100 Things Lions Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die Book

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