detroit lions vs. st. louis rams the season begins consistency up front ...

Ground Up” at the Old Hudson’s Warehouse building
in downtown Detroit to unveil renderings and
offi cially announce the name of their new stadium,
Ford Field.
Jan. 8, 2000 Lions reach the playoff s for the second time in three
years under Bobby Ross, losing a wild card contest
at Washington 27-13.
Nov. 6, 2000 Bobby Ross resigns as head coach following nine
games and Gary Moeller is named Head Coach.
Jan. 9, 2001 Matt Millen is hired as President and CEO and
assumes control of team operations. Chuck Schmidt
resigns as Executive Vice President and Chief
Operating Offi cer.
Jan. 24, 2001 Gary Moeller and his coaching staff are dismissed.
Jan. 25, 2001 Marty Mornhinweg is named head coach.
Jan. 6, 2002 Lions defeat the Dallas Cowboys 15-10 in their fi nal
game played at the Pontiac Silverdome.
April 1, 2002 Lions’ front offi ce moves from the Silverdome to the
team’s new Headquarters and Training Facility in
Allen Park.
Aug. 24, 2002 Lions play fi rst game at Ford Field, dropping an
exhibition contest 34-22 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Sept. 22, 2002 Inaugural game at Ford Field is played as the Lions
fall to the Green Bay Packers 37-31.
Nov. 28, 2002 Lions host New England Patriots at Ford Field in
fi rst Thanksgiving Day game played in downtown
Detroit since 1974.
Jan. 28, 2003 Marty Mornhinweg is dismissed as head coach.
Feb. 4, 2003 Steve Mariucci named head coach.
April 24, 2003 Lions introduce fi rst major addition to the team’s
classic uniform since the Leaping Lion logo was
placed on the helmet in 1961. The new uniform now
features black trim on the helmet, jerseys and pants,
black shoes and black facemasks.
Sept. 7, 2003 Lions defeat the Arizona Cardinals 42-24 at Ford
Field in Head Coach Steve Mariucci’s Detroit debut.
Jan. 31, 2004 Barry Sanders selected as a member of the Pro
Football Hall of Fame Class of 2004.
Aug. 7, 2004 Barry Sanders offi cially enshrined in the Pro Football
Hall of Fame in a ceremony held in Canton, Ohio.
Nov. 7, 2004 Jason Hanson plays in his 201st career game as a
Lion, and breaks Wayne Walker’s all-time franchise
record for career games played.
Nov. 28, 2005 Steve Mariucci is dismissed as head coach and
defensive coordinator Dick Jauron is named interim
head coach.
Jan. 19, 2006 Rod Marinelli is named head coach.
Dec. 31, 2006 Jon Kitna becomes second quarterback in team
history to throw for 4,000 yards in a single season.
Feb. 3, 2007 Charlie Sanders is selected as a member of the Pro
Football Hall of Fame Class of 2007.
Aug. 4. 2007 Charlie Sanders is offi cially enshrined in the Pro
Football Hall of Fame in a ceremony held in Canton,
Ohio.
Dec. 30, 2007 Jon Kitna reaches 4,068 passing yards on the season
becoming the fi rst quarterback in team history to
NAMING THE LIONS
When the team moved to Detroit from Portsmouth, Ohio in 1934, the
organization settled on the name that would be uttered in Detroit and
all around the league to this very day. A er deciding to be known as
the Lions, (staying consistent with the jungle cat image of the city’s
baseball team, the Tigers) two Lion cubs were given to the team by
John Millen of the Detroit Zoo. Their names were “Grid” and “Iron.”
They accompanied the team to all of their games.
The previous Detroit professional football teams were known as
the Heralds, Panthers and the Wolverines.
HOMES OF THE DETROIT LIONS
In 2002, the Lions moved into their current home, Ford Field, in
downtown Detroit. It marked the team’s return to the city for the
fi rst time since 1974.
