The Lions Finally Roar

The epic and tumultuous story of the Lions and the city of Detroit—and how the team and the city have come together on the cusp of a new era.

Revised and updated edition

*A Michigan Notable Book*

On Nov. 22, 1963, William Clay Ford, the youngest grandson of auto pioneer Henry Ford, made a successful bid to buy the Detroit Lions of the National Football League for the unheard-of sum of $6 million. As Ford and his entourage settled down to a celebratory luncheon, the news broke that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated.

“Born under a bad sign” is how Bill Ford’s ownership of the Lions began. After a decade of supremacy, the team embarked on a half-century slog of mediocrity. The Lions Finally Roar is bursting with the colorful ruffians who have made the team one of America’s most beloved sports franchises despite its years of futility. Readers meet the hell-raising quarterback Bobby Layne, who is said to have put a curse on the team after he was traded; the rock-solid linebacker and future coach Joe Schmidt; the stars Charlie Sanders, Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and, most spectacularly, Barry Sanders.

Deeply researched and briskly written, The Lions Finally Roar expands beyond football, from the linked histories of Detroit and its auto and music industries to the city’s social and racial dynamics and the rising power of television. Building to an exciting crescendo, The Lions Finally Roar culminates with the team’s recent turnaround and playoff run under the stewardship of Bill Ford’s daughter, Sheila Ford Hamp, savvy general manager Brad Holmes, and charismatic coach Dan Campbell.