Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit , Michigan . They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference ( NFC ) in the National Football League ( NFL ) , and play their home games at Ford Field in downtown Detroit . Originally based in Portsmouth , Ohio and called the Portsmouth Spartans , the team began play in 1929 as an independent professional team , one of many such teams in the Ohio and Scioto River valleys . For the 1930 season , the Spartans formally joined the NFL as the other area independents folded because of the Great Depression . Despite success within the NFL , they could not survive in Portsmouth , then the NFL ' s smallest city . The team was purchased and moved to Detroit for the 1934 season . The Lions have won four NFL Championships , the last in 1957 , giving the club the second - longest NFL championship drought behind the Arizona Cardinals , who last won in 1947 ( as the Chicago Cardinals ) . The Lions are one of four current NFL teams that have yet to qualify for the Super Bowl , the only one with an unbroken NFL existence dating to before 1995 , and the only one in the NFC . The team has qualified for the playoffs only nine times in the more than 50 years since winning the 1957 championship . The Lions hold the second longest regular season losing streak in NFL history , losing 19 straight games from the final week of the 2007 season and ending on September 27 , 2009 , when the Lions defeated the Washington Redskins 19 – 14 . It is second only to the 1976 – 77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers ' losing streak of 26 . Also since the NFL ' s expansion to 32 teams in 2002 , the Lions are the only NFC team to not make the playoffs . The 2008 Detroit Lions became the only team in NFL history to lose all 16 regular season games . They had won all their preseason games that year , and were the only team to do so . They are only the second team to go winless without a tie ( next to the 0 – 14 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers ) since the AFL - NFL merger in 1970 . They went 2 – 14 in 2009 . On November 14 , 2010 in Buffalo , the Lions lost their 25th straight road game , setting a new NFL record for consecutive road losses . The previous record of 24 was also set by the Lions from 2001 to 2003 . The streak reached 26 games before being broken on December 19 , 2010 , when the Lions won at Tampa Bay . The win against Tampa Bay was the second in a four game winning streak starting with the Green Bay Packers . Logos and uniforms . Aside from a brief change to maroon in 1948 instituted by then head coach Bo McMillin ( influenced by his years as coach at Indiana ) , the Lions uniforms have basically remained the same since the team debuted in 1930 . The design consists of silver helmets , silver pants , and either blue or white jerseys . There have been minor changes to the uniform design throughout the years , such as changing the silver stripe patterns on the jersey sleeves , and changing the colors of the jersey numbers . White trim was added to the logo in 1970 . In 1998 , the team wore blue pants with their white jerseys along with grey socks but dropped that combination after the season . In 1999 , the ' TV numbers ' on the sleeves were moved to the shoulders . The shade of blue used for Lions uniforms and logos is officially known as " Honolulu blue , " which is supposedly inspired by the color of the waves off the coast of Hawaii . The shade was chosen by Cy Huston , the Lions first vice president and general manager , and of the choice , he said : " They had me looking at so many blues I am blue in the face , " Huston said about the selection . " But anyway , it ' s the kind of blue , I am told , that will match with silver . " In 1994 , every NFL team wore throwback jerseys , and the Lions ' were similar to the jerseys used during their 1935 championship season . The helmets and pants were solid silver , the jerseys Honolulu blue with silver numbers and the jersey did not have ' TV numbers ' on the sleeves . The team wore solid blue socks along with black shoes . The helmets also did not have a logo , as helmets were simple leather back then . The Lions also wore ' 50s - style jerseys during their traditional Thanksgiving Day games from 2001 to 2004 as the NFL encouraged teams to wear throwback jerseys on Thanksgiving Day . In 2003 , the team added black trim to their logo and the jerseys . The face masks on the helmet changed from blue to black with the introduction of the new color . Additionally , an alternate home field jersey which makes black the dominant color ( in place of Honolulu Blue ) was introduced in 2005 . For 2008 , the team dropped the black alternate jerseys in favor of a throwback uniform to commemorate the franchise ' s 75th anniversary . The throwback uniform became the team ' s permanent alternate jersey in 2009 , replacing the former black alternate . The Lions officially unveiled new logo designs and uniforms on April 20 , 2009 . The Lion on the helmet now has a flowing mane and fangs , and the font of " Lions " is more modern . Coaches . Current staff . According to USA Today , the Lions have added two new directors of scouting evaluation . Naveed Carim and Brett Jaksim were discovered by Martin Mayhew to work under Sheldon White in all scouting capacities . They have brought on their own system of player evaluation called the " PANDIAN " system , which they developed while attending the University of Michigan and the University of Oregon respectively . Radio and television . Radio . The Lions ' flagship radio stations are WXYT - FM , 97 . 1 FM , and WXYT - AM , 1270 AM . Dan Miller does play - by - play , Jim Brandstatter does color commentary , and Tony Ortiz provides sideline reports . If a conflict with Detroit Tigers or Detroit Red Wings coverage arises , only WXYT - FM serves as the Lions ' flagship . The Lions and WXYT AM / FM renewed their partnership for three more seasons on October 9 , 2009 . TV . Preseason . From 2008 to 2010 , WWJ - TV has been the flagship television station for Lions pre - season games . The announcers were Matt Shepard on play - by - play and Rob Rubick with color commentary . Steve Courtney and Lions Hall of Famer Charlie Sanders hosted the pre - game show and halftime show and provide sideline reports . WXYZ - TV will assume the role as flagship station beginning in the 2011 season . Regular season . Regular season games are broadcasted regionally on Fox , except when the Lions play an AFC team in Detroit , in which case the game airs regionally on CBS . The Thanksgiving Classic game in Detroit is always televised nationally on either Fox or CBS , depending on who the visiting team is . The Detroit Lions are the only NFC team that hasn ' t yet played on NBC ( the Houston Texans hold that distinction for the AFC ) when they got the NFL back in 2006 . The Lions ' official regular season show of record is " The Ford Lions Report " . For regular season games vs . NFC opponents when Fox doesn ' t have a double header , WJBK produces a live postgame show . Blackouts . The Lions ' winless performance in 2008 and 2 – 14 season in 2009 , coupled with the effects of the Late - 2000s recession in Michigan , led to several local broadcast blackouts , as local fans did not purchase enough tickets by the 72 - hour blackout deadline . In 2008 , five of the Lions ' final six home games of the season did not sell out , with the Thanksgiving game being the exception . The first blackout in the seven - year history of Ford Field was on October 26 , 2008 , against the Washington Redskins . The previous 50 regular season home games had been sellouts . The second home game of the 2009 season in which the Lions broke the losing streak ( also against the Washington Redskins ) was blacked out locally , as well as the comeback victory over the Cleveland Browns . The Lions had only one blackout in 2010 , the Washington Redskins game , which the Lions won 37 – 25 . Games were also often blacked out at the Lions ' previous home , the ( perhaps over - sized ) 80 , 000 - seat Pontiac Silverdome , despite winning seasons and the success and popularity of Barry Sanders . Notes and references . http : / / content . usatoday . com / topics / article / Organizations / Sports + Leagues / NFL / Detroit + Lions / 09VHcv6gGu6LV / 1