At one time, the sign at the Pontiac Silverdome read “Restore the Roar.” But as Thomas E. Hall points out in “The Detroit Lions,” there has been much for the Lions faithful to cheer about in recent years. In fact, the Lions have never made it to the Super Bowl. The last time the Lions were roaring, the year was 1957, and the league featured a modest twelve teams. The Lions would win three NFL championships in six years, and as Hall writes, can you image? The team has only mustered one playoff victory since 1957.
The Lions have a dubious history of failures. Case in point, 1942, when the team only scored 38 points for the entire season, and were shutout five times. In Lions lore, there is the curse of Bobby Layne. A tale of the Lions trading away a future hall of famer quarterback, the man that led them to their 1957 NFL title. Since the day Layne departed, and perhaps the teams greatest head coach in team history, Buddy Parker, also left the team in the 1950’s. Decades of missed opportunities, and otherwise, a period of futility.
You can’t blame the players, as the Lions have featured hall of fame talent such as Alex Karras, Lem Barney, Charlie Sanders, Joe Schmidt, “Night Train” Lane, Dick LeBeau, and perhaps the greatest running back of all time, Barry Sanders. The blame for the lack of success falls squarely on the team ownership. The Ford family has owned the team since 1964, and William Clay Ford’s loyalty to executives such as Russ Thomas and Matt Millen has sealed the team’s fate. The team only had five winning seasons with Thomas as general manger, and only won 27% of their games under team president Millen, topped off with a winless season in 2008.
The author documents the problems dome teams have had in the playoffs, and playing in open air stadiums. The Lions have played their home games indoors since 1975, leaving Detroit’s Tiger Stadium for the Silverdome. Additionally, Hall looks back at the good, the bad, and the ugly in team history, such as head coach Marty Mornhinweg s baffling decision to take the wind and not the ball in an over time loss against the rival Chicago Bears.
By: Thomas E. Hall
Narrated by: Steve Carlson
Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
Release date: 06-27-23