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Top 50 Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions may never have won a Super Bowl Championship but the reality is that this is a franchise with a long history with previous NFL titles that could possibly turn everything around and explore the history of the team.

The Detroit Lions first came into the NFL in 1930 and to date have won four NFL Championships, although the last one occurred in 1957, with three title occurring in the 1950’s.

While this has been an organization that has not had a lot of success, this is still a respected National Football League Team and worth our time when considering the team’s entire history.

This list is up to the end of the 2022 regular season.

Note: Football lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics and post-season accolades.
Making six of his seven Pro Bowls as a Detroit Lion, Left Tackle, Lomas Brown was the backbone of the Offensive Line that helped Barry Sanders shatter franchise records and imaginations.  Brown was thought of as one of the most consistent players from his era and would get his elusive Super Bowl later on with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  He…
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968, Alex Wojciechowicz was a major force in the NFL who spent most of his career with the Detroit Lions.  Playing at Center, End and Linebacker, he was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame 1940’s All-Decade Team.  He would set the single season record (since broken) for Interceptions in…
Known as “The Hatchet” (which is reason enough to rank him on any football list), the small framed Cornerback was one of the most punishing tacklers of his day and a major cog in the wheel of those three NFL Championship Teams in the 1950’s.  It is definitely worth noting that Jim David recorded an Interception in all three of…
With the exception of his final two seasons, Kevin Glover was a career Detroit Lion, and was at his best when he was blocking for the legendary Barry Sanders.  Glover was a three-time Pro Bowl selection as a Lion and played 177 games for Detroit, starting 161 of them.
As part of the “Silver Rush” Defense, Doug English was a very good pass rusher who would record 59 Sacks (though only 25 were official) in a career spent only in Detroit.  English is one of the few players in NFL history to record two safeties in a game and he went to four Pro Bowls.
Spending all of his career with the Detroit Lions (1992-2003), Robert Porcher would finish 4.5 Sacks shy of the 100 mark, which makes him the all-time leader in franchise history.  A three-time Pro Bowl Selection, Porcher was a feared player on the field but off of it would become known for his charitable endeavors off of it in the Detroit…
The NFL career of Billy Sims was only five seasons, but he was hands down one of the most explosive Running Backs of the early ’80s and a bonafide fan favorite, and not just amongst the Detroit faithful.
The Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2010, Ndamukong Suh would quickly become one of the most dominating players in football.  Suh, who while he was known as a dirty player, was definitely one of the best in the business as he made the Pro Bowl four times and three First Team All-Pro Selections as a Lion.
Starting all of his 191 Games that he played, Jeff Backus was one of the more dependable Offensive Tackles of his era.  Only playing professionally for the Detroit Lions, Backus, may never have been a Pro Bowler, but he was as reliable as they came and worthy of a First Round draft pick.
Al “Bubba” Baker made an immediate impact with the Detroit Lions in his rookie year as he recorded 23 (unofficial) Sacks and was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year.  Two years later, he again led the NFL in Sacks (17, unofficial) and Baker was a Pro Bowl selection in his first three seasons and had he been a Lion…
A Linebacker who spent his entire career with the Detroit Lions, Paul Naumoff was named to the Pro Bowl in 1970.  Naumoff was the regular starter at Left Linebacker for a decade and in 1975 was voted as the team’s MVP by the players.
Out of the University of Nebraska, Dominic Raiola was a Detroit Lion for all fourteen of his NFL seasons.  While he was never a Pro Bowl Selection, Raiola was a steady presence for the Detroit Lions and was not exactly surrounded with the best talent that would have helped him receive his proper due.

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A Detroit Lion for all but his final season in the NFL, Harley Sewell was a solidifying figure at the Left Guard position.  Sewell would make four Pro Bowls and was a big part of the Lions’ success in the 1950s, helping them win the 1953 and 1957 NFL Championship.
Johnnie Morton was never the number one receiver in Detroit, but he was a player who rose to the occasion as a solid number two wideout.  Morton would go over 1,000 Yards four times as a Lion and while he was the recipient of lesser coverage due to the Lion’s other offensive weapons of the time, he did exactly what…
Somewhat forgotten in the lore of Detroit Lions Quarterbacks is Greg Landry, who was there for eleven years.  Coming out of the University of Massachusetts, Landry would set many passing records (since broken) for the franchise but he was known actually more for his scrambling ability than he was for his passing.  Landry was a Pro Bowl selection in 1971.
A four time Pro Bowler, Ed Flanagan anchored the Detroit Lions Offensive Line for a decade and despite his Pro Bowls was not the most well known player in the NFL.  Still, Ed Flanagan was one of the most respected players amongst defensive players in the NFC and helmed the Center position better than most of his day.  Flanagan started…
Gail Cogdill arrived in Detroit with a boom in 1960 as he was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year.  The Washington State alumni made three Pro Bowls as a Lion and caught over 5,000 Yards worth of passes, which was a very good number for the 1960s.
A member of the Detroit Lions for all thirteen of his NFL seasons, Larry Hand would come out of Appalachian State and for a Tenth Round pick would be incredible value for Detroit.  Hand may never have been named to a Pro Bowl, but he was named the Detroit Lions MVP, which he probably held in much higher regard than…