2015 DETROIT LIONS MEDIA GUIDE

2008
‣ ¾ Mar. 28: A preliminary round attendance record
(57,028) was set during the NCAA Men’s Basketball
Midwest Regional. Davidson defeated
Wisconsin, 73-56, and Kansas defeated Villanova,
72-57.
‣ ¾ Mar. 30: A new Regionals attendance record
(57,563) was set during the NCAA Men’s Basketball
Regional Finals when Kansas, the eventual
national champions, earned a berth to the Final
Four by edging out Davidson 59-57.
‣ ¾ Aug. 2: Kenney Chesney visited Ford Field for
third-consecutive year with “Poets and Pirates”
Tour.
‣ ¾ Nov. 18: Music and entertainment icon, Madonna,
performed at Ford Field for the first time. 1996
‣ ¾ Dec. 5: Buffalo defeated Ball State 42-24 in ‣ ¾ Aug. 20: Lions announced plans to build new
fifth Marathon MAC Championship played at domed stadium in downtown Detroit.
Ford Field.
‣ ¾ Nov. 5: Voters in Wayne County overwhelmingly
‣ ¾ Dec. 26: Florida Atlantic defeated Central Michigan
24-21 in the Motor City Bowl.
victory in NFL stadium election history (68-32
approved a referendum by the largest margin of
2009
percent) which allowed the Detroit Lions to build
‣ ¾ Apr. 3: Ford Field hosted NCAA Men’s Basketball a domed stadium in downtown Detroit adjacent
Final Four Friday, the annual public practice session
for schools competed in Final Four. A record
to a new baseball park for the Detroit Tigers.
crowd of 30,000 was set for event.
‣ ¾ Apr. 4: NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four National
Semifinals are played. In the first game,
Michigan State defeated Connecticut 82-73. In
the second game, North Carolina defeated Villanova
83-69. Ford Field set attendance record
with a total of 72,456 for both sessions.
‣ ¾ Apr. 6: North Carolina defeated Michigan State
89-72 in the NCAA Men’s Basketball National
Championship. A record crowd of 72,992 was
in attendance for the national title game. Ford
Field also set the attendance record for Final
Four weekend with a total of 146,378 fans for
the National Semifinals and National Championship
games.
‣ ¾ Aug. 22: For the fourth-straight year, Kenny
Chesney played at Ford Field as his Sun City
Carnival Tour stopped in downtown Detroit.
‣ ¾ Nov. 26: Lions hosted the Green Bay Packers
in the franchise’s 70th Thanksgiving Day Game. of pulleys, cables and jacks.
‣ ¾
‣ ¾ Dec. 3: Central Michigan defeated Ohio 20-10 in Dec.: Workers began removing approximately
the sixth Marathon MAC Championship played 300,000 cubic yards of soil and clay to shape the
at Ford Field
lower bowl and field level portion of the stadium.
‣ ¾
‣ ¾ Dec. 26: Marshall defeated Ohio 21-17 in the Dec. 16: Second massive roof truss lift completed.
Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl. It marked the first 2002
year of Little Caesar’s Pizza sponsorship of
‣ ¾ May 1: Installation of lower bowl seats began.
Detroit annual bowl game that was previously
‣ ¾ June: Upper bowl and suite seats installed. Two
known as the Motor City Bowl.
2010
97-by-27 feet LED digital video scoreboards
‣ ¾ Apr. 8: The NCAA Men’s Hockey Frozen Four installed. Bathrooms completed. Brick-like
was held at Ford Field for the first time. It concrete pathways poured for glass wall (southwest)
atrium. One-half of field level construction
marked the first time the event was ever held
in a large, football stadium venue. Wisconsin completed. One-half of seats in the lower bowl
defeated Rochester Institute of Technology 8-1 installed. Brick paving of Adams Street began.
‣ ¾
and Boston College defeated Miami 7-1 in the July: Three-quarters of field level poured. Final
National Semifinals. Ford Field drew a record
crowd of 34,954.
‣ ¾ Apr 10: In the National Championship game of
the Frozen Four, Boston College prevailed over
Wisconsin 5-0. 37,592 fans were on hand to
watch the event, which set new NCAA and world
indoor hockey records. For the weekend, the
attendance totaled 72,546 at Ford field which
also set a new attendance mark.
2011
‣ ¾ Oct. 10: The Detroit Lions set an attendance
record for a Lions game at Ford Field when
they deafeated the Chicago Bears 24-13 in front
of 67,861.
‣ ¾ Dec. 24: On Christmas Eve, the Lions claimed
a 38-10 win over San Diego and clinched the
franchise’s first playoff berth since 1999.
2014
‣ ¾ Dec. 26: Inaugural Quick Lane Bowl played at
Ford Field between Rutgers and North Carolina.
The Scarlet Knights defeated the Tar Heels
40-21.
MAJOR STADIUM MILESTONES
1999
‣ ¾ Nov. 16: Lions hosted groundbreaking ceremony
“From the Ground Up” unveiling renderings and
officially naming the new stadium, Ford Field.
2000
‣ ¾ Feb.: Workers began installing 380 concrete
caissons into the hard pan, which is a densely
compacted layer of gravel located approximately
100 feet below the surface that rests on top of
the bedrock, to provide stability to the structure
of the bowl.
‣ ¾ Nov. 1: NFL owners unanimously approved the
city of Detroit to host Super Bowl XL at Ford
Field Feb. 5, 2006.
2001
‣ ¾ Nov. 2: First massive roof lift completed. The
lift of this magnitude is the first of its kind in
the United States. The steel, weighing approximately
2,800 tons (5.6 million lbs.) and spanning
450 feet, was lifted by a computerized system
one-quarter of field level graded and prepared.
Roof membrane (a type of skin-like finish)
installed. East side upper glass wall finished.
Stadium sound system installed in roof structure.
White baffling material from ceiling hanged
to reduce acoustic distortion. Roof installation
completed. Sound and video system and scoreboard
calibrated. Main glass wall (southwest)
atrium glass installed.
DETROIT LIONS
HISTORY