Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and called the Portsmouth Spartans, the team began play in 1929 as an independent professional team, one of many such teams in the Ohio and Scioto River valleys. For the 1930 season, the Spartans formally joined the NFL as the other area independents folded because of the Great Depression. Despite success within the NFL, they could not survive in Portsmouth, then the NFL's smallest city. The team was purchased and moved to Detroit for the 1934 season.
The Lions have won four NFL Championships, the last in 1957, giving the club the second-longest NFL championship drought behind the Arizona Cardinals. The Lions are one of four current NFL teams that have yet to qualify for the Super Bowl. The 2008 team became the only team in NFL history to lose all 16 regular season games since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978.
History of the Detroit Lions
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. The design consists of silver helmets, silver pants, and either blue or white jerseys.
Lions logo (1970–2002). A variation of this logo was used until the 2009 NFL season, when the new 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, the Lions first vice president and general manager, and of the choice, he said: "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.[2] 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.
Notable players of Detroit Lions
Current roster
Detroit Lions rosterview · talk · edit
Quarterbacks
14 Shaun Hill
9 Matthew Stafford
5 Drew Stanton
Running Backs
44 Jahvid Best
35 Eldra Buckley
28 Maurice Morris
34 Keiland Williams
Wide Receivers
13 Nate Burleson
82 Rashied Davis
81 Calvin Johnson
11 Stefan Logan RS
80 Maurice Stovall
16 Titus Young
Tight Ends
40 Joe Jon Finley
89 Will Heller
87 Brandon Pettigrew
85 Tony Scheffler
Offensive Linemen
76 Jeff Backus T
77 Gosder Cherilus T
70 Jason Fox T
65 Dylan Gandy G
78 Corey Hilliard T
66 Stephen Peterman G
51 Dominic Raiola C
67 Rob Sims G
Defensive Linemen
92 Cliff Avril DE
98 Nick Fairley DT
96 Andre Fluellen DT
91 Sammie Hill DT
94 Lawrence Jackson DE
90 Ndamukong Suh DT
93 Kyle Vanden Bosch DE
99 Corey Williams DT
79 Willie Young DE
Linebackers
59 Bobby Carpenter OLB
52 Justin Durant OLB
57 Doug Hogue OLB
54 DeAndre Levy OLB
58 Ashlee Palmer MLB
55 Stephen Tulloch MLB
Defensive Backs
32 Aaron Berry CB
26 Louis Delmas FS
38 Vincent Fuller SS
23 Chris Houston CB
33 Brandon McDonald CB
30 Anthony Madison CB
27 Alphonso Smith CB
42 Amari Spievey SS
29 John Wendling FS
21 Eric Wright CB
Special Teams
6 Ryan Donahue P
4 Jason Hanson K
48 Don Muhlbach LS
Reserve Lists
-- Cody Brown DE (Did Not Report)
24 Erik Coleman SS (IR)
72 Johnny Culbreath OT (IR)
50 Isaiah Ekejiuba MLB (IR)
36 Jerome Harrison RB (NF-Ill.)
25 Mikel Leshoure RB (IR)
-- Hilee Taylor DE (Did Not Report)
Practice Squad
60 Casey Bender OT
-- Matt Clapp FB
41 James Davis RB (Injured)
64 Dan Gerberry C
86 Nate Hughes WR
49 Aaron Lavarias OLB
63 Jacques McClendon C/G
69 Kyle Moore DE
39 Ricardo Silva SS
Hughes died of a heart attack during a game on October 24, 1971, and his #85 was withdrawn from circulation. However, WR Kevin Johnson wore #85 during his stint in Detroit after asking permission from the Hughes family as he had worn that number throughout his professional career.
Temporary
Corey Smith (93) – The Lions retired #93 for the 2009 season after Smith went missing, presumed dead, when a boat he was fishing in with friends capsized off the Florida coast. The Lions also wore 93 stickers on their helmets that season. Number 93 was assigned to Kyle Vanden Bosch in 2010.
