How A Change At The Top Led To The Detroit Lions Success

After decades of mismanagement, bad decisions, and inept coaching, it took a change at the top for the Detroit Lions to finally find success. 

How A Change At The Top Led To The Detroit Lions Success

Before the Lions’ historic 2023 winning season, the franchise floundered for decades as one of the worst teams in the NFL. When William Clay Ford purchased the Detroit Lions for $6 million in November of 1963, the team was one of the best in the league. Despite never appearing in a Super Bowl, the team won four previous NFL Conference Championships between 1935 and 1957.  However, during Ford’s fifty-year reign, the team failed to qualify for another playoff game until 1991. It would be 32 years before the team returned to the playoffs.  

A Disastrous History

Although Ford was a brilliant businessman whose $6 million investment is worth an estimated $4.93 billion today, he was a dreadful owner. Under his stewardship, the team made ill-advised draft picks and endured one bad coach after another. Disgruntled future Hall of Fame athletes abandoned the team in disgust, preferring to retire, rather than continue playing for a losing organization that seemed incapable of turning things around.

As one losing season followed another, the team became the laughingstock of the NFL.  The fans were so ashamed of the team’s pathetic record that they began showing up at home games wearing paper bags over their faces. Trying to salvage the sinking ship, Ford hired Matt Millan as the Lions’ General Manager in 2001. The situation went from bad to worse. During the seven years that Millen mismanaged the team, the Lions had a 31-84 record.  In 2008, the Lions became the first and only NFL team to finish with a 0-16 record.  

More Pain For Lions Fans

Following Ford’s death in 2014, his widow, Martha Firestone Ford, succeeded him as owner.  Sadly, Mrs. Ford’s tenure proved no more successful than her husband’s. Lions fans were forced to endure even more agony when she hired general manager Bob Quinn.  Soon afterward, Quinn brought on his buddy Matt Patricia to replace Jim Schwartz, the Lions’ current head coach. One of the more successful Lions’ coaches, Schwartz had a 9-7 record at the time of his firing.  In 2024, as the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, Schwartz was named the Assistant Coach of the Year.  

The decision to hire the woefully inept duo of Quinn and Patricia proved to be another disastrous move for the team.  Patricia’s bullying and belittling manner undermined the players, creating a divisive atmosphere that led to a 6-10 record in his first year. In Patricia’s second year, the Lions’ record of 3-12-1 landed the team in the NFC North division cellar for the second year in a row. The fans were furious. By December 2019, T-shirts began flooding the internet emblazoned with an image of Mrs. Ford wearing sunglasses with a caption begging the owner to sell the team.  

The Lions Finally Get A Change At The Top

On June 23, 2020, it seemed that the fans’ prayers were finally answered when a change at the top was announced.  Although the family would retain ownership of the team, Mrs. Ford was stepping aside to let her daughter Sheila Ford-Hamp take over as principal owner and chairwoman. Fans were initially skeptical. This wasn’t quite the change they envisioned since Ford-Hamp had been the vice chairman alongside her mother since 2014.  

But it soon became clear that, unlike her parents, Ford-Hamp was a savvy, capable owner.  She realized the Lions were never going to succeed with Patricia as coach.  There was a clear lack of direction and leadership from the coach, and team morale was at an all-time low. On November 28, 2020, following another disastrous 4-7 start to the Lions’ season, Ford-Hamp fired Quinn and Patricia.

In ridding the team of the pair’s toxic presence, Ford-Hamp also realized just how little she knew about overseeing a troubled football club.  She needed the expertise of someone intimately familiar with the team who could advise how to overcome the mistakes of the past.

Two weeks later, on December 15, 2020, she hired former Detroit Lion, Chris Spielman, as the special assistant to chairman and president & CEO.  The hiring of Spielman was a genius move.  A fan favorite, Spielman was a popular star defensive player who represented the Lions in four Pro Bowls.  Selected in the second round of the 1988 draft, Spielman was an eight-year veteran of the team. He is the team’s all-time leader in tackles with 1,138. The last time the Lions made the playoffs with a 12-4 season record was in 1991, with Spielman as captain of the defense. 

The Quest For Success

Spielman was also familiar with the turbulent history of the team.  He recognized the franchise needed an entirely different type of executive manager and coach.  Within a month of his hiring, Spielman found the perfect executive to lead the Lions turn around.  On January 14, 2021, Brad Holmes was named the executive vice president and general manager.  Known to be a brilliant talent scout, Holmes had 20 years of experience as an executive with the Los Angeles Rams.  He wasted no time in putting together the trade that sent quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Rams in exchange for Jared Goff and three future draft picks.      

One week later, on January 20, 2021, Dan Campbell was hired as the Lions head coach. Campbell’s hiring was another genius move. A former assistant coach for the New Orleans Saints under Sean Payton and former Lions tight end, Campbell had a deep understanding of the challenges the team faced. But he believed in the team’s future, and his enthusiasm was contagious. Campbell soon won over the players and the fans with his passionate, gutsy leadership.

The Changes At The Top Leading To The Lions Success

Setting the tone, Holmes and Campbell have created a winning culture. The players understand what’s expected of them. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s creative playcalling has made the games fun and more exciting. Aaron Glenn’s defense is the strongest in years after some solid off-season acquisitions. Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp has done a great job coaching, and punter Jack Fox is enjoying an exceptional season.  The changes at the top have finally put the Lions on the road to success.  

Main Image: Junfu Han – USA Today Sports