By George B. Eichorn
Happy Birthday to the National Football League! One hundred years in the making, the NFL inaugurated its centennial by opening training camps across America for players, coaches, fans and media eager to see who eventually earns the two trips to Super Bowl LIV next February in Florida.
In the city of Detroit, the Lions swung open the gates to their training facilities in Allen Park in Year 2 of the Matt Patricia Era. Quarterback Matthew Stafford and defensive stars “Snacks” Harrison and Darrius Slay garnered the most attention as 2019 season preparations got under way.
The Lions will celebrate the 100th NFL anniversary at their September 29 home game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Ford Field. Professional football in Detroit started in 1905 as a group of University of Detroit athletes, led by Bill Marshall, formed the Heralds, after the university dropped its football program on the city’s west side.
The Heralds were the first independent football team in America to wear numbers on their jerseys and to publicize their players for the fans. Big-name stars like Tommy Hughitt, Kent “Skeet” Lambert and Nord Sacksteder were signed. In 1921, the team was renamed the Detroit Tigers but disbanded in the same season. The Lions started in Portsmouth, Ohio before relocating to Detroit years later.
In celebration of the NFL’s 100th season, the league’s media group is producing a load of programming to “pay tribute to the people, players, coaches, memories and moments that contribute to the NFL’s legacy.” Two series – The NFL’s All-Time Team and The NFL 100 Greatest – anchor NFL 100-themed programming and content premiering across the league’s TV and digital platforms starting this fall.
“The NFL’s 100th season is the type of once-in-a-lifetime event that NFL Films lives for,” said NFL Films Senior Vice President Ross Ketover. “We can’t wait to unveil these two series, and hope that fans love them as much as we do.”
NFL Network host Rich Eisen joins NBC’s Sunday Night Football commentator Cris Collinsworth and 8-time Super Bowl Champion head coach Bill Belichick (a former Lions assistant coach) as hosts of The NFL’s All-Time Team. A 26-person blue-ribbon panel was tasked with crowning the all-time team.
The “greatness” theme was central to The NFL 100 Greatest series which brings fans memories in five categories – plays, characters, games, game-changers and teams. More than 400 interviews were conducted with celebrities, NFL stars and legends across 20, one-hour episodes.
Look for greats like Jim Brown, Tom Brady, Barry Sanders, Dan Marino, Walter Payton, Gale Sayers, Bart Starr, Johnny Unitas, Joe Schmidt, Jerry Rice, Otto Graham, Fran Tarkenton, Joe Montana, Joe “Willie” Namath, and many others, to be featured. Great teams like the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers were surely be feted.
For a sneak peek at the league’s 100th season specials, visit nfl.com/100/originals. Also, everything from NFL 100 footballs, shirts, lapel pins and commemorative coins will be sold online this new season. Enjoy a century of excitement courtesy of the NFL!
