Here They Are in All Their Glory!

The Uniforms of the Detroit Lions

Bask in the Tradition. Bask in the Memories.

Titled “Motor City Obsession” and Licensed by the National Football League, the Artwork is available in two framed presentations:

An eye-catching framed-and-matted print measuring 12” x 21” that sells for only $52 each—which is an exceptional value for a fully assembled Artpiece of this size. And a dramatic 19” x 39” triple-matted high-quality print (a Letter of Authenticity is included) that is limited to an edition size of only 299 and sells for the discounted cost of $399.

Please note your Artwork will arrive at your door in 7 to 10 days when you place your order. And needless to say, there is a 30-day full moneyback guarantee. In addition, The Greatest-Scapes pays all shipping costs and any required sales tax!

The Greatest-Scapes also offers the option of an interest-free Extended Payment Plan for credit card orders. For the $52 framed print, you can pay $26.00 upfront and the balance of $26.00 thirty days later. While the $399 framed Limited Edition can be purchased with an initial $133, and payments of $133 billed thirty and sixty days later.

To phone in your credit card order, please call us at 1-800-786-3022 anytime between 10am and 6pm (Eastern) Monday through Friday. You can also mail in your order, payable to The Greatest-Scapes, to: The Greatest-Scapes/P.O. Box 5548/Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Please include your shipping address and specify which Artwork(s) you’re ordering and how many. And please don’t hesitate to call us toll-free if you ever have any questions or would like any additional information.

For your convenience, you can print out our Order Form.

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And this Artwork evokes an unmistakably Classic quality. Indeed, it will look at home next to a diploma or a work of fine art. Whether you hang it on a wall or lean it on a shelf or mantle, the Artwork will make a striking impression.

Please keep in mind, though, the visuals depicted here on the website simply can not do justice to the detail and quality of the actual Artwork.

Please note the uniform images shown are produced from hand-painted watercolor paintings. The publisher chose this route, rather than photographs, because in many cases original jerseys no longer exist, even at the various halls of fame. In addition, a more consistent look and feel for the uniforms is achieved by painting them, and allows for a higher level of detail than a photograph in some cases.

Here, then, is a detailed description of the 12” x 21” Artpiece that sells for only $52 each. It consists of a 5” x 15” paper print that is housed in a black frame with a textured black mat. The black mat has a white groove cut into it, thus adding depth and beauty to the piece. Weighing approximately five pounds, the Artwork is covered by crystal-clear glass and includes a “hanger” on the back to allow for easy hanging. The black frame—and especially the textured black mat with white groove—makes this a truly stunning Artpiece.

The above is an example of the 12” x 21” Artpiece, which depicts the Washington Redskins.

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As for the 19” x 39” Limited Edition Artwork, please note each Artwork is printed on 115-lb Garda Gloss stock and then mounted to avoid any rippling effects. As for its matting and framing, the Limited Edition is triple-matted in an acid-free framing style. The outer mat is a rich, black textured mat with white core. The middle and inner mat colors have been selected to complement the team’s colors and the overall framed piece. The matting is framed to create a shadow box effect, giving the entire framed piece a unique three-dimensional look. The frame is an exquisite solid wood frame finished with a rich black matte texture, chosen to complement all three mats and the print itself. Finally, the Artpiece is protected by high-quality framing glass; the total weight of the Artpiece being approximately 10 pounds.

The above is an example of the 19” x 39” Limited Edition Artpiece,

which depicts the New York Yankees.

Here then is the history of the Lions’ Uniforms …

#1.

1935

In the 1920's, three different attempts to establish a pro football team in Detroit failed: the Detroit Heralds in the American Professional Football Association (later named the NFL) lasted only 4 games into the 1920 season but came back for 7 more games in 1921; the Detroit Panthers in the NFL in 1925 and 1926; and the Detroit Wolverines in the NFL in 1928.

But in 1934, Detroit radio executive George A. Richards purchased the Portsmouth, Ohio Spartans for the then remarkable sum of $8,000 and moved the franchise to the Motor City, where it remains to this day – fourth time lucky!

The Portsmouth Spartans joined the NFL in 1930. In 1932, they played in one of history's most pivotal games, a hastily-scheduled NFL championship game against the Chicago Bears. The game was won by the Bears 9-0 in the first ever INDOOR pro football game, played December 18, 1932 in Chicago Stadium because of inclement weather. By winning, the Bears ensured themselves of the ‘World’s Champions’ title in what was the first ever NFL playoff game. What made the game even more important, however, is the fact that the NFL changed as a result of the game: the decision was made to divide the league into two divisions, and an annual NFL title showdown was established between the winners of each division.

