Who owns the Detroit Lions?

Detroit is the Motor City - the automobile capital of the world and also Hitsville - the birthplace of the Motown and sound of young America in the 1960s and 70s. So it’s no coincidence that the city’s football team, the Lions, have such close and impervious ties to the car industry. For the past six decades the franchise has been owned by members of the same eminent family - the Ford family.

Founded in 1933, the Detroit Lions had various different owners - individuals and syndicate groups from the early days right up until the early 1960s - the very moment Berry Gordy was setting up his Motown record label. In 1961, William Clay Ford Sr. - the last surviving grandson of Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company, bought a controlling stake in the franchise for $4.5 million (equivalent to around $43 million today). The operation was approved on 22 November 1963 - the same day US president John F Kennedy was assassinated.

Generation game

William Clay Ford Sr. remained in charge of the Lions up until his death on 9 March 2014 when ownership passed to his widow Martha Firestone Ford. Mrs Ford, the franchise’s fifth owner, remained at the helm for six seasons, until she decided, at the ripe age of 94, to hand the baton to the next generation. Her daughter Sheila Ford Hamp took over in June 2020.

The Lions issued a statement on 23 June 2020 to announce that Sheila Ford Hamp, who had served as one of the team’s vice chairs during her mother’s ownership, had succeeded her mother as the principal owner and Chair of the Lions.

Sheila Ford Hamp takes the reins

Born and raised in Detriot, Sheila Ford Hamp is 72 years of age with three children to her husband Steve. A keen sports enthusiast, she graduated from Yale University and has been closely linked to the Lions franchise and Ford Motor Company throughout her professional career. She also serves on the NFL’s Super Bowl and Major Events Committee and the board for Detroit Lions Charities. Her four children: Sheila Ford Hamp, Martha Ford Morse, William Clay Ford Jr. and Elizabeth Ford Kontulis also hold ownership shares.

New perspective

In a recent interview with Fox 2 Detroit, she explained, “I had the privilege and honor of working with my mother for six years while she was the principal owner and I learned a lot with her. She had to pioneer her way through a lot of things and I saw many, many wonderful things she did and many things that maybe she and I would have thought about differently, to have the perspective I have now, so yes, I look back to look forward.

“My noble cause, after a lot of thought, was the city of Detroit - the fans, the state, everybody who’s supported the Lions for so many years and how can we bring a winner? My first call was to Chris Spielman. I asked him if he would be interested in coming and helping this thought. Also, digging into the organization a bit, we realized we need a culture shift and Chris was intrigued by that thought. When Chris came on board, he and Rod [Wood] and Mike Disner and I got together for hours before we even began interviewing, to start talking about what we are looking for in our new leadership. When we hired Brad [Holmes] and Dan [Campbell], we got the people we were looking for”.

There have been a number of changes during her stewardship - including the reintroduction of a new Honolulu blue helmet which features a vintage walking lion logo - a thowback to the mid-50s as part of the franchise’s 90th anniversary celebrations.