First Try! The Detroit Heralds
The first Detroit based Football team Started in 1906. When a group of former University of Detroit Titians (now called the University of Detroit Mercy) football players formed a team to play amateur football because the university was unable to form an official college team.
They called themselves the Detroit Heralds.
They played other amateur teams from around the area from 1905-1910.
Then in 1911 they unofficially joined a semi-professional league in ohio. The “Ohio League”.
Where they scheduled games against official Ohio League members.
Then in 1920 the “American Professional Football Association” now known as the National Football League “NFL” was being formed. Many teams from the Ohio League Joined as did the Detroit Heralds!
In 1920 the Heralds finished 9th out of 14 teams with a 2-3-3 record.
In 1921 the team was renamed to match the Detroit MLB team. The Detroit Tigers!
However the new branding didn’t help the team in the standings, they finished 16th out of 21 teams with a 1-5-1 record. Many of players were unhappy with how much they were getting paid, so the team folded and the players were given to the Buffalo All Americans.
The All Americans were a more successful team in the NFL that rebranded to the Buffalo Bisons. They would remain in the NFL until 1929. When they were forced to fold due to the Great Depression and the NFL scaling back operations. The good players were taken by the remaining NFL teams, while the rest left to join or form Semi-pro teams.
Take 2! The Panthers!
The Milwaukee Badgers were an NFL team from 1922 to 1926. Where QB Jimmy Conzelman played and coached.
However after the 1924 seasons he was replaced as coach and the team struggled. He left the team and the Badgers folded in 1926 and most of the players were absorbed by Pittsburgh Pirates (Now known as the Steelers).
Conzelman wanted to form his own team where he had total control. He went to detroit and got approved to form a new APFA (NFL) team.
The record books are a bit foggy on where the players came from but a few known players came from the Toledo Maroon Franchise that folded the previous year.
As well as other struggling franchises. And thus he created the Detroit Panthers in 1925 where he was the Owner Coach and QB.
The Panthers would last only 2 seasons before the Great Depression and NFL winding down got to them. They folded after the 1926 season. Being the last new franchise to leave the NFL aside from the 1933-1934 Cincinnati Reds.
Take 3 The Wolverines!
The Detroit Wolverines history actually predates the Heralds/Tigers. Starting with the Canton Bulldogs in 1903.
A group of amateurs from the area formed a professional team to join the Ohio League. Where they won 3 championships in 1916,1917 and 1919. Years they then were one of the many teams to make the jump to the new “NFL”. Where they continues their success by winning the NFL championship in 1922 and 1923.
In that 1923 title game they beat the new NFL team the Cleveland Indians. (Not to be confused with the Cleveland indians that was also in the NFL from 1920-1922. They were a new franchise to the NFL. As much success the Bulldogs were having on the field, they were struggling financially. As a result the Cleveland Indians owner bought the Bulldogs and merged the teams into 1. Forming the Cleveland Bulldogs. After a controversial championship in 1924. The team struggled on the field as well as off the field financially.
The team was sold to a group of investors that bought the struggling franchise and moved them to Detroit in 1928! They renamed the Franchise to the Detroit Wolverines.
The team was moderately successful finishing 3rd in the NFL. However money was getting tight. So owner ship decided to sell a few players off to save money. The previous years NFL Champions New York Giants took them up on that offer and bought the Entire Franchise. Keeping the good players and releasing the rest.
Take 4, Us vs Everybody
After over 20 NFL teams either folding or being bought by other teams in the mid 20s, the NFL was ready to start expanding again in the late 20s.
A group players from failed, Pro, semi pro and amateur teams got together and wanted to form a new team.
In 1928 they got approval from the NFL and decided to make a new stadium in a location of an old Ohio League team. Portsmouth Ohio. It would be the 2nd smallest city to ever host a NFL team behind Green Bay, WI.
The new Portsmouth Spartans had no relation to the old Ohio League Spartans, but the people of Portsmouth wanted a pro team again since the old team disbanded in 1920.
The stadium was completed in 1930 when the Spartans had their first NFL season. The team was successful on the field. Especially in the 1931 after the infusion of players from the Independent team Ironton Tanks. Which played from 1919-1930. And claimed to be the best non nfl team. Especially after wins vs Chicago and New York.
