Detroit, MI – June 23, 2020 – Martha Ford is stepping down from her principal leadership position with the Detroit Lions, according to a statement from the team earlier today. From the official Detroit Lions twitter account:
“The Detroit Lions announced today that Martha Firestone Ford, who has led the Lions since 2014, has decided to step aside from her principal leadership role with the team. Under the team’s established plan, Mrs. Ford’s daughter, Shelia Ford Hamp, has succeeded her mother as the team’s principal owner and chairman. Mrs. Hamp has been active in team leadership and National Football League activities for several years in preparation for officially assuming team leadership.”
Martha Ford took the assuming ownership of the Lions after her husband, William Clay Ford, passed away on March 9, 2014. The Ford family took sole ownership of the Lions in 1963 after William Clay Ford bought out all other owners.
The Lions went 45-42-1 with 2 playoff appearances in Martha Ford’s time in the principal leadership role.