Unlike the three earlier Detroit teams, the 1935 Lions were loaded with some of the finest players of the day. The team leader was Dutch Clark, a triple-threat star (and the last NFL drop kicker) who became a charter member of the Hall of Fame.

After going 7-3-2 and winning the 4 team Western Division in just their second year in Detroit, the Lions won the NFL championship in 1935 beating the New York Giants 26 – 7 in front of 15,000 fans at the University of Detroit Stadium. Those early successes (they finished 10-3 in their first year in Detroit) firmly established pro football in Detroit and for more almost 70 years the sport has been an integral part of the Michigan sports scene.

The Lions name was simply chosen by team owner George Richards. “The lion is monarch of the jungle,” a team spokesperson said, “and we hope to be the monarch of the league.” Our guess is the fact that the long established baseball Tigers also had some bearing on the name choice, but it’s just a hunch.

The 1935 uniform consisted of a simple blue jersey with white numbers and white pants. The helmet, on the other hand, was silver.

#2A.

1938 In 1938 the Lions moved from the University of Detroit Stadium to Briggs Field, home of the Detroit Tigers baseball team, where they stayed for 37 years (Briggs Field was later named Tiger Stadium, and the Tigers stayed there until the end of the 1999 baseball season, another 62 seasons).

The Lions continued their winning ways, going 8-4 in 1936 and 7-4 in 1937, but had the misfortune of playing in the same division as the Packers and the Bears. And 1938 was more of the same as the Lions went 7-4 but finished a game behind the 8-3 Packers.

An interesting sign of the times was the fact that Bill Shepherd, the Lions great fullback, rushed for 455 yards in 11 games and finished 3^rd in total rushing yards, behind league leader Byron “Whizzer” White of Pittsburgh who amassed 567 yards (this is the same Whizzer White who would go on to greater fame as a Supreme Court Judge).

This jersey is once again a simple blue top with white numbers, and the helmet is silver. The blue of the jerseys is sometimes referred to as a Hawaiian blue. Note the pant extensions designed to protect the kidneys from side blows.

#2B.

1948 After enjoying a pretty successful first decade, the Lions took a step backward in the 40’s, having just two winning seasons (1944 & 1945). The 1945 Lions had a tough season, going 2 and 10, finishing in fifth (last) place.

The only Lions to be among the league leaders in any offensive category was halfback Bill Dudley, who scored 6 TD’s and booted 30 extra points and 5 field goals for 81 points scored.

The 1948 HOME jersey is once again a simple blue top with white numbers. The helmet is a lighter silver color. Almost all players in this era played without face masks, and many would continue going mask-less well into the 50’s, some as late as 1960.

#3.

1952 The 40’s behind them, the Lions practically owned the 50’s.

It was the 50’s that saw the Lions enjoy their finest years ever, as they won four division titles and three league championships (1952, 1953 and 1957). Among the stars on those teams were such future Hall of Famers as quarterback Bobby Layne (1950-57), running back Doak Walker (191950-55), tackle-guard Lou Creekmur (1950-59) and defensive back Jack Christiansen (1951-58).

The Lions tied the LA Rams for first in the 6 team National Conference with identical 9-3 records, and thus had to play a one game playoff against the Rams. For reasons that are slightly unclear to me (perhaps because they won both regular season games vs the Rams), the playoff game was played in Detroit at Briggs Stadium. In front of 47,000+ fans, the Lions handed the Rams a 31-21 loss to advance to the NFL Championship game. This was the 5^th such playoff game needed to decide a division winner since the NFL began two division play in 1933 (1941, 1943, 1947, 1950 and 1952).

In the NFL Championship, the Lions took on the powerful and favorite Cleveland Browns in front of 50,000+ at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. In a game that was statistically dominated by the Browns (the Browns had 22 1^st downs to Detroit’s 10), the Lions came out on top 17-7 on the strength of their great defense, Bobby Layne’s 7 for 10 passing and Doak Walker’s 67 yard touchdown run.

In 1952 the Lions’ HOME jersey was again a Hawaiian blue with white numbers. But interestingly, for what we believe to be only one season, the helmet has changed to a gold color.

Before we head to 1957, lets touch on the Lions’ championship season in 1953 as well, when they went 10-2 to win the West outright. They faced the Browns yet again, only this time the game was in Detroit. In a hard fought game, the Lions came from behind in the 4^th to edge the Browns 17-16. This time, however, the Lions held the edge in play (18 1^st downs to Cleveland’s 11).

And in 1954, the same two teams went at it again. Finally Cleveland came out on top, winning handily in Cleveland by a 56-10 count in a game that was remarkably close statistically except for the 6 interceptions thrown by Bobby Layne.

#4.