STADIUM .....................................................................YEARS
Spartan Stadium (Portsmouth, Ohio) .........................................1930-33
University of Detroit Stadium ......................................................1934-37
Briggs Stadium (later named Tiger Stadium) ...........................1938-74
Pontiac Silverdome .........................................................................1975-01
Ford Field ..............................................................................................2002-
LIONS TALES
HISTORY BOOK
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record back-to-back 4,000-yards seasons and the
fi rst to do it twice in their career as a Lions passer.
Sept. 24 2008 Matt Millen is dismissed as President and CEO.
Nov. 9, 2008 Team honors 75th Season All-Time team, 36 of the
greatest players in team history, during weekend
activities.
Dec. 14, 2008 Jason Hanson connects on 51-yard fi eld goal at
Indianapolis to set NFL record for most 50-yard fi eld
goals in a career.
Dec. 29, 2008 Tom Lewand is named President and Martin Mayhew
is named General Manager.
Jan. 16, 2009 Jim Schwartz named head coach.
Apr. 20, 2009 President Tom Lewand introduces the team’s new
comprehensive brand that includes a new Lions logo,
logotype and new proprietary font. Along with the
new brand, the Lions unveiled new home and road
uniforms.
Apr. 25, 2009 Lions select Georgia QB Matthew Staff ord with the
fi rst overall pick in the NFL Dra .
Feb. 6, 2010 Dick LeBeau is selected as a member of the Pro
Football Hall of Fame Class of 2010. LeBeau
becomes the 18th player in Lions history elected for
the Hall of Fame.
Feb. 4, 2011 Rookie DT Ndamukong Suh named AP Defensive
Rookie of the Year. Suh was also named All-Pro and
voted as a starter in the Pro Bowl.
Sept. 19, 2011 K Jason Hanson played in his 297th career games
and set a new NFL record for the most games played
with one team.
Oct. 10, 2012 In front of the largest Lions crowd in Ford Field
history (67,861) and an ESPN MNF audience, the
Lions defeated Chicago 24-13 to extend its win
streak to nine games, the second longest in team
history. The win gave Detroit its fi rst 5-0 start since
1954.
Dec. 5, 2011 T Jeff Backus started his 172nd consecutive game
and set a new franchise record for concecutive
starts, surpassing Hall of Fame CB Dick LeBeau.
Dec. 18, 2011 K Jason Hanson became the sixth player in NFL
history to reach 2,000 career points, and the fi rst to
do so with one team.
Dec. 24, 2012 By defeating the San Diego Chargers 38-10 at Ford
Field, the Lions earned the team’s fi rst playoff berth
for the fi rst time since 1999.
Jan. 1, 2012 QB Matthew Staff ord fi nished the season setting
new single-season franchise passing records,
including yards (5,038), touchdowns passes (41),
completions (421) and passer rating (97.2), and he
became the fourth player in NFL history with 5,000
passing yards. Staff ord also set a team record with
520 passing yards in the season fi nale at Green
Bay. WR Calvin Johnson set a new team record for
touchdown receptions (16) in a season.
Feb. 4, 2012 QB Matthew Staff ord named the AP NFL Comeback
Player of the Year.
GRIDIRON HEROES
As the new pro football franchise took root in Detroit, owner G.A.
Richards called for an original fi ght song to be written for the Lions.
In the late 1930s, Wayne State University director of bands Graham
T. Overgard, who was also the Lions’ director of entertainment,
penned the lyrics and music for “Gridiron Heroes–The Victory Song
of the Detroit Lions.”
“Gridiron Heroes” has become one of the NFL’s oldest and most
popular songs today, and it is still played a er each Lions’ score.
(Verse) Hail the colors Blue and Silver let them wave.
Sing the song and cheer the Gridiron Heroes brave,
Fighting for fame, winning the game.
Dashing to victory as they go.
(Chorus) Forward down the fi eld,
A charging team that will not yield.
And when the Blue and Silver wave,
Stand and cheer the brave.
Rah, Rah, Rah!
Go hard win the game.
With honor you will keep your fame
Down the fi eld and gain, A Lion victory!