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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.

Steven Bohner

Detroit Lions / Twitter

Published: 3:38 PM EST December 14, 2023
Updated: 3:38 PM EST December 14, 2023

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.

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