• New permanent exhibit supported by Detroit Lions, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Gilbert Family Foundation and Visit Detroit
  • Special pop-up exhibit includes artifacts from 2024 NFL Draft

DETROIT, August 14, 2024 – A brand new Detroit Historical Museum exhibition, Detroit Lions: Gridiron Heroes, matches the excitement of the new season with highlights from the Lions’ championship seasons in the 1930s and 1950s along with the history-making moments of the current era.

Opening to the public on Saturday August 24, Gridiron Heroes offers something for everybody.  For die-hard Detroit Lions fans, the Detroit Historical Society has partnered with the Detroit Lions and the Pro Football Hall of Fame to fill the Detroit Historical Museum’s newest permanent exhibition space, City of Champions Gallery, with some great artifacts and memorabilia.

  • Trophies from the 30’s and 50’s
  • Historic uniforms and a display featuring every Lions Hall of Fame player
  • Rarely seen Lions artifacts directly from the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Detroit Lions’ archives
  • 2024-2025 Game Day Uniforms

For the kids and anyone who loves a good selfie, there’s a chance to show off your best three-point stance or strike a pose. There’s even a brand-new Lions uniform that you can get up close and personal with.  The Detroit Lions were integral to the development of the new exhibit.

“We couldn’t be prouder than to have the Lions’ team history highlighted at the Detroit Historical Museum as we launch the 2024-2025 season, “ said Emily Griffin, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Brand  for the Detroit Lions. “There’s something remarkable to uncover in every era and it was a lot of fun to pour through our archives looking for artifacts to share. We hope the fans will have just as much fun discovering them as we did.”

Gridiron Heroes is unique, not just because it features the Lions in their first City of Champions Gallery exhibition, but also because it occupies multiple areas in the Museum. Be sure to visit Bobby Lane’s varsity jacket in the Allesee Gallery of Culture on your way out to Legends Plaza where you can see how your hands measure up against the prints of Lions’ greats Barry Sanders and Lomas Brown.

While you are on the Plaza, enjoy a special pop-up display (on view through September) of artifacts from the history-making 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit, including a large DET sign that bears the signatures of thousands of Detroit residents and visitors who were part of the record-breaking crowd. These artifacts were donated by Gilbert Family Foundation and the display is made possible with support from Gilbert Family Foundation and Visit Detroit.

“There are few activities that bring people together like sports, which is why we’re so passionate about supporting this exciting new exhibit” said Laura Grannemann, Executive Director of Gilbert Family Foundation. “It was an honor to play such a key role in the NFL Draft coming to Detroit and its success, both in downtown and across the neighborhoods. We know visitors will enjoy reliving some of those experiences through the creativity of the Detroit Historical Society.”

“The Draft was a moment of pride for the whole city of Detroit,” said Chris Moyer, Senior Director, Communications and Public Affairs for Visit Detroit, “Visit Detroit was pleased to play a part in bringing it back to life in a small way at the Detroit Historical Museum.”

Opening Day Activities – Saturday, August 24

  • NFL Licensed artist, Sherrie Savage of Naturally ILLustrated has made us some NFL Draft Coloring pages and we’ll host coloring tables all day long in the Gallery of Culture!
  • We’ve refreshed our unique assortment of vintage Detroit Lions merchandise in the Museum Store; and
  • For folks on their way to Saturday’s game remember that our parking lot is available for only $10 a day, and we’re just ½ a block away from the nearest Q-Line stop.

The Detroit Historical Museum is located at 5401 Woodward Ave. (NW corner of Kirby) in Midtown Detroit. The Detroit Historical Museum is open to the public Wednesday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Historical content and virtual tours and exhibits are available at detroithistorical.org. Just opened: The Links Incorporated: Our History, Our Story in the Robert and Mary Ann Bury Community Gallery. Permanent exhibits include the famous Streets of Old Detroit, the Allesee Gallery of Culture, Doorway to Freedom: Detroit and the Underground Railroad, Detroit 67: Perspectives, Detroit: The “Arsenal of Democracy,” and The Glancy Trains.

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About the Detroit Historical Society

The Detroit Historical Society is an independent non-profit organization that manages the Detroit Historical Museum in Midtown and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle, while caring for an outstanding collection of nearly 300,000 historic artifacts. The Society presents hundreds of educational tours, programs, workshops and lectures annually and stages several new exhibits every year. Founded in 1921, Detroit Historical Society has worked for over 100 years to foster an appreciation of our region’s rich history, telling Detroit’s stories and why they matter.

About the Gilbert Family Foundation

The Gilbert Family Foundation is a private nonprofit foundation founded by Jennifer and Dan Gilbert to accelerate a cure for neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and build economic opportunity and equity in the city of Detroit. Gilbert Family Foundation supports groundbreaking, cutting-edge research in hopes of eradicating NF1, a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerves anywhere in the body. Additionally, the Foundation supports the economic stability and mobility of residents in Detroit by investing in wealth-building opportunities and breaking down systemic barriers. For more information on Gilbert Family Foundation, please visit gilbertfamilyfoundation.org.