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Detroit Lions
History |
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The
Detroit Lions are a National Football League
team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions
are one of four teams that play in the North
Division of the National Football
Conference. The Detroit Lions franchise
traces its origin to the Portsmouth
Spartans, a team based in Ohio that entered
the NFL in 1930. In 1932 the Spartans played
in the league’s first postseason game,
losing 9-0 to the Chicago Bears. In 1934 the
club was sold to radio station owner George
Richards, who moved the team to Detroit and
renamed it the Lions. That season, Detroit
hosted its first ever Thanksgiving Day game,
a tradition continued to this day.In the
1950s, the Lions enjoyed their finest years
ever with four divisional titles and three
league championships in 1952, 1953 and 1957. |
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Stars of those glittering teams, whose
annual showdowns against the archrival
Cleveland Browns fascinated the pro
football world, included such future Pro
Football Hall of Famers as quarterback
Bobby Layne, running back Doak Walker,
tackle-guard Lou Creekmur and safety
Jack Christiansen.Since their last title
in 1957, the Lions have been looking in
vain for the top spot. The best the
Lions were able to accomplish as a team
for the next 26 seasons were wild-card
berths in 1970 and 1982. The Lions
finally ended their long championship
drought by winning the NFC Central
Division championship in 1983.The Lions
under Coach Wayne Fontes and paced by
superstar running back Barry Sanders,
the team's all-time rushing leader, also
won divisional titles in 1991 and 1993.
Detroit's first playoff victories since
1957 took the Lions all the way to the
1991 NFC championship game for the first
time in franchise history. |
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On January 7, 1961, the Lions defeated
the Cleveland Browns 17-16 in the
first-ever Playoff Bowl matching the
runners-up from the two conferences into
which the NFL was divided at the time
(the Lions also appeared in the game in
both of the next two years pursuant to
their having finished second to the
Green Bay Packers in the Western
Conference in all three seasons; the
Playoff Bowl was abolished in 1970 when
the merger of the NFL and AFL went into
full effect).In 1980, the Lions drafted
running back Billy Sims with the first
overall pick in the NFL draft. Led by
Sims, the team got off to a promising
start that year and attracted
considerable media attention when they
adopted "Another One Bites The Dust,"
popularized by glam rock band Queen, as
an unofficial team song.The Lions have
thus far won four League
Championships(1932 (NFL), 1952 (NFL),
1953 (NFL), 1957 (NFL)). |
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The
Detriot lions Hall of Famers include Earl
"Dutch" Clark (1963), Bill Dudley (1966),
Bobby Layne (1967), Alex Wojciechowicz
(1968), Doak Walker (1986),Jack Christiansen
(1970), Joe Schmidt (1973),Dick "Night
Train" Lane (1974), Yale Lary (1979), Lem
Barney (1992), Lou Creekmur (1996) and Barry
Sanders (2004).The team has retired the
numbers (#7) Dutch Clark,(#22) Bobby Layne,
(#37) Doak Walker, (#56) Joe Schmidt and
(#85) Chuck Hughes. The Detriot Lions
uniform consists of the colors Honolulu blue
and silver. Their helmet design is a silver
helmet with a blue lion. The Lions are
currently playing their home games at the
Ford Field, opened on September 22, 2002 and
seats 65,000 (capacity). |
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Google NFL Detroit Lions History News |
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Bears add Jones to backfieldThe Delaware County Times, PA - Jul 15, 2008The All-Delco running back spent three seasons in Detroit before being released by the Lions March 13. After visiting Chicago, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay, ... |
Jones carries Bears' hopesChicago Sun-Times, United States - Jul 15, 2008He had no history of injuries. And with a good, young running back ready to go, what did the Lions do? They went pass-crazy. Their offensive line wasn't ... | |
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