Detroit Lions (2024)

FAQs

When did Ford buy the Detroit Lions? ›

On November 22, 1963, William Clay Ford Sr. purchased a controlling interest in the team for $6 million. The sale was completed on January 10, 1964. During Ford's ownership tenure, which extended to his death in 2014, the Lions won just a single playoff game.

Ticket prices for Detroit Lions games vary depending on factors such as seat location, venue, the opposing team and whether it's a preseason, regular season or playoff game. This season, the lowest price for Lions tickets is approximately $17, with an average price of $440.

The Detroit franchise started as the Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans in 1930. Detroit radio executive George A. Richards purchased the Spartans in 1934 and moved them to Detroit where they were renamed the Lions.

The family owns all of the company's Class B shares, which are collectively entitled to elect 40% of the company's board of directors, with the remaining 60% elected by the holders of the company's publicly traded common stock.

Leon LaBrecque, CEO of LJPR Financial Advisors in Troy, says the family will not sell the team while Martha Ford is alive because if they did it would cost them hundreds of millions of dollars in capital gains taxes. LaBrecque's firm includes Ford Motor Co.

Four of them -- the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars -- have never reached the big game, while five others have fallen short despite multiple title appearances. Here is a look at all 12 teams who have never won a title, along with their number of Super Bowl appearances.

Who is the Detroit Lions Starting Quarterback? The 2023 Detroit Lions starting quarterback is Jared Goff, who has been the starter since his 2021 trade from the Los Angeles Rams.

The 1953 Detroit Lions were a dominant force in the NFL and one of the league's powerhouse teams during that era. Coached by Buddy Parker, the Lions had a remarkable season from start to finish.

Twelve current NFL teams have never won a Super Bowl: Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, and Tennessee Titans.

Why are Detroit Lions blue? ›

The short answer. George Richards — who owned the Detroit radio station WJR and bought the team in the spring of 1934 — chose that name Honolulu blue because it reminded him of the ocean water he saw on a trip to Hawai'i, according to an old Lions media guide. So began a new — and blue — era for the Detroit Lions.

The Arizona Cardinals are the oldest established team in the NFL. They were established in 1898 as an independent team and joined the NFL in its founding year of 1920.

A minority owner and team president of the Detroit Lions since 1961, Ford took advantage of a power struggle between Edwin J. Anderson and D. Lyle Fife to acquire total control of the franchise by buying out the other 144 shareholders for $4.5 million, equivalent to $44.8 million in 2023.

Sheila Ford Hamp is part of two enormous family legacies. As her name suggests, she is a descendant of the world-renowned Ford Motor Company on her father's side. On her mother's side, Sheila is also an inheritor of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.

Sheila Ford Hamp (née Sheila Firestone Ford; born October 31, 1951) is an American businesswoman and football executive. A descendant of both the Ford and Firestone families, she is the principal owner and chairwoman of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL).

The league began play in 1920 and comprised five teams from Ohio (Akron Pros, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Tigers, Columbus Panhandlers, and Dayton Triangles), four teams from Illinois (Chicago Tigers, Decatur Staleys, Racine Cardinals [the Cardinals were based in Chicago but took the name of a local street], and Rock ...