Q 01/05

The Lions franchise began in which Ohio town, as the Spartans?

A) Portsmouth

B) Canton

C) Dayton

D) Akron

Answer · why

A) Portsmouth

The Spartans joined the NFL in 1930 and were bought and moved to Detroit four years later.

Q 02/05

The team was renamed the Lions in 1934 as a nod to which other Detroit club?

A) The Red Wings

B) The Tigers

C) The Pistons

D) The Cougars

Answer · why

B) The Tigers

The idea was that the lion is the king of the jungle and the tiger the king of the baseball diamond.

Q 03/05

What was unusual about the field for the 1932 Spartans–Bears playoff, played indoors at Chicago Stadium?

A) It was made of wood

B) It had no end zones

C) It was 80 yards long on circus dirt

D) It was painted on ice

Answer · why

C) It was 80 yards long on circus dirt

The Bears won 9-0, and the game led the NFL to create divisions, a championship game and hash marks.

Q 04/05

George A. Richards, who bought the Spartans in 1934 and moved them to Detroit, made his money in what business?

A) Automobiles

B) Newspapers

C) Brewing

D) Radio

Answer · why

D) Radio

He owned WJR and paid about $8,000 for the team, then used his network connections to put its Thanksgiving game on the air.

Q 05/05

The Lions' first Thanksgiving Day game, in 1934, was a 19-16 loss to which team?

A) Chicago Bears

B) Green Bay Packers

C) New York Giants

D) Chicago Cardinals

Answer · why

A) Chicago Bears

The owner staged it as a gimmick to sell tickets; the Lions have hosted every Thanksgiving since except 1939 to 1944.