Go Lions!!!

As a proud Detroit Lions fan from Michigan, the journey has been nothing short of challenging. In my lifetime, I've witnessed only a handful of years where the Lions truly stood out as a formidable team: 1981, 1991, 1995, and the more recent 2023. Being part of the Lions fandom has its ups and downs, but those moments of success make the loyalty all the more meaningful.

My dad often says that, in the 1980's, there was a columnist who wrote for the Detroit Free Press. And his column was syndicated in all the local newspapers. And he would write a sports column and leave space a the end for a question. And one column had a question from a 12-year-old boy. He wrote: "When will the Lions finally win a Super Bowl?" And the columnist's response was pithy: "How long are you going to live, kid?" 

My dad said he was alive for three of the Lions 4 championships: 1952, 1953, and 1957. He says he remembers watching all of them. Bobby Lane was the Quarter Back for all of those teams. And many consider him the greatest quarterback in Lion's history. Although, few of us younger people realize that Bobby Lane was injured in the 1957 seasons, and he was unable to play in the postseason that year. 

So, the last time the Lions won a playoff game on the road was in 1957. That year, there were two divisions. And in the Lion's division, the Lions and San Francisco 49ers were tied for first. So, they had a playoff game to see who would move on to the championship game.  The quarterback of that game was Tobin Rote. 

The Lions were underdogs then too, just like they are for tonight's game against the 49ers. But they went on to win that game. Then they moved on to the championship game. And they played the Cleveland Browns -- who, by the way, relocated to... Baltimore to become the Baltimore Ravens. And they won that game too. 

It would be neat if history repeats itself.