The Detroit Lions are a professional NFL team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions compete in the NFL as a member of the Northern Division of the National Conference. The team plays its home games at Ford Field in downtown Detroit.

Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and called the Portsmouth Spartans, the team formally joined the NFL on July 12, 1930 and began playing in the 1930 season. The Spartans were initially formed in 1929 in Portsmouth, Ohio, and attracted players from professional and semi-professional independent teams. They immediately made an impact by defeating twice the Ironton Tanks, an independent professional team, which had played regularly against NFL teams since the early 1920s with considerable success.

Portsmouth residents agreed to fund the construction of Universal Stadium, a facility comparable to those in neighboring communities along the Ohio River, which led to the NFL offering a membership in 1930. Portsmouth became the second smallest city in the NFL, surpassed only by Green Bay. During the team's first year in the league, it scored a 5-6-3 record in its matches. In 1931, Dutch Clark, an assistant coach at Colorado College, received a leave of absence and joined the team for the 1931 season, taking them to an 11-3 record, second in the league behind rivals Green Bay Packers. Despite their success in the NFL, they were unable to survive in Portsmouth. The team was purchased and moved to Detroit for the 1934 season.

The Lions have won four NFL championships, tied for ninth place in the total championships among the 32 franchises. However, the last one was in 1957, which gives the club the second longest drought in the NFL championship behind the Arizona Cardinals (70 seasons). They are one of the four current teams and the only NFC team that has not yet played the Super Bowl. The Lions have made a total of 12 playoffs. They are also the only franchise that has been in operation during the 52 seasons of the Super Bowl era without having appeared in one (the Cleveland Browns were suspended between the 1996 and 1998 seasons).

The Detroit Lions have 21 personalities in the NFL Hall of Fame.

American Football Conference | AFC

National Football Conference | NFC