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The Portsmouth Spartans Were Sold...

1934 - From the archives of gridiron history, a pivotal moment captured in the Zanesville Signal's March...

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FOOTBALL TEAM | Detroit Lions

"The Portsmouth Spartans Were Sold and Became the Detroit Lions"

Last updated 📅 2025-03-24

1934 - From the archives of gridiron history, a pivotal moment captured in the Zanesville Signal's March 25, 1934 edition: 'Portsmouth Spartans Sold to Detroit Syndicate.'

This headline heralds the events of March 24, 1934, a day that reshaped the NFL landscape. George Richards, a prominent Detroit radio magnate and owner of WJR, spearheaded a syndicate that acquired the struggling Portsmouth Spartans.

Seeking a larger stage, Richards relocated the franchise to the Motor City, transforming them into the Detroit Lions. As SportsTeamHistory.com recounts, the 'Lions' moniker was chosen to resonate with the city's beloved baseball team, the Tigers, marking the birth of a football legacy in Detroit.

  • HASHTAGS: #March24 #DetroitLions
  • EVENTDAY: March 24
  • FOOTBALL TEAM: Detroit Lions
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"Detroit Lions NFL Franchise History"

The Detroit Lions are a team steeped in tradition, their story dating back to 1930 when they first took the field as the Portsmouth Spartans in Portsmouth, Ohio. Led by the legendary coach Gus Dorais and featuring star players like Dutch Clark and Jim Steele, the Spartans quickly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with, winning the NFL Championship in just their second season.
In 1934, the team relocated to Detroit, Michigan, adopting the "Lions" name as a nod to the city's nickname, "Motor City." This began a long and passionate relationship between the team and its dedicated fanbase. The 1950s and 1960s witnessed the "Golden Age" of the Lions, a period defined by dominant players and thrilling victories. Quarterback Bobby Layne, nicknamed "The Madman," became a local icon with his flamboyant personality and on-field grit, leading the team to four NFL Championship appearances in six years, including winning the NFL championships in 1935, 1952, 1953, and 1957. The Lions' success began to wane in the late 1960s and 1970s, marked by inconsistency and playoff droughts. Despite flashes of brilliance with players like running back Barry Sanders and defensive end Chuck Long, the team struggled to recapture its championship glory...
FOOTBALL TEAM | Detroit Lions

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Born December 24, 1921, in Bluefield, Virginia  was the University of Virginia’s legendary halfback Bullet Bill Dudley. Some so-called experts thought Dudley was too small to play football in the collegiate ranks as he weighed in at 152 pounds with a 5’-10” frame per the NFF.
Virginia’s Coach, Frank Murray, decided to give Bill a chance to prove all of the other recruiters wrong. What Dudley did was to become the only player to win MVP honors in college,  the Armed Forces and professional levels...