How They Got Their Name: Detroit Lions

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The Detroit Lions franchise is one of the NFL’s oldest, established in 1929.  But for those first four seasons (1930-1933), the team was not actually located in Detroit, nor were known as the Lions.  They were the Portsmouth Spartans, located in Portsmouth, Ohio, the second smallest city hosting an NFL franchise behind Green Bay.  And though they experienced some success, fan attendance started dwindling and the team ran into a bit of financial trouble, no doubt stemming in part from the ongoing Great Depression.  Recognizing the limitations that a small market provided for an NFL team, George Richards purchased the Spartans in 1934 and moved them to Detroit, one of the fastest growing cities in America due to the automobile market.

With a new city, the team needed a new name.  The Detroit Tigers were one of MLB’s best teams and extremely popular in the Motor City.  A popular practice in those days led to football franchises using the same name as their city’s baseball team, or perhaps a similar name.  The Detroit Zoo was also an extremely popular tourist attraction at the time.  These two things led Richards to thinking along the jungle-cat theme for his team’s new nickname.  Finally he determined his team would be called the Lions.  “The Lion,” he remarked, “is the monarch of the jungle.  And we hope to be the monarch of the league.”  Their very first year, in 1935, they were indeed the monarch after defeating the New York Giants 26-7 to win the NFL Championship.

Garett