Did you ever wonder if the Detroit Lions football team will ever win again?

By David McClelland

Did you ever wonder if the Detroit Lions football team will ever win again?

I have to tell you that I sometimes wonder exactly that. Why? Well, as we all know, the Lions haven't won it all since they did it in 1957. What is that, 53 years ago? The championship in 1957 was their 4th. The 1950's was the best decade for the Lions. They won the first of their four championships in 1935 (the year after they moved to Detroit), and again in 1952, in 1953 and in 1957. With Bobby Lane as their QB, they beat the Cleveland Browns in each of those games. But, they lost to those same Browns in the 1954 championship game. Since that time, the Lions have only a single playoff win to their credit.

The Lions are one of only four NFL teams that have yet to win a Super Bowl. 1957 was way too long ago. Have they come close since? Not really, but they hold the record for the second longest regular season losing streak at 19 games. Second only to the Tampa Bay streak of 26 games. Then, in 2008, the Lions became the only team in NFL history to lose all 16 regular season games. And, they are currently riding a 20 away-game losing streak. Enough already!!!

Wait. The Lions have had what many considered to be even worse seasons. In 1942, the Lion's offense was so bad that it scored only 5 touchdowns all season and never scored more that 7 points in a single game. During the four seasons from 1946 – 1949, the Lions won a total of 10 games. And, the 1943 Lions and New York Giants played to a 0-0 tie, the last time that an NFL game ended in a tie.

I, for one, am more than tired of waiting for the Lions to have a winning season and I want you to know that I have taken action. I have never been a Lions season ticket holder, preferring to watch most games on TV, but, this year, I was offered the opportunity to split some really good season tickets on the 30 yard line with a friend and I "invested" $900 to do so. I have home game tickets to the following games this year: A preseason game in late August vs. the Cleveland Browns, the Nov. 7th game vs. the New York Jets, the December 5th game vs. the Chicago Bears, the December 12 game vs. the Green Bay Packers and the January 2nd game vs. the Minnesota Vikings. I don't know the exact date of the game with the Browns because the Lions don't deliver season tickets until mid-July and it may not be a Sunday game.

What are my chances of seeing the Lions turn it around this season while I am in attendance? That isn't at all clear and it depends who you listen to or read. Recently, Pat Caputo, The Oakland Press' sports writers that I consider most knowledgeable, said, "Despite winning just two games by six points the past two years, I expect the Lions would garner between six and eight victories this coming season." (They need to win 9 games to have a winning season since they have a 16 game schedule.) Other sports writers are not as optimistic. If the Lions could meet or beat Caputo's prediction, most Lion's fans would probably consider it a great turn-around season. I would be one of them and, of course, I would take at least partial credit for their success since I will have attended 5 home games and cheered them on to those victories. I will have much greater credibility if the Lions win all 5 of "my games." I do look forward to this Lions season. How about you?