Some sad news to report tonight as long-time Detroit Lions Owner William Clay Ford Sr. has passed away. He was 88 years old.
The Ford Motor Co. said in a statement Sunday that Ford died of pneumonia at his home. He was the last surviving grandson of automotive pioneer Henry Ford and has owned the Lions since January of 1964.
“It is with profound sadness that we mourn the loss of Mr. Ford and extend our deepest sympathies to Mrs. Ford and to the entire Ford family,” Lions team president Tom Lewand said in a statement. “No owner loved his team more than Mr. Ford loved the Lions.
“Those of us who had the opportunity to work for Mr. Ford knew of his unyielding passion for his family, the Lions and the city of Detroit. His leadership, integrity, kindness, humility and good humor were matched only by his desire to bring a Super Bowl championship to the Lions and to our community.”
Ford originally reached a deal to buy the Lions in November of 1963, at a reported price of $4.5 million. He officially took ownership of the team in January of 1964. The most recent valuation of the team, by Forbes magazine, estimated that they were worth in excess of $900 million.
However, things haven’t looked as good on the field as they have in the board room. In Ford’s 50 years of ownership, the Lions have won just one NFL playoff game (1991), and have never made the SuperBowl. They had just 14 winning seasons and just 10 playoff appearances.
“For five decades, Mr. Ford’s passion for the Lions, Detroit, and the NFL was the foundation of one of the NFL’s historic franchises,” commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “As an NFL owner, Mr. Ford helped bring the NFL through enormous periods of change and growth, always guided by his commitment to what was best for the NFL and his beloved Lions. All of us in the NFL extend our heartfelt sympathy to Mr. Ford’s wife Martha, Bill Ford, Jr. and the entire Ford family.”
“My father was a great business leader and humanitarian who dedicated his life to the company and the community,” William Clay Ford Jr. said in a statement. “He also was a wonderful family man, a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
“He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him, yet he will continue to inspire us all.”
William Clay Ford Jr., who is the team’s vice chairman, is likely to take over running the franchise. However, the Lions did not indicate a path of succession for ownership Sunday.
“Today we are mourning the loss of Mr. Ford and reflecting on the impact that he had on the Lions and our community,” the team said in a statement Sunday afternoon. “Information related to ownership succession will be communicated at the appropriate time.”
Flags at all Ford Motor Company facilities are expected to be at half-mast for the next 30 days.
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