This article details the
history of the Detroit Lions a professional American football franchise that began play in 1929 as the
Portsmouth Spartans.
Early football in Detroit before the Lions, 1920–1928
1929–1933: Portsmouth Spartans
The Spartans were initially formed in 1929, drawing players from defunct independent professional and semi-pro teams in the Ohio-Kentucky-West Virginia tri-state area. They immediately made an impact by twice defeating the
Ironton Tanks, a nearby independent professional team who had regularly played NFL member teams since the early 1920s with considerable success.
Portsmouth residents agreed to fund the construction of
Universal Stadium, a venue comparable to those in neighboring communities along the
Ohio River, prompting the NFL to offer league membership in 1930. Portsmouth became the NFL's second smallest city, ahead of only Green Bay. During the
team's first year in the league it compiled a record of 5–6–3 in
league contests.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. At the end of the
1932 season, the Spartans were tied...
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