From Tigers to Wolverines to Spartans to Lions | The history of Detroit's NFL team
The Lions were the first professional team to stick around in the city after several others failed after just a handful of seasons.
Detroit Lions / Twitter
The Detroit Lions weren't always the Motor City's professional football team. In fact, the Lions were the first professional team to stick around in the city after several others failed after just a handful of seasons.
As the National Football League was working to establish itself in the early years of the 20th century, it struggled to draw as many fans as the more popular college football programs.
In 1920, the American Professional Football Association (APFA) was formed with 14 teams that were mainly based in the Midwest. There were many club leagues and teams throughout the country outside of the APFA, including a few in Michigan.
The Detroit Heralds 1905-1920
- Team Colors: Red and White
- All-time Record: 52-18-9*
- Home Field: Navin Field (later named Tiger Stadium)
*The Detroit Heralds season records are only available from 1910 onward.
Detroit's first football team to play professionally was originally organized as an amateur team, largely comprised of students from the University of Detroit after the school did not field a team in 1905.
The Detroit Heralds would continue to play as an amateur team for the next several years before moving into the semi-professional stage in 1911.
The Heralds would never officially join the AFPA, but they did play against teams in the league and was listed in the league standings in 1920. That season was the first and last season it played games in the AFPA.
The team would be the first professional football team to play a Thanksgiving game in Detroit in 1917, losing to the Canton Bulldogs 7-0. They would also play a second Thanksgiving game during their final season in 1920, losing to the Dayton Triangles 28-0.
The Detroit Tigers 1921
- Team Colors: Orange, Black, White
- All-time Record: 2-5-2
- Home Field: Navin Field
The following AFPA season, the Detroit Heralds changed their name to the Detroit Tigers after Detroit's Major League Baseball team.
The short-lived Tigers only lasted a single season and after only winning two of its nine games, the franchise folded at the end of the season.
In 1922, the AFPA officially changed its name to the National Football League and its roster was expanded to 14 teams, none of which would be based in Detroit.
The Detroit Panthers 1925-1926
- Team Colors: Blue, Gold and White
- All-time Record: 12-8-4
- Home Field: Navin Field
It wasn't until a few years later that Detroit would field another professional football team. This time, it would be the Detroit Panthers, one of 20 teams in the NFL's 1925 season.
Future Pro Football Hall of Famer Jimmy Conzelman franchised the Detroit Panthers for a reported $100 investment.
The team would play two seasons in Detroit before the franchise folded when Conzelman gave up the franchise and went to play for the Providence Steam Rollers.
The Detroit Wolverines 1928
- Team Colors: Blue and White
- All-time Record: 7-2-1
- Home Field: University of Detroit Stadium
After the Detroit Panthers folded up, it was another two years before a professional football team played in Detroit.
In 1928, the Detroit Wolverines would set up shop for a single season in the Motor City after relocating from Cleveland.
The Wolverines' winning record, combined with some star players, caught the eye of the owner of the New York Giants, who bought the franchise, shut it down and moved the star players to New York.
The Wolverines would end up tying the Giants 19-19 during the season, a score that has not been reproduced since.
The Portsmouth Spartans 1928-1933
- Team Colors: Blue, Gold and White
- All-time Record: 28-16-7
- Home Field: Universal Stadium
After the Detroit Wolverines were dismantled and moved to New York, Detroit lost its representation in the NFL.
The franchise that would inevitably become the Detroit Lions was the Portsmouth Spartans, which was founded in 1928. The team was built by recruiting players from defunct professional and semi-professional teams.
After the city of Portsmouth approved building a stadium for the team, it was franchised by the NFL in 1930.
The Spartans played four NFL seasons in Portsmouth, finishing second in the league twice. But despite the success on the field, the city of Portsmouth ultimately ended up being too small to field a professional football team.
The Detroit Lions 1934-Present
- Team Colors: Blue, Gold and White
- All-time Record: 558-699-37*
- Home Fields: University of Detroit Stadium (1934-1940), Tiger Stadium (1938-1939, 1941-1974), Pontiac Silverdome (1975-2001) and Ford Field (2002-Present)
*This includes playoff games and does not include the games played as the Portsmouth Spartans, which are often included in the Lions' all-time record.
For the 1934 NFL season, Detroit would finally have a team that will stand the test of time. Following the 1933 season, the Portsmouth Spartans were purchased WJR radio exec George A. Richards, moved to Detroit and renamed the Lions.
Richards noted that when changing the team name to the Lions, his goal was to have his team be "king of the NFL."
The Lions went 10-3 in their first season in Detroit, placing second in the Western Division.
In addition to bringing the NFL franchise back to Detroit, Richards also laid the foundation for the Lions' Thanksgiving Day game with an agreement with NBC.
Prior to the Super Bowl era, the Detroit Lions won four league championships, with their last being in 1957. The Lions also won four conference championships in the 1950s.
In the Super Bowl era, the Lions have only won a single playoff game, but they have claimed three division championships in 1983, 1991 and 1993.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.