Detroit had four early teams in the National Football League before the Detroit Lions . The Heralds played in 1920, and had played as an independent as far back as 1905. The Tigers , a continuation of the Heralds, played in 1921, folding midseason and sending their players to the Buffalo All-Americans . The Panthers competed from 1925 to 1926 and the Wolverines in 1928.
19-477: In 1905, several University of Detroit football players, led by Bill Marshall , organized the Heralds as an amateur team after the university did not field a squad. While the university's football team resumed play in 1906, the Heralds continued to play as an amateur team. In 1911, the team dropped its amateur status and became semi-professional . In 1916, several out-of-town players were brought in to replace some of
38-607: A 4–0–2 record in their next six games, they lost their last three. Conzelman gave up the franchise and joined the Providence Steam Rollers as player-coach . Following the 1927 season , the Cleveland Bulldogs were sold to a group of investors, who moved the team to Detroit. Coached by LeRoy Andrews , the team was renamed the Detroit Wolverines. They were named after quarterback Benny Friedman 's alma mater,
57-625: A claim to a national title. The program was terminated in 1964 for financial reasons. Under head coach Gus Dorais in 1928 , the Titans won all nine of their games. Several years later Parke H. Davis , considered to be a "major selector" by the NCAA, named the 1928 team to a share of the national championship . From 1922 on, the Titans played their home games at University of Detroit Stadium (also known as U of D Stadium, Titan Stadium, and Dinan Field) near McNichols Road (Six Mile Road) and Fairfield Street on
76-762: A nod to the Detroit Tigers , but also wanted to signal his goal of building a team that would be the "king of the NFL." The result of the 1932 NFL Playoff Game to determine the NFL champion between the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans counted in the standings. Prior to the 1972 season , ties did not count in the NFL standings. Therefore, the Bears (6–1–6) and the Spartans (6–1–4) were considered to be tied atop
95-541: A population of under 38,000. During the team's first year in the league , the Spartans compiled a record of 5–6–3, tying for seventh place in the eleven-team league in 1930 . Early highlights as the Portsmouth Spartans include the "iron man" game against Green Bay in 1932 . In that game, Spartans coach Potsy Clark refused to make even a single substitution against the defending NFL champion Packers. Portsmouth won 19–0 and used only 11 players all game. At
114-546: A touchdown pass from Bronko Nagurski to Red Grange . The resulting interest led to the establishment of Eastern and Western conferences and a regular championship game beginning in 1933 . During their final three years in Portsmouth, the Spartans posted a record of 23 wins, 9 losses, and 4 ties — a .718 winning percentage that was surpassed only by the Chicago Bears in the nine-team National League. Despite their success on
133-729: The Michigan Wolverines . The Wolverines finished their 1928 season in third place with a 7–2–1 record, losing only to the Providence Steam Rollers and the Frankford Yellow Jackets , the NFL's first and second place teams. During the offseason, Tim Mara , the owner of the New York Giants , was interested in acquiring Friedman. Rather than simply trade for Friedman, Mara bought the entire Wolverines franchise and promptly deactivated it, delivering Friedman and other star Wolverines players to New York. The NFL would not return to
152-529: The Milwaukee Badgers . Conzelman served as the team's owner, coach, and starting quarterback. The Panthers started the season 8–1. However, a 6–3 upset loss to the Independents on Thanksgiving Day knocked them out of first place and they ended the season in third with a 8–2–2 record. The Panthers hoped to build on their 1925 season, but they opened the 1926 season with an 0–3 record. After rallying to
171-631: The Missouri Valley Conference . Detroit won its only national championship in 1928, with Parke H. Davis selecting both Detroit and Georgia Tech . The school claims this championship. Portsmouth Spartans The Portsmouth Spartans were a professional American football team that played in Portsmouth, Ohio from their founding in 1928 to their relocation to Detroit in 1934 . Originally drawing players from defunct independent professional and semi-professional teams, they joined
190-690: The flu pandemic , the Heralds continued to play a full schedule and even travel to other cities, accruing a 6–2 record with both losses coming to the Ohio League champion Dayton Triangles . In 1919, as the suspended teams resumed play and travel restrictions eased significantly, the Heralds went 1–4–2, including losses to the Bulldogs and the Massillon Tigers . In 1920, the American Professional Football Association, predecessor to
209-732: The Motor City for six years, until the Portsmouth Spartans became the Detroit Lions in 1934. While the Lions are well known for playing on Thanksgiving Day, the other Detroit teams had a history of playing on Thanksgiving Day as well: †= Never played in the league Detroit Titans football The Detroit Titans were the college football team which represented the University of Detroit (now University of Detroit Mercy ) from 1896 to 1964 . The team posted an undefeated season in 1928, staking
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#1732852740438228-636: The National Football League, was established. While the Heralds did not officially join the association, they are listed in league standings for the season. Overall, the Heralds went 2–3–3. The Heralds were reorganized into the Detroit Tigers, after the city's Major League Baseball team , for the 1921 season . However, after a tie and a win in their first two games, the Tigers lost the next five. Several players complained about not getting paid and left
247-555: The construction of a football stadium that was comparable to those in neighboring communities along the Ohio River . That approval prompted the National Football League to grant the city a franchise on July 12, 1930. The Spartans played their first NFL game at Universal Stadium on September 14. With fewer than 43,000 residents in 1930, Portsmouth became the NFL's second smallest city, ahead of only Green Bay , which had
266-450: The end of the 1932 season, the Spartans were tied for first place in the league with the Chicago Bears . That prompted what in retrospect became known as the first NFL playoff game . Blizzard conditions in Chicago meant the game was moved from Wrigley Field 's outdoor field to the indoor field at Chicago Stadium , which allowed for only an 80-yard field. The game was won 9–0 by the Bears, on
285-565: The fledgling National Football League (NFL) in 1930 . Their home stadium was Universal Stadium, known today as Spartan Municipal Stadium . The team was sold to a new ownership group in 1934 and relocated to Detroit, where they were relaunched as the Detroit Lions — a team which remains part of the NFL today. The Spartans formed in 1928 when the team began importing players from defunct independent professional and semi-professional teams. The following year, Portsmouth residents agreed to fund
304-427: The gridiron, the Spartans were fighting to survive off the field. The team was in so much debt that the players received shares in the team in lieu of their salaries. In 1934, a group led by George A. Richards , the owner of Detroit radio station WJR , was announced as having bought the Spartans and moved them to Detroit for the 1934 season . Richards renamed the team the Detroit Lions . He not only wanted to offer
323-600: The older players, several of whom had been with the Heralds since 1905. Despite not being based in Ohio , the Heralds played many of their games against teams in the Ohio League . In 1917, the team recorded an 8–2 record, their only losses coming at the hands of the Ohio League champion Canton Bulldogs and a military team from Battle Creek . The Heralds were a rarity in 1918; while most teams either stopped play or reduced their schedules to only local teams because of World War I and
342-587: The team during the season. As a result, the Tigers officially folded in mid-November. Its remaining players were given to the Buffalo All-Americans . In 1925, Detroit fielded its second NFL franchise, the Detroit Panthers. The team was organized by future Hall of Famer , Jimmy Conzelman . Conzelman was a quarterback who had recently played with the Decatur Staleys , Rock Island Independents and
361-437: The university's McNichols campus. The football program had incurred large losses since 1951, and was discontinued after the 1964 season. At the time of the sport's termination, university president Rev. Laurence V. Britt stated that the institution "does not currently have and does not foresee any prospects of its having the substantial funds" required to continue the program. Detroit was both independent and affiliated with
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