History of the Detroit Lions

This article details the history of the Detroit Lions American Football Club. Detroit had four early teams in the NFL before the Lions. The Detroit Heralds (renamed Tigers for 1921) were the first NFL team in Detroit from 1920-1921 before folding. From 1925–1926, the Detroit Panthers played in the league before folding in much the same way. In 1928, the Detroit Wolverines were a city owned NFL franchise that lasted only a single season before fol... more

This article details the history of the Detroit Lions American Football Club. Detroit had four early teams in the NFL before the Lions. The Detroit Heralds (renamed Tigers for 1921) were the first NFL team in Detroit from 1920-1921 before folding. From 1925–1926, the Detroit Panthers played in the league before folding in much the same way. In 1928, the Detroit Wolverines were a city owned NFL franchise that lasted only a single season before folding. Since then, there had been no professional football teams in the Detroit. Meanwhile, the Ohio-Kentucky-West Virginia tri-state area was becoming well known as a center of football excellence. The Ironton Tanks played NFL member teams annually throughout the 1920s with considerable success. The Spartans formed for the 1929 season, drawing players from defunct independent professional and semi-pro teams in Portsmouth and immediately made an impact by twice defeating the heralded Tanks, who defeated NFL members Chicago Bears and New York... less