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List of Detroit Lions NFL All-Decade Team selections

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Calvin Johnson on an NFL field in a Detroit Lions jersey and helmet.
Wide receiver Calvin Johnson was one of two selections to the 2010s All-Decade Team.[1]

The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the North Division of the National Football Conference (NFC).[2] The franchise was founded in Portsmouth, Ohio, as the Portsmouth Spartans and joined the NFL on July 12, 1930.[3] After being purchased by George A. Richards in 1934, the franchise was relocated to Detroit and renamed to the Detroit Lions in reference to the city's Major League Baseball franchise, the Detroit Tigers.[4][5] The team plays its home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.[6]

In 1969, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the NFL, the Pro Football Hall of Fame identified NFL All-Decade Teams for the first four decades of the history of the league (1920s, 1930s, 1940s and 1950s).[7] Players were selected based solely on their performance during the specified decade, with accomplishments before or after not considered. After each subsequent decade, a new team was identified, with the most recent being selected for the 2010s.[8] Each team has been selected by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee, which is primarily made up of national sportswriters. The Selection Committee is asked to select specific numbers of typical American football positions to construct the team.[7][9]

From the 1920s to the 2000s, each team was split into first-team and second-team selections, whereas the 2010s Team did not make this distinction.[10] While standard offensive, defensive, and special teams positions have always been included, the position names, types of positions, and the number of positions have changed from decade to decade.[7] For example, due to its greatly reduced usage, the fullback position was not included for the 2010s team and a new "flex" offensive position was added instead.[11]

The Lions have had 23 players named to All-Decade Teams, with at least one player named to all but the 2000s Team.[12] The 1950s Team included eight Lions players, the most the Lions have had selected to one All-Decade Team.[12][13] Of the 23 Lions named to All-Decade teams, 16 have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and 13 have been inducted into the Pride of the Lions,[14][15] a permanent display at Ford Field meant to honor the team's greatest players.[16] The Lions' most recent selections were Calvin Johnson and Ndamukong Suh as part of the 2010s Team.[17]

An image from a 1952 Bowman Gum football trading card depicting a smiling Jack Christiansen in a Lions jersey and no helmet.
An image from a 1952 Bowman Gum football trading card depicting a Yale Lary in a Texas A. & M. jersey and no helmet.
Hall of Fame safeties Jack Christiansen and Yale Lary played five seasons together during the 1950s and both made the 1950s Team.[18]
Key
Symbol Meaning
† Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
‡ Inducted into the Pride of the Lions and Pro Football Hall of Fame
Detroit Lions NFL All-Decade Team selections
All-Decade
Team		 # of Lions
selected		 Player Position[a] Years with
Lions		 Refs
1930s 3 George Christensen Tackle 1931–1938 [19][20]
Dutch Clark ‡ Quarterback 1931–1932, 1934–1938 [19][21]
Ox Emerson Guard 1931–1937 [19][22]
1940s 4 Bill Dudley † Halfback 1947–1949 [23][24]
Pat Harder Fullback 1951–1953 [23][25]
Byron White Halfback 1940–1941 [23][26]
Alex Wojciechowicz ‡ Center 1938–1946 [23][27]
1950s 8 Jack Christiansen ‡ Safety 1951–1958 [28][29]
Dick Lane ‡ Cornerback 1960–1965 [28][30]
Yale Lary ‡ Safety 1952–1953, 1956–1964 [28][31]
Bobby Layne ‡ Quarterback 1950–1958 [28][32]
Ollie Matson † Running back 1963 [28][33]
Hugh McElhenny † Running back 1964 [28][34]
Joe Schmidt ‡ Linebacker 1953–1965 [28][35]
Dick Stanfel ‡ Guard 1952–1955 [28][36]
1960s 2 Lem Barney ‡ Cornerback 1967–1977 [37][38]
Alex Karras ‡ Defensive tackle 1958–1962, 1964–1970 [37][39]
1970s 1 Charlie Sanders ‡ Tight end 1968–1977 [40][41]
1980s 1 Eddie Murray Kicker 1980–1991 [42][43]
1990s 2 Mel Gray Kick returner 1989–1994 [44][45]
Punt returner
Barry Sanders ‡ Running back 1989–1998 [44][46]
2000s 0 N/a N/a N/a [47]
2010s 2 Calvin Johnson ‡ Wide receiver 2007–2015 [48][49]
Ndamukong Suh Defensive tackle 2010–2014 [48][50]

See also

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