Detroit Lions Celebrating 90th Season (2024)

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Detroit Lions Celebrating 90th Season? ›

Detroit Lions celebrate 90th season with commemorative logo, jersey patch. (CBS DETROIT) - The Detroit Lions will be commemorating their 90th season this fall with a special logo and jersey patch. The logo will be present throughout Ford Field and on uniforms as a patch.

Why Is a '90' Patch on Detroit's Uniform? The patch on the front of every Lions player's uniform, just above their jersey numbers, commemorates the franchise's 90th season.

On April 12, 2023, the Lions announced they would celebrate their 90th season in franchise history during the 2023 season with a commemorative logo and jersey patch.

0-16. In 2008, the Detroit Lions had the worst season in the history of the league by going 0 for 16. They did not win a game in the blackest record known in the NFL until 2017 when the Cleveland Browns matched it.

While football on Thanksgiving was a normal thing for the NFL since its inception, it was Richards who took it to another level. Richards was a radio executive, and used his connections to negotiate a deal with NBC to broadcast a Thanksgiving game nationally on its 94-station network.

King Henry I, Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou and King Henry II all opted for a lion on their crests. King Richard would eventually combine the three lions as his official royal symbol, forming the basis for the England crest we see today.

The "C" patch

Players who have been named a team captain typically wear a "C" patch on their jerseys. There is a standard design used by all teams participating in the captaincy program. The patches are in team colors and are worn on the front left or right breast (depending on other patches, etc.

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.

Move to Detroit and early success (1934–1938)

Richards picked the name because he intended to put together a team that would be the "king of the NFL," much like the lion was the king of the jungle. He also wanted a tie-in to baseball's Detroit Tigers.

Sheila Ford Hamp, 72, is the current Lions principal owner. She is one of four children of William Clay Ford Sr. and Martha Firestone Ford, born in 1951. She has three sons and resides in Ann Arbor with her husband, Steve.

What is the best season the Lions ever had? ›

The team boasted an impressive roster, including quarterback Bobby Layne, running back Doak Walker, and linebacker Joe Schmidt. The 1953 Lions finished the regular season with a stellar record of 10-2, securing the Western Conference title. This success earned them a spot in the NFL Championship Game.

DETROIT -- There are two numbers Detroiters will never forget: 0 and 16. They represent the Detroit Lions' 2008 season -- the one in which they became the first team in NFL history to play a 16-game schedule without winning a game (though the 2017 Cleveland Browns eventually joined them).

The Lions were the first franchise to finish a full (non-strike shortened) regular season with no wins or ties, since the move to sixteen regular season games in 1978, going 0–16 during the 2008 NFL season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are the only NFL team to never play in a Thanksgiving Day game.

In 1966, the Cowboys also started the tradition of playing Thanksgiving football. The team's general manager, Tex Schramm, wanted the Cowboys to play to get the team more publicity. Maybe it was luck or great marketing, but the Cowboys have certainly had their fair share of publicity since then.

And every year, those families see two of the same teams. Ever since 1934, the Detroit Lions have hosted a Thanksgiving Day game, while the Dallas Cowboys have hosted a game ever since 1966.

Inspiration for the 90th season logo design is an homage to the Lions team logo from the 1960s (1961-1969), which is also honored in the WCF memorial logo and the 60th commemorative season logo.

89 jerseys, a nod to the uniform worn by Campbell during his playing days in Detroit. The new black jerseys were unveiled earlier this month as one of three new threads the Lions will wear in 2024 and beyond.

"WCF" is in honor of William Clay Ford, the Lions' former owner who owned the team from 1963 until his death in 2014. The team is currently owed by his widow, Martha Firestone Ford.

The Lions wear the initials WCF on their uniforms in honor of former owner William Clay Ford, the youngest grandson of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford, who owned the team from 1963 until his death in 2014. William Clay Ford's daughter, Sheila Ford Hamp, is now the principal owner and chairperson of the franchise.