Detroit has come a long way from booing owner Sheila Hamp when she presented Calvin Johnson at his Hall of Fame ring ceremony in Ford Field. The chants of “sell the team” have given way to “Let’s go Lions” and “Jared Goff” — even away from football and at road games.
The team’s transformation would not have been possible without a dedicated, patient owner with some gumption and humility. Hamp has proven to be the right person for the task in Detroit.
But where does the Lions matriarch land in the ranking of the 32 NFL owners?
During December, The Athletic and analyst Mike Sando ranked Hamp 23rd in the annual owner ratings.
It seemed like a fair ranking for Hamp given the circumstances. As noted by analyst Mike Sando, Hamp inherited coach Matt Patricia and GM Bob Quinn from her well-meaning but hands-off mother, Martha Ford. The transformation into the franchise overhaul, as deftly executed by GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell, took some time before finally hitting its stride.
Now that the Lions finished off their first NFC North championship and won two playoff games in the same postseason for the first time in the Super Bowl era, 23rd seems quite low. Hamp deserves a lot of credit for sticking with a plan that would have been easy to abandon, and she’s done so by giving the team whatever resources it needs to keep building.
Where would you rank Hamp now?