Even with on field success the teams was struggling financially. So an investment group from Detroit lead by George A Richards, owner of WJR radio, that wanted professional football in Detroit (for the 4th time) bought out the team in 1934 moved them to Detroit. And rebranded the team as “The Detroit Lions”. As a nod to the old Detroit Tigers NFL team and current MLB team. As well as to be “the kings of the NFL”.
The Detroit Lions started the 1934 season with a 10 game win streak. However struggled down the stretch and finished 3rd in the division.
However with this success, Richards was able to negotiate with NBC to broadcast nationally the Lions every Thanksgiving. He got the idea from the former Ironton Tanks players. That said they played a scrimmage game every year in town on Thanksgiving.
The fallowing year they won the NFL Championship. With Dutch Clark at QB.
The Detroit Lions were a dominant force over the new few season, however after falling short in the division in 1938, any veteran players, including Clark, retired. The team struggled in 1939. On top of that. Richards was in poor health and decided to sell the team to Fred Mandel Jr, the owner of the Mandel Department Store in Chicago in 1940.
The team was horrendous in the early 40s. However in 1943 the Detroit Lions drafted RB Frank Sinkwich from Georgia. He would have an ok rookie year, but lead the Lions to a 7-6-2 season in 1944. And Sinkwich won the NFL MVP award. The team was a contender in the late 40s. And Mandel sold the company in 1948 to the “Detroit Football Company”. A 7 person investment group that included,
Walter Briggs Jr, the son of the Detroit Tigers owner Walter Briggs Sr.
And Edwin J Anderson, president of Goebel Brewing Co. (Present Day Pabst Blue Ribbon).
The Detroit Football Company hoped to add more members and used the Green Bay Packers Inc. as their model.
Now the team was under new ownership, with a good amount of money behind it. The team was also good, minus one key player. The Quarterback. The Lions traded Fullback Camp Wilson to the New York Yanks in exchange for Quarterback Bobby Layne. Thats all the team needed.
During the 50s the lions would go on to win 3 NFL championships in 53,54 and 57.
However before the 1958 season Bobby Layne was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
According to legend as he left Layne said “You wont win another championship for 50 years” that season the lions went 4-7-1.
The team had its issues the next few year both on the field and in ownership. The Detroit Football Company had grown to 144 stock holders. Including William Clay Ford Sr. President of the Ford Motor Company. Many shareholders were upset with how Anderson was running the company. And forced him to step down as chairman and was replaced with WCF.
On November 22nd 1963. The Detroit Football Company voted to sell the entire franchise to WCF. Entering a new era for the Detroit Lions.
The Lions would continue to struggle however. Missing the post season during the 60s.
The NFL and AFL merged before the 1970 season. The lions would go on to make the post season that year however would lose to the Dallas Cowboys in the first round
The Lions would go on to find little success over the next 50 years. Winning the Division title just 3 times and winning 1 playoff game in the 1991 season.
However things began to change in 2019 for the Lions. Moves that would we reshape their identity.
Before the 2020 season the Lions made Sheila Ford-Hamp chairman after failed attempts with Martha Firestone-Ford and William Ford Jr fallowing WFC passing in 2014.
During the season she fired everyone on the coaching staff and front office.
Former Player Chris Spielman was brought on to be an advisor for Sheila and to help put together the new staff.
They hired the Chief of Scouting from the LA Rams to be their GM.
The Assistant Head Coach of the NO Saints and former Lions Player Dan Campbell was brought in as Head Coach.
And the team traded their franchise QB, Mathew Stafford to the LA Rams for QB Jared Goff.
Stafford and the Rams would go on to win the Super Bowl, while the Lions would go on to finish 3-13-1. But Brad Holmes drafted multiple high level players including 3 All Pros and 2 Pro Bowlers.
The Lions 2023 season would be the teams best since 1957. Finishing 12-5 and winning the teams first Division title since 1993. They would also win 2 playoff games, Against Staffford’s LA Rams and TB Buccaneers. They would lose in the NFC Championship game to the SF 49ers.
The future is bright for this young team! GO LIONS!
