I wasn’t even aware of that till now, but that sounds like the most Lions-esque thing I’ve ever heard
That and having the only player to ever die on an NFL field (Chuck Hughes, WR.)
Guy was walking back to the huddle after a dropped TD pass by another Lion, collapsed on the 20 at Tiger Stadium with 1:02 left. He was having convulsions, **** Butkus was nearest to him and waving frantically. Turned out he had 75% blockage in an artery. Heart attack.
Few years later their HC died the week TC was supposed to start while mowing his yard. Also a heart attack. Guy had won a Super Bowl in Baltimore, lasted one year in Detroit.
The Ford family has hired 15 head coaches and appointed two interims (plus the HC they retained after buying the team the morning JFK was assassinated.)
• George Wilson - the Fords inherited the last man to win an NFL championship in Detroit. Lasted one full season under WCF, coached the Dolphins 1966-69.
• 7 of the next 8 head coaches never worked again after being the Lions HC. Never, ever, anywhere. The Lions average 6.625 wins 1965-1996. Monte Clark was an assistant for one year in Miami after 7 miserable years in the Silverdome.
• The Fords longest serving coach, Wayne Fontes, was in interim for 5 games and HC for 8 seasons. His 66 wins and 67 losses are franchise records. 1-4 in the playoffs. One of two head coaches Barry Sanders played under.
• Bobby Ross (27-30 with 2 WC losses 1997-2000) coached at Army but never again in the NFL.
• Gary Moeller (4-3 as an interim) never got a HC gig but did land a couple assistant jobs. Only the 2nd Ford HC with a winning record. The first one (HoFer Joe Schmidt) quit out of frustration after 6 years.
• Mornhinweg (5-27) - assistant but never again a HC.
• Marinucci (15-28) went into broadcasting.
• Interim Coach **** Jauron (1-4) went on to miss the playoffs for three years in Buffalo.
• Marinelli (10-38), Schwartz (29-51, 1 WC loss) and Caldwell (36-28, 2 WC losses) were all assistants again but never hired as a HC after leaving Detroit. At .563 Coach Jim is the winningest HC of the WCF/MFF regime.
• Patricia (9-22-1) is not even the worst HC of the Ford family era. His .297 win percentage is 15th amongst the 18 who have shuffled the sideline under the worst owners in the NFL.
Through the years in Downtown, Pontiac, Cranbrook, Allen Park - the one constant has been the family. They’re nice people IMO. I really liked Bill Jr. But they just cannot ever get it right.