Detroit Lions

Early highlights as the Portsmouth Spartans include the "iron human" game against Green Bay in 1932. In that game, Spartan manager Potsy Clark refused to have still an unmarried replacement against the defending NFL champ Packers. Portsmouth won 19-0 and used simply 11 players all game. Also as the Portsmouth Spartans, the dealership played in an unexpected NFL title game against the Chicago Bears in 1932. The Spartans-Bears game was played because both teams ended the routine season with the same won-lost percent (the Spartans finished at 6-1-4 while the Bears were 6-1-6; ties were not reckoned as region of the percent in the NFL until 1972. Because of snowstorm conditions in Chicago, the game was moved from Wrigley Field indoors to Chicago Stadium, which allowed for simply a 80-yard area; some have called the competition the best stadium football game. The Bears won, 9-0, and the resulting stake led to the formation of Eastern and Western conferences and a routine championship.

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The Detroit Lions began play as the Portsmouth Spartans for the 1929 season, drawing players from defunct independent professional and semi-pro teams in the local Ohio-Kentucky-West Virginia tri-state area. They immediately made an impact by twice defeating the heralded Ironton Tanks, a nearby independent professional team who had regularly played NFL member teams since the early 1920s with considerable success. The successful 1929 season behind them, the Spartans gained full NFL membership for the 1930 season, managing a respectable 5-6-3 in league contests, while the rival Tanks became yet another casualty of the Great Depression.

Early highlights as the Portsmouth Spartans include the "iron man" game against Green Bay in 1932. In that game, Spartan coach Potsy Clark refused to make even a single substitution against the defending NFL champion Packers. Portsmouth won 19-0 and used only 11 players all game.

Also as the Portsmouth Spartans, the franchise played in an unscheduled NFL championship game against the Chicago Bears in 1932. The Spartans-Bears game was played because both teams ended the regular season with the same won-lost percentage (the Spartans finished at 6-1-4 while the Bears were 6-1-6; ties were not reckoned as part of the percentage in the NFL until 1972). Because of blizzard conditions in Chicago, the game was moved from Wrigley Field indoors to Chicago Stadium, which allowed for only an 80-yard field; some have called the contest the first arena football game. The Bears won, 9-0, and the resulting interest led to the establishment of Eastern and Western conferences and a regular championship game beginning in 1933.

Poor revenues and the Great Depression led to the team's move from Portsmouth to Detroit in 1934. That season, Detroit hosted its first ever Thanksgiving Day game, a tradition continued to this day.

Under quarterback Dutch Clark, Detroit won its first NFL championship in 1935.

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