# List of Detroit Lions in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the North Division of the National Football Conference. The franchise was founded in Portsmouth, Ohio, as the Portsmouth Spartans and joined the NFL on July 12, 1930, making them the fifth oldest franchise in the league. After being purchased by George A. Richards in 1934, the franchise was relocated to Detroit and renamed to the Detroit Lions in reference to the city's Major League Baseball franchise, the Detroit Tigers.
In 1963, the Pro Football Hall of Fame was created to honor the history of professional American football and the individuals who have greatly influenced it. Since the charter induction class of 1963, 23 individuals who have played, coached, or held an administrative position for the Lions have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Of the 23 inductees, 17 made their primary contribution to football with the Lions, while the other 6 contributed only a minor portion of their career with the Lions. Dwight Freeney was the most recent Lion selected to the Hall of Fame as part of the 2024 class.

## Inductees

Detroit Lions in the Pro Football Hall of Fame :
| Class | Inductee | Position(s) | Seasons with the Lions | Career accomplishments | Career accomplishments | Career accomplishments | Career accomplishments | Career accomplishments |
| Class | Inductee | Position(s) | Seasons with the Lions | All-Pros | All-Pros | Pro Bowls | Awards | Refs |
| Class | Inductee | Position(s) | Seasons with the Lions | First-team | Second-team | Pro Bowls | Awards | Refs |
| 1963 | Dutch Clark | Quarterback | 1931–1932 1934–1938 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1930s All-Decade Team 100th Anniversary All-Time Team | |
| 1963 | Dutch Clark | General manager | 1936–1938 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1930s All-Decade Team 100th Anniversary All-Time Team | |
| 1963 | Dutch Clark | Head coach | 1937–1938 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1930s All-Decade Team 100th Anniversary All-Time Team | |
| 1966 | Bill Dudley | Halfback | 1947–1949 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1× MVPTooltip Joe F. Carr Trophy (1946) 1940s All-Decade Team | |
| 1967 | Bobby Layne | Quarterback | 1950–1958 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 1950s All-Decade Team | |
| 1968 | Alex Wojciechowicz | Center Linebacker | 1938–1946 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1940s All-Decade Team | |
| 1970 | Jack Christiansen | Defensive back | 1951–1958 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1950s All-Decade Team | |
| 1970 | Hugh McElhenny | Halfback | 1964 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 1950s All-Decade Team 100th Anniversary All-Time Team | |
| 1972 | Ollie Matson | Running back | 1963 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 1950s All-Decade Team | |
| 1973 | Joe Schmidt | Linebacker | 1953–1965 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 1950s All-Decade Team 100th Anniversary All-Time Team | |
| 1973 | Joe Schmidt | Coach | 1966–1972 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1950s All-Decade Team 100th Anniversary All-Time Team | |
| 1974 | Dick Lane | Cornerback | 1960–1965 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 1950s All-Decade Team 50th Anniversary All-Time Team 75th Anniversary All-Time Team 100th Anniversary All-Time Team | |
| 1979 | Yale Lary | Defensive back Punter | 1952–1953 1956–1964 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 1950s All-Decade Team | |
| 1985 | Frank Gatski | Center | 1957 | 4 | 0 | 1 | | |
| 1986 | Doak Walker | Halfback Kicker | 1950–1955 | 4 | 0 | 5 | | |
| 1987 | John Henry Johnson | Fullback | 1957–1959 | 0 | 2 | 4 | | |
| 1992 | Lem Barney | Defensive back | 1967–1977 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1× DROYTooltip AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award (1967) 1960s All-Decade Team | |
| 1996 | Lou Creekmur | Offensive lineman | 1950–1959 | 7 | 0 | 8 | | |
| 2004 | Barry Sanders | Running back | 1989–1998 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 1× MVPTooltip AP NFL Most Valuable Player award (1997) 2× OPOYTooltip AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award (1994, 1997) 1× OROYTooltip AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award (1989) 1990s All-Decade Team 100th Anniversary All-Time Team | |
| 2007 | Charlie Sanders | Tight end | 1968–1977 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1970s All-Decade Team | |
| 2010 | Dick LeBeau | Defensive back | 1959–1972 | 0 | 3 | 3 | | |
| 2013 | Curley Culp | Defensive tackle | 1980–1981 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1× DPOYTooltip Newspaper Enterprise Association NFL Defensive Player of the Year award (1975) | |
| 2016 | Dick Stanfel | Guard | 1952–1955 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1950s All-Decade Team | |
| 2020 | Alex Karras | Defensive tackle | 1958–1970 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1960s All-Decade Team | |
| 2021 | Calvin Johnson | Wide receiver | 2007–2015 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 2010s All-Decade Team | |
| 2024 | Dwight Freeney | Defensive end | 2017 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 2000s All-Decade Team | |

## Footnotes

* ↑ Includes all selections to the NFL All-Star team (1939–1942), the Pro Bowl (1951–present), and the AFL All-Star game (1961–1969).