1957 From 1950 to 1957 the Lions had only one losing season (1955), and during this stretch they went 61-33-2. In fact, the Lions enjoyed their finest years in the 1950's, when they won four division titles and three league championships (1952, 1953 and 1957).

This is the first ROAD white jersey we have seen in the poster, and it features the addition of blue stripes, and numbers, on the sleeves. After a brief hiatus in 1952 when the helmet was silver, and perhaps 1955-ish when the helmet was blue for one season, the helmet is once again silver. Note the addition of a face mask on this helmet (by now the majority of players wore face masks, although Bobby Layne would play without one right into the 1960 season).

In 1957 the Lions tied the San Francisco 49ers with similar 8-4 records, and this time the Lions headed west to break the tie (as in 1952, I’m not sure what the criteria was to decide where the playoff game was played – this year each team won their home game against the other). After being down 27-7 in the 3^rd quarter, the Lions roared back to steal the game 31-27 over the 49ers in a game played in San Francisco at Kezar Stadium.

And who do you think the Lions faced in the NFL Championship? Of course, the Browns. And turnabout being fair play, the Lions slammed the Browns 59 - 14 in a game played in Detroit at Briggs Stadium before 55,000+ screaming fans. The hero this time out was QB Kyle Rote, who (with a little help from halfback Howard Hopalong Cassady) completed 13 of 22 passes for 296 yards and no interceptions.

#5.

1965 As the NFL and AFL are locked in a battle for the hearts and minds of football fans, the Lions are purchased for $4,500,000 in 1964 by William Clay Ford.

Meanwhile, on the field the first half of the 60’s are pretty kind to the Lions as they have winning seasons 4 of the 1^st 5 years. In 1965, however, the Lions fall below .500 with a 6-7-1 record, good only for 6^th in the 7 team Western Conference. One star is kickoff return specialist Tommy Watkins, who gains 584 yards via kickoff returns. But perhaps the most amazing stat of the season is the 1544 yards gained by Cleveland running back Jim Brown in his 9^th and last season in the NFL – in second place was Gayle Sayers of the Bears with 867 yards.

This is once again a blue jersey with white numbers on the front and on the sleeves above the triple white stripes. The blue in this jersey is slightly toned down from the brighter blues of the 40’s and 50’s. Note also that this is the first time we have seen the Lions logo on the helmet although it made its first appearance several years earlier.

#6A.

1969 The period of time between 1966 and 1969 warrants a bit of explanation. The 8 team AFL began in 1960 as a rival league to the NFL - both leagues competed head to head for players, fans and TV revenue. And thus it was for 5 years - two separate leagues, two separate champions (although few people would have honestly believed that the AFL champion could have beaten the NFL champs). Then in 1965 the two leagues agreed to merge. It was decided that beginning in 1970 there would be only one league, the NFL, and that between 1966 and 1969 the AFL Champion would play the NFL Champion for the “World Championship”. It was only after the first World Championship had been played in 1966 that the name “Super Bowl” came into being.

Thus the 1966 season saw the first meeting of the AFL and NFL champions, with the NFL Champion Green Bay Packers humbling the AFL’s KC Chiefs 33-10. (Even though the game was played in 1967, most football historians refer to this as the 1966 Super Bowl because it was the culmination of the 1966 season.) The NFL superiority was on display again in 1967, when the NFL’s Packers pounded the AFL’s Raiders 33-14. Then came 1968 and the stunning upset - the AFL’s NY Jets shocked the football world by beating the NFL’s heavily favored Baltimore Colts 16-7.

After that great buildup, I wish we could report that the Lions took on the AFL’s best in 1969, but the truth is that the Lions finished a very respectable 9-4-1, but well behind the Vikings’ 12-2 record and therefore out of the playoffs.

On this blue jersey we see the patch on the left shoulder marking the NFL’s 50^th anniversary. This patch was worn by all 16 NFL teams in 1969, but not by any AFL squads. When I see this jersey I can just about see the great and charismatic Alex Karras, the 6’ 2” 250 lb. defensive tackle for the Lions roaming the field in search of prey. Karras played 12 straight years for the Lions, never missing a game from 1958 until his final year in 1970.

#6B.

1974 The Lions have been looking for their fourth NFL title for almost 20 years (they won it all in 1952, 1953 and 1957), but the 70’s won’t be their decade. While they had great players in the 1970’s - such as Joe Schmidt, Yale Lary, Lem Barney and Dick "Night Train" Lane, each of whom has been elected to the Hall of Fame—the best the Lions of the 70’s could do was slip into the playoffs once, and even then it was as a wildcard team in 1970.