Lions Legends
The Lions have a special program called "Lions Legends" that honors noteworthy former players. The current list of legends includes not only the hall of famers listed above, but also the following players, who according to the Lions, "...Created special moments and added to the lore of football in the Motor City.":
Charley Ane, C/T
Al Baker, DE
Jerry Ball, DT
Terry Barr, WR/DB
Les Bingaman, DT
Bennie Blades, S
Cloyce Box, RB/TE/QB
Lomas Brown, T
Dexter Bussey, RB
Gail Cogdill, E
James David, DB
Keith Dorney, T/G
Doug English, DT
Jim Gibbons, TE
Kevin Glover, C/G
Mel Gray, WR/KR
Robert Hoernschemeyer, RB
James Hunter, DB
Alex Karras, DT
Greg Landry, QB
Dick LeBeau, DB
Mike Lucci, LB
Darris McCord, DE
Scott Mitchell, QB
Herman Moore, WR
Eddie Murray, K
Brett Perriman, WR
Rodney Peete, QB
Tobin Rote, QB
Barry Sanders, RB
Harley Sewell, G
Billy Sims, RB
Chris Spielman, LB
Wayne Walker, LB
Detroit Lions head coachesCurrent staff
Detroit Lions staff
Front Office
Owner/Chairman – William Clay Ford, Sr.
Vice Chairman – William Clay Ford, Jr.
President – Tom Lewand
Senior Vice President/General Manager – Martin Mayhew
Senior Personnel Executive – James "Shack" Harris
Vice President of Football Operations – Cedric Saunders
Vice President of Pro Personnel – Sheldon White
Director of College Scouting – Scott McEwen
Assistant Director of College Scouting/National Scout – Lance Newmark
Assistant Director of Pro Personnel – Miller McCalmon
Assistant Director of Pro Personnel – Charlie Sanders
Head Coaches
Head Coach – Jim Schwartz
Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator – Gunther Cunningham
Offensive Coaches
Offensive Coordinator – Scott Linehan
Assistant Quarterbacks – Todd Downing
Running Backs – Sam Gash
Wide Receivers – Shawn Jefferson
Tight Ends – Tim Lappano
Offensive Line – George Yarno
Assistant Offensive Line – Jeremiah Washburn
Offensive Coaching Assistant – Kyle Valero
Defensive Coaches
Defensive Line – Kris Kocurek
Linebackers – Matt Burke
Secondary – Tim Walton
Defensive Assistant – Don Clemons
Defensive Coaching Assistant – Brandon Fisher
Special Teams Coaches
Special Teams Coordinator – Danny Crossman
Assistant Special Teams – Bradford Banta
Strength and Conditioning
Coordinator of Physical Development – Jason Arapoff
Strength and Conditioning Assistant – Ted Rath
Detroit Lions broadcasters
Detroit Lions Radio Network
The Lions' flagship radio stations are WXYT-FM, 97.1 FM, and WXYT-AM, 1270 AM. Dan Miller does play-by-play, Jim Brandstatter does color commentary, and Tony Ortiz provides sideline reports.If a conflict with Detroit Tigers or Detroit Red Wings coverage arises, only WXYT-FM serves as the Lions' flagship. The Lions and WXYT AM/FM renewed their partnership for three more seasons on October 9, 2009.
Detroit Lions Television Network
WXYZ-TV is the flagship station Lions preseason games. The announcers are Matt Shepard with play-by-play, Rob Rubick with color commentary, and Tom Leyden with sideline reports.
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 Classic game in Detroit is always televised nationally on either Fox or CBS, depending on who the visiting team is. The Detroit Lions are the only NFC team that hasn't yet played on NBC (the Houston Texans hold that distinction for the AFC) when they got the NFL back in 2006.
The Lions' official regular season pregame show is The Ford Lions Report.
For regular season games versus NFC opponents when Fox doesn't have a double header, WJBK produces a live postgame show.
Blackouts
The Lions' winless performance in 2008 and 2–14 season in 2009, coupled with the effects of the Late-2000s 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.
Games were also often blacked out at the Lions' previous home, the (perhaps over-sized) 80,000-seat Pontiac Silverdome, despite winning seasons and the success and popularity of Barry Sanders.
All about NFL:
Jahvid Best ruled out vs. Falcons
San Francisco 49ers
Pittsburgh Steelers
49ers arrival of Edward DeBartolo & Bill Walsh
San Francisco 49ers fifth
San Francisco 49ers season Records
Seattle Seahawks
Arizona Cardinals
Detroit Lions
Jahvid Best
No comments:
Post a Comment