statistics by Darryl Rogers . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  41. ↑ Statistics by Wayne Fontes . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  42. ^ Statistics from Bobby Ross . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  43. ^ Statistics by Gary Moeller . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  44. ↑ statistics Marty Mornhinweg . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  45. ↑ Statistics by Steve Mariucci . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  46. ^ Statistics by Dick Jauron . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  47. ^ Statistics by Rod Marinelli . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  48. ↑ Statistics by Jim Schwartz . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  49. ↑ Statistics by Jim Caldwell . Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  50. ^ Statistics by Matt Patricia . Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  51. ↑ Detroit Lions to add cheerleaders. (No longer available online.) Detroitlions.com, June 13, 2016, archived from the original on January 15, 2017 ; accessed on July 14, 2017 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.detroitlions.com
National Football League 2020
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NFC
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