Lions

Logos and uniforms

Aside from a brief change to maroon in 1948 instituted by then head coach Bo McMillin, which was
influenced by his years as coach at Indiana, the Lions uniforms have basically remained the same.
The design consists of silver helmets, silver pants, and either blue or white jerseys. [12][13]
The shade of blue used for Lions uniforms and logos is officially known as "Honolulu blue", which is
supposedly inspired by the color of the waves off the coast of Hawaii. [13]
There have been minor changes to the uniform design throughout the years, such as changing the
silver stripe patterns on the jersey sleeves, and changing the colors of the jersey numbers. "TV
numbers", which are auxiliary uniform numbers to help TV broadcasters identify players from the line
of scrimmage, were added to the jersey sleeves in 1956. [13] White trim was added to the logo in 1970,
with outlines (white on the blue jersey, silver on the white jersey) added to the numbers in 1972; the
color arrangement on the numbers on the blue jerseys was reversed in 1982. [12] The gray facemasks
became blue in 1984. In 1998, the team wore blue pants with their white jerseys along with grey
socks but dropped that combination after the season. [12][14] In 1999, the "TV numbers" on the sleeves
were moved to the shoulders.[15]
In 1994, every NFL team wore throwback jerseys, and the Lions' were similar to the jerseys used
during their 1935 championship season. The helmets and pants were solid silver, the jerseys
Honolulu blue with silver numbers and the jersey did not have "TV numbers" on the sleeves. The
team wore solid blue socks and black cleats. The helmets also did not have a logo, as helmets were
simple leather back then.[12] The Lions also wore '50s-style jerseys during their
traditional Thanksgiving Day games from 2001 to 2004 as the NFL encouraged teams to wear
throwback jerseys on Thanksgiving Day.[16][17][18][19][20]
In 2003, the team added black trim to their logo and jerseys. The face masks on the helmet changed
from blue to black with the introduction of the new color. In 2005, the team introduced an alternate
black jersey.[12][21]
For 2008, the team dropped the black jersey in favor of a throwback uniform to commemorate the
franchise's 75th anniversary. The throwback uniform became the team's permanent alternate jersey
in 2009, replacing the former black alternate. [22] The Lions officially unveiled a new logo and uniforms
on April 20, 2009. The logo was given a flowing mane and fangs, while the typeface featured a
modern font.[23]
On February 1, 2017, the Lions announced a new typeface, logo, and the complete removal of the
color black from the team identity. While the previous logo was retained, the border was changed
from black to silver.[2][21] The Lions then unveiled the new uniforms on April 13, 2017, which include
blue pants for the first time since 1998; the facemasks also became chrome. [24][25] The Lions also
added the initials "WCF" to the left sleeve as a permanent tribute to William Clay Ford, who owned
the team from 1963 until his death in 2014. The sleeve addition replaces the black "WCF" patch on
the left breast that was added after Ford's death.[26]

Thanksgiving Day tradition

In 1934, then-team owner George A. Richards, who also was the owner a major radio affiliate of the
NBC Blue Network, WJR in Detroit, the forerunner to today's ABC, negotiated an agreement with
NBC to carry his Thanksgiving games live across all of the network's stations. [27] Since then, the
tradition of the Lions playing on Thanksgiving has continued uninterrupted. [28]

Home attendance