In 1975, the Lions left Tiger Stadium (where they had played since 1938) for a new home, the 80,494-seat Pontiac Silverdome, a then state-of-the-art facility in the Detroit suburb of Pontiac, MI.

On this white ROAD jersey we see short sleeves for the first time on a Lions jersey as well as an attractive silver outline around the numbers – now this is a good looking uniform. The lion on the helmet now has also has a white outline around it.

#7.

1980 As much as the 1970’s weren’t particularly kind to the Lions, the 1980’s may have been worse. The Lions will finish above .500 only twice, and make the playoffs only once, in 1983. They exited just as quickly, although the 1983 season is memorable because the Lions are paced by superstar running back Billy Sims, who played just 5 short years (1980-84) before retiring.

As for 1980, the year of this jersey, the Lions finished 9-7 and Billy Sims gained a very respectable 1303 yards – 5^th in the league. This white ROAD jersey hasn’t changed much over the years, the only minor change is perhaps the width of the white area between the sleeve stripes.

#8.

1991 The Lions returned to respectability in the topsy turvy 90’s. Over the 10 year period, the Lions almost establish a pattern of finishing .500 or better one year, then below .500 the next. They end the decade with five winning seasons, one .500 season and 4 losing seasons.

The great news is that the Lions won division titles in 1991 and 1993, and in 1991, they won their first playoff game since1957 (they only made it to the playoffs 3 times since 1957 and lost all 3 in the first round).

In 1991, however, the Lions finish a terrific 12-4 under coach Wayne Fontes, and win the NFC Central. After clobbering the Cowboys 38-6 at the Silverdome, the Lions advanced to the NFC championship game for the first time in franchise history. Alas, they came up against the inspired Redskins, who cruised to a 41-10 win en route to their 3^rd Super Bowl Championship in 9 years.

If you look closely at this jersey, you will note a smaller patch of the NFL shield on the jersey’s neckline. Most NFL uniforms added the NFL logo patch to the neck and upper left thigh of the pants beginning in 1991 - an exception being in 1994 when teams occasionally wore "throwback" uniforms celebrating the NFL's 75th anniversary.

The “JRT” patch on the left side is in honor of Russ Thomas, the team’s much loved General Manager who passed away suddenly before the season began.

#9.

1994 After falling to a 5-11 record in 1992, the Lions came back in 1993 with a 10-6 record to capture their 2^nd NFC Central Championship in 3 years.

In 1994, the Lions finished tied for second in NFC Central with a 9-7 record. They would go to the playoffs only to lose an wild NFC Wildcard game 28-24 in the 4^th quarter to the Green Bay Packers.

During this 1994 season, the NFL and its franchises were showcasing ‘throwback’ jerseys, or replicas of older uniforms to help commemorate the NFL’s 75^th anniversary. The 75^th anniversary was also commemorated by the diamond patch on the upper left part of the torso - this patch was worn on all 1994 jerseys whether they were "throwback" jerseys or not. Every NFL team wore a throwback jersey for one or more games during the 1994 season, and the Lions wore this one to celebrate their 1957 Championship season.

One note about the uniform: If you look closely at almost all NFL uniforms worn from 1991 on, you’ll note a small NFL shield patch on the jersey’s neckline. Most NFL uniforms added the NFL logo patch to the neck, and to the upper left thigh of the pants, beginning in 1991. The only major exception to this practice was in 1994 when the teams wore their throwback uniforms – in these instances, as is the case here, most teams did not wear the NFL shield patch.

Note also the Lions’ throwback helmet – like it’s 1957 counterpart, there is no logo on this helmet – it’s amazing how naked the helmets look without logos on them.

#10.

1999 Proving there is life after Barry Sanders, the Lions go a respectable 8-8 on the season and sneak into the playoffs with a .500 record, a rare occurrence in the NFL playoff structure. In the playoffs the Lions come up short against the Redskins by a 27-13 score in DC.

This is a white jersey with blue pants, the first time we’ve seen the Lions in blue pants. While this is a departure, I’d say it’s a great look, one we hope the Lions will hang on to. The helmet is traditional with the lion logo on it.

#11.

2000 This blue jersey shows that the numbers have moved from sleeves to the shoulders. The sleeve stripes are an attractive combination of silver and white stripes. Note that the blue of the jersey has become a little bit deeper blue than say 1991, although this may not be the official party line, the naked eye usually doesn’t miss a trick. The helmet is still the traditional silver and lion logo.

On the field the 2000 Lions went 9-7 but missed the playoffs by a single game. Statistically, the team is lead by QB Charlie Batch, running back James Stewart and receiver Johnnie Morton.

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The Detroit Lions: “Motor City Obsession”

TRADITION… MEMORIES… CLASSY…

Order Yours Today … and Revel in it!

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