PHOTO: STADIUMS OF PRO FOOTBALL
Detroit Lions were founded in 1930 as the Portsmouth Spartans, based in Portsmouth, OH. Despite their success, the team could not survive in Portsmouth, then the NFL's second smallest city (after Green Bay,WI) and relocated to Detroit as the Lions for the 1934 season.
Despite winning 4 NFL Championships, they last won a title in 1957 and they have the second longest NFL Championship drought behind the Arizona Cardinals (who last won in 1947). They are one of 4 current NFL teams and the only NFC team yet to play in the Super Bowl and the only franchise in operation for all 54 seasons of the Super Bowl era without having appeared in one (the Cleveland Browns were not in operation for the 1996 to 1998 seasons). They last appeared in the playoffs in 2016 but their last Playoff win was in 1991.
NAMES
| Portsmouth Spartans | (1930-1933) |
| Detroit Lions | (1934-PRESENT) |
LOCATION
| Portsmouth,OH | (1930-1933) |
| Detroit,MI | (1934-PRESENT) |
AFFILIATIONS
| NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE | (1930-) |
| Western Division (1933-1949) | |
| NATIONAL CONFERENCE | (1950-1952) |
| WESTERN CONFERENCE | (1953-1969) |
| Central Division | (1967-1969) |
| NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE | (1970-) |
| Central Division | (1970-2001) |
| NFC North Division (2002-) |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
| NFL | 4 | 1935,1952,1953,1957 |
NFL CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCES
| SEASON | W/L | OPPONENT | SCORE | HOST CITY | VICTORY | APP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | 16TH | W |  NEW YORK GIANTS |
26-7 | DETROIT | 1 | 1 |
| 1952 | 33RD | W |  CLEVELAND BROWNS | 17-7 | CLEVELAND | 2 | 2 |
| 1953 | 34TH | W | CLEVELAND BROWNS | 17-16 | DETROIT | 3 | 3 |
| 1954 | 35TH | L | CLEVELAND BROWNS | 56-10 | CLEVELAND | - | 4 |
| 1957 | 38TH | W | CLEVELAND BROWNS | 59-14 | DETROIT | 4 | 5 |
SUPER BOWL APPEARANCES
| (0) |
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
| 4 | ||
|---|---|---|
| NFL NATIONAL | 1 | 1952 |
| NFL WESTERN | 3 | 1953-1954, 1957 |
DIVISION TITLES
| 9 | ||
|---|---|---|
| NFL WESTERN | 4 | 1935, 1953-1954, 1957 |
| NFL NATIONAL | 1 | 1952 |
| NFC CENTRAL/NORTH | 4 | 1983, 1991, 1993, 2023 |
PLAYOFFS APPEARANCES
| 18 | 1935, 1952-1954, 1957, 1970, 1982-1983, 1991, 1993-1995, 1997, 1999, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2023 |
LOGOS
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|---|---|---|---|
| (1952-1960) | (1961-1969) | (1970-2002) | (2003-2008) |
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| (2009-2016) | (2017-) |
HELMETS
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|---|---|---|---|
| (1952-1960) | (1961-1967) | (1968-OCTOBER 11, 1970) | (OCTOBER 18, 1970-1983) |
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| (1984-2002) | (2003-2008) | (2009-2016) | (2017-) |
STADIUMS
| Universal Stadium (Portsmouth, MI) (1930-1933) University of Detroit Stadium (Detroit, MI) (1934-1940) |
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TIGER STADIUM
(DETROIT, MI) (1938-1939/1941-1974) |
PONTIAC SILVERDOME
(PONTIAC, MI) (1975-2001) |
FORD FIELD (DETROIT, MI) (2002-) |
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