My dad bought the Detroit Lions 60 years ago and we're descendants of Ford creator - now it's worth staggering amount
Olivia House
Published Sep 11, 2026
THE fifth oldest team in the NFL, the Detroit Lions, has kept it in the family over the last six decades.
Originally named the Portsmouth Spartans, the team joined the NFL in 1930.
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In 1934, the team was purchased by radio executive George A. Richards for $8,000, per the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Richards swiftly moved the Spartans to Detroit and renamed them the Lions.
The Lions underwent multiple ownership changes in the coming decades, starting with department store owner Fred Mandel who spent $200,000 on the franchise in 1940, via the New York Times.
Just eight years later, per Lions Wire, business executive Lyle Fife and brewery owner Edwin Anderson bought the team for $165,000.
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In 1961, William Clay Ford Sr. invested in a minority stake in the Lions, before purchasing the remainder of the team by 1966 for a total of $4.5million.
Ford Sr. was the grandson of Ford Motor Company founder and namesake, Henry.
Following Ford Sr.'s death in 2014, his wife Martha Firestone Ford took over as principal owner and chair of the Lions.
Six years later, their daughter Sheila Ford Hamp succeeded her and remains in the role to this day.
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During the Ford Family's ownership of the Lions, the team has moved home twice.
In 1975 they left the historic Tiger Stadium to move into their own purpose-built facility - the Pontiac Silverdome.
Then in 2002, the team was moved again to another newly built indoor facility, Ford Field, which they still call home.
But while the team has managed to keep up with the times in terms of their homes, they have struggled to meet expectations on the field.
Since 1966, the Lions have reached the playoffs twelve times, reaching the conference game just once, and are yet to reach the Super Bowl.
They remain one of twelve teams never to have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.
The Lions are currently worth just over $3billion, and recorded an annual revenue of $452million, per Forbes.
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