Football History

The Portsmouth Spartans, a professional football team that played in the National Football League (NFL), holds a unique place in sports history. On July 12, 1930, the Spartans were officially granted their franchise, becoming a symbol of Portsmouth, Ohio’s enthusiasm for the sport. Established as a member of the NFL during a time when professional football was still in its infancy, the Spartans quickly gained a reputation for competitiveness and skill.

The team played its first game in 1930, and by the 1932 season, they had established themselves as a formidable opponent in the league. Under the leadership of coach Luf McCarty, the Spartans achieved notable success, finishing the 1932 season with a record of 6 wins, 1 loss, and 4 ties. Their tenacity on the field earned them respect among their peers and a loyal local fanbase.

However, despite their on-field success, the Spartans faced financial difficulties. In 1934, the franchise was sold to a group from Detroit, leading to its relocation and rebranding as the Detroit Lions. This transition marked the end of the Spartans' era but allowed the team to thrive in Detroit, ultimately becoming one of the NFL’s iconic franchises.

The legacy of the Portsmouth Spartans lives on, especially among historians and sports enthusiasts who recognize their contribution to the development of professional football. The Spartans’ brief existence is a reminder of the passion and commitment that helped lay the foundation for the NFL's growth into a national pastime.

The early NFL franchise in Portsmouth, Ohio competed for a couple of NFL titles in the League's first decade.

This team played an important part in early professional football and, in particular, the early NFL. The legacy of the franchise continues today as the Spartans moved to a different state and became the Detroit Lions.

Portsmouth's pro football story is an integral part of the Detroit Lions origin story and we share it here.

On September 14, 1930 - The Portsmouth Spartans played their first NFL game on this date. The Spartans defeated the Newark Tornadoes in their first game by the final score of 13-6. The Portsmouth Eleven ended the 1930 season with a record of 5-6-3, but they had a core of players they could build upon, which became evident two years later.

The 1932 season ended with the Spartans and the Chicago Bears finishing with identical records at 6-1-4, and previously (since 1920), the League's champion was determined by the team with the best record. The NFL decided that a final game to determine a Champ would be played in a unique Chicago at Wrigley Field on December 18, 1932. This first postseason game in NFL history had some massive twists and turns to make it quite a remarkable story, even besides the fact that a game was going to be played to determine an NFL Champion. The first odd occurrence was that Spartans star Earl "Dutch" Clark could not play in the game because he had to work. While that may sound wild to us today, the fact was that professional players of that era did not make enough to make a living all year long. Most had to take off-season jobs to make ends meet, even the superstars like Dutch Clark, who worked as the Head Basketball Coach at Colorado College. His hoops team had a game on December 18, and Dutch couldn't get off work to make the football game in Chicago. The second crazy thing that happened was that due to a freak late-fall blizzard in Chicago, the game had to be moved inside the Chicago Stadium because Wrigley was covered with deep snow and frozen with dangerous sub-zero temperatures.

The playing field had to be modified to play inside, so the game was played on a field only 80 yards long and some 30 yards narrower than the normal width the teams played on all season. The last item surrounding the game happened on the contest's only touchdown. Bronko Nagurski threw a scoring jump pass to Red Grange, but the Spartans argued that Nagurski did not meet the requirement of legal forward passes in those days of being 5 yards or more behind the line. The play stood, and the Bears won the NFL title with a score of 9-0. The Spartans franchise would become the Lions in 1933 when they moved from Portsmouth, Ohio, to Detroit, Michigan, after a Detroit radio businessman, George A. Richards, purchased the rights to the team for $8000.

This was a hefty sum at the time, but Portsmouth had, after all, just recently played for a somewhat impromptu first NFL Championship game against the Chicago Bears, shorthanded of their star player. The Motor City was a risky place to put the team at this point, as three previous franchises had failed there, but Richards knew the city needed a winner and took the chance. It was well worth his risk as the newly named Detroit Lions team won the NFL Title in 1935 and later in the 1952, 1953, and 1957 seasons.

Richards took another chance with his football franchise in 1934 when he scheduled a game on Thanksgiving Day. However, it failed in other cities (save Dallas a few decades later), but the Turkey Day game in the Motor City was a huge success. Unfortunately, in 1940, Mr. Richards had to sell the franchise due to a declining health issue and a fine from the NFL for draft tampering, but his $8000 initial investment turned into a $225,000 sale of the Lions to retail magnate Fred Mandel. The Lions eventually were purchased by the descendants of Henry Ford and are owned by the family to this day.