Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
1 Barry Sanders, Face of the Franchise 1
2 The Lions' Diehard Fans 5
3 Megatron Always a Threat 8
4 Worst NFL Season Ever 10
5 Quiedy Mayhew Works His Magic 12
6 It Is the Motor City 15
7 Road Losers No More 17
8 Fords Keep an Eye on Team 19
9 A Detroit Tradition 22
10 1935 Championship, A First 24
11 Old, Bald, and Still Kicking 27
12 They Call Him "The Franchise" 30
13 The Smell of Success 34
14 The Blond Bomber 36
15 Another NFL Championship 39
16 Scott Mitchell's Ups and Downs 41
17 Time for a Turn-Around 43
18 One Playoff Win in 54 Years 46
19 At Last Back to the Playoffs 48
20 One Loss, Multiple Changes 50
21 Forget the Millen Era 52
22 Joey Not a Favorite 55
23 Biggest Draft Bust 57
24 Russ Thomas Made His Mark 59
25 Suh Does The Stomp 61
26 Five Starters in 44 Days 63
27 Are You Ready for Monday Night Football? 65
28 Mike Utley Full of Life 68
29 Fontes, A Man With a Smile 70
30 Moore a Fan Favorite 72
31 Best Seventh-Round Pick Ever? 76
32 Sims Hot From the Start 78
33 Back-to-Back Tides 82
34 Out on a Winning Note 84
35 Built with Character 86
36 Gridiron Heroes 89
37 Emotions Rule the Day 91
38 Disheartened Ross Leaves 93
39 The Day the Music Died 95
40 From Portsmouth to Detroit 98
41 RIP Chuck Hughes 99
42 Tiger Stadium, A Longtime Home 102
43 Add This to Your Bucket List 104
44 No Happy Ending 106
45 Once a Fan, Now President 107
46 Monte Clark's Two Stints 110
47 Don't Forget Mongo or Karras 112
48 The Calvin Rule 114
49 Creekmur's Wait Pays Off 116
50 Best Free Agent Signing Ever? 119
51 Another One Bites the Dust 121
52 Jim Schwartz to the Rescue 123
53 He Took the Wind 125
54 Reggie Rogers Kills Three 128
55 Lem Barney 130
56 One Fearsome Dude 133
57 Detroit Lions Academy 136
58 Football Times Two 138
59 Tailgate Haven 140
60 Third Tide in Six Years 142
61 Life Before Hanson 145
62 Loud and Proud 148
63 A Pair of Heisman Quarterbacks 150
64 Landry a Standout 152
65 Mel Gray Puts On a Show 154
66 Spielman a Throwback 156
67 Dick "Night Train" Lane 159
68 Green Bay Sent Packing 161
69 Playoff Highs and Lows 165
70 Plimpton's Folly 169
71 Breaking the Vikings' Curse 171
72 Location is Everything 175
73 Famous Detroiters Big Fans 177
74 Playoffs Worth the Wait 179
75 Detroit Winner at Super Bowl XL 181
76 Another Detroit Tradition 183
77 Totally Multidimensional 185
78 Father and Son Lions 187
79 The Old Ball Games 189
80 Gary Danielson's Ups and Downs 190
81 All-You-Can-Eat Seats 193
82 RIP Tom "Boiler" Kowalski 195
83 25 Years of Brandstatter 198
84 History Comes Alive 202
85 Angry Man March 205
86 Andolsek Gone Too Soon 207
87 Morton's Impact 209
88 Porcher, A Community Man 212
89 Visit Training Camp, Learn New Words 214
90 First Impressions 216
91 From Player to Player Personnel 220
92 Pro Football Hall of Fame 221
93 The Handshake 223
94 Celebrate in Greektown 227
95 Working the Line 228
96 Detroit Lions Charities 231
97 Coney Wars 233
98 History at the Lions' Expense 235
99 Bears-Lions Rivalry 237
100 God Bless YouTube 239
Sources 242
