where did the lions play before the silverdome
Tiger Stadium
title: Pontiac Silverdome text: Pontiac Silverdome The Pontiac Silverdome (also known as simply the Silverdome) was a domed stadium in Pontiac, Michigan. It opened in 1975 and sat on 127 acres (51 ha) of land. When the stadium opened, it featured a fiberglass fabric roof held up by air pressure, the first use of the architectural technique in a major athletic facility. With a seating capacity of 82,000+, it was the largest stadium in the National Football League (NFL) until FedExField (91,000 capacity) in suburban Washington, D.C., opened in 1997. It was primarily the home of the Detroit Lions of the NFL from 1975 title: History of the Detroit Lions text: of the season and retired his number. In 1972, the Lions improved to 8–5–1 and then dropped back to 6-7-1 the following year. Heart disease claimed another member of the franchise when head coach Don McCafferty died shortly before the 1974 training camp. That season saw the Lions finish at 7–7. On Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1974, after over 35 years, the Lions played their final game in Tiger Stadium, where they lost to the Denver Broncos 31–27 in front of 51,157, amidst snow flurries and a 21–point Broncos 3rd quarter. The Lions moved to the newly constructed Silverdome and title: Michigan text: Lions played at Tiger Stadium in Detroit until 1974, then moved to the Pontiac Silverdome where they played for 27 years between 1975 and 2002 before moving to Ford Field in Detroit in 2002. The Detroit Tigers played at Tiger Stadium (formerly known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium) from 1912 to 1999. In 2000 they moved to Comerica Park. The Red Wings played at Olympia Stadium before moving to Joe Louis Arena in 1979. They later moved to Little Caesars Arena to join the Pistons as tenants in 2017. Professional hockey got its start in Houghton, when the Portage title: Ford Field text: in the company, and a member of the Ford family has controlled ownership of the Lions franchise since 1963. In 1975, the Lions moved to the Pontiac Silverdome after playing at Tiger Stadium from 1938–1939, 1941–1974. By the mid 1990s, they began exploring the possibility of returning to the city of Detroit in order to build a new stadium. On August 20, 1996, the Lions announced their intention to build a new stadium in Downtown Detroit. On November 5, 1996, voters approved a referendum for the stadium. Groundbreaking for the stadium began on November 16, 1999. It was part of title: 2001 Detroit Lions season text: season before they defeated the Minnesota Vikings. Prior to that, they had lost an NFL record nine consecutive games by eight points or less. Seven seasons later, the Lions went 0–16 after a week 17 loss to the Green Bay Packers. This was the final season that the Lions played at the Pontiac Silverdome before moving to Ford Field the following season, as well as the final season for the NFC Central Division, which would dissolve following the NFL's realignment in 2002. This would also be the first season under new general manager Matt Millen, as he would be the