The Detroit Lions are starting the 2024 NFL season in an unfamiliar spot – as Super Bowl contenders. Surprisingly, the team has never played in the big game and hasn’t won a league championship since way back in 1957. Last season, they came tantalizingly close, leading for most of the NFC title game before the San Francisco 49ers rallied to win, 34-31. To truly appreciate why this team has struggled for so long, we need to dive deep into its history.
A new book, “The Lions Finally Roar” by Bill Morris, offers some intriguing insights into the team's past missteps and occasional successes. The book focuses significantly on the role of the Ford family, who have owned the team for more than six decades. William Clay Ford, a grandson of Henry Ford, bought a share of the Lions in the 1950s and became the sole owner in 1963. Interestingly, Morris suggests Ford's motivation to buy the team was partly rooted in frustration. Ford had designed the Continental Mark II, a car he was immensely proud of, but the project was killed by his older brother, Henry Ford II. This commercial failure drove William Clay to make his mark elsewhere, leading him to the Lions.
During Ford's ownership from 1963 until his death in 2014, the team faced a litany of woes, managing only 13 winning seasons and winning a single playoff game. Despite being adored by players and respected as a likable man, Ford had a poor track record of hiring suitable executives. "He had a knack for choosing the wrong people and sticking with them for reasons that nobody really knows to this day," Morris notes WDET article.
After William Clay Ford's passing, his wife, Martha, briefly took over, but it wasn't until their daughter, Sheila Ford Hamp, assumed control in 2020 that fortunes began to change. Hamp made bold moves early by firing head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn, bringing in Chris Spielman as an advisor, and hiring Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell as the new GM-coach duo. Despite a rough start where the team lost 10 of their first 11 games in 2021 and went 1-6 in 2022, Hamp stayed loyal to her selections. According to Morris, Hamp believed in the long-term vision and stuck with her choices, unlike her father who had a tendency to stick with the wrong ones. That resilience paid off as the Lions finished the 2022 season strong and claimed their first division title since 1993 WDET article.
The Lions' turnaround is a lesson in perseverance, excellent decision-making, and strategic loyalty. Sheila Ford Hamp has managed to convert what was once a liability for the franchise – excessive loyalty to ineffectual personnel – into a marked asset. The team's historical struggles provide a rich context for their current and future successes. As the Lions kick off the 2024 season against their former quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams, fans can rejoice in the fact that their beloved team may finally be heading in the right direction.
Bill Morris’s book, “The Lions Finally Roar,” hits store shelves on September 3, 2024. For those who have endured decades of frustration, this book not only elucidates the past but also sheds light on the brighter days ahead.
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