SOL Still Our Lions: A Fan's History of the Detroit Lions and the City They Represent Paperback – October 15, 2021

This book is well written and researched greatly! Makes me want to root for the Lions. 2024 will be their year. Go Lions!

As a 9yo kid in 1989, I watched a really exciting Heisman Trophy ceremony that featured OSU superstar running back Barry Sanders and said to myself, “Wow! Wherever he goes, THAT’S gonna be MY team!”The Detroit Lions. Man, if I knew then what I know now…This book really does encapsulate what it’s like cheering for a perennial loser. It smartly walks the reader through the history of the team in sync with the history of the city. Plenty of fan interviews saying what we all know, that the team is seemingly hopeless, but we love hem anyway. Why do we continue to support this team? Because we always have, because we believe someday they’ll get it together and win again…and we sure as hell don’t wanna be accused of being a bandwagon fan! For me, those 10 or so years watching #20 embarrass defenses are some of my fondest childhood memories.If you’re a Lions fan, especially a Detroit local, this won’t tell you anything you don’t probably already know. But I'm the only ONLY Lions fan I know, it was like hanging out with friends; commiserating and laughing about how dreadful this franchise is, but knowing we’ll always be linked to the team because it’s what we do.

Whether you are a die-hard Lions fan or just enjoy a great sports related book, Gary Evans wrote a page-turner with SOL: Still Our Lions. I grew up in the Detroit area and have been following the misery from a young age but I learned a ton about the history of the team and the insights into the squads I've watched over the years. I also enjoyed the way Mr Evans gave you a look inside what was happening with the city of Detroit during different eras of the team. I would recommend this book and hope for a Vol 2 in the coming years that ends with a Lions Super Bowl win (not holding my breath)!

The Detroit Lions have been one of the more unsuccessful teams in professional sports for over 60 years. Since winning their last championship in 1957, they have had several outstanding players, some of whom are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. These include instantly recognizable names from fans of their eras, such as Barry Sanders, Lem Barney and Calvin Johnson (although Johnson is not eligible yet for the Hall of Fame, it is widely believed he will easily obtain the votes when he is). Yet, for all these individual achievements the team has won only one postseason game in the Super Bowl era and will disappoint their loyal fans.In an interesting comparison of this team and the corresponding history of the city they represent, author Gary Evans gives the reader a very interesting and at times entertaining look at both the city of Detroit and the football team that, much like the population, left for the suburbs and is now back looking for a renaissance. No matter which topic Evans is addressing, he writes about it from both a position of knowledge and reverence as well.The entire history of the Lions franchise is covered, starting when they left Portsmouth, Ohio in the early days of the NFL to the current team through the start of the 2021 season. There are just as many low points as bright spots discussed by Evans and through it all, it is impressive to see how much he and other Detroit fans are still dedicated to the team. He includes many quotes from fans of all walks of life who share the same love of the team. Many are poignant, some are quite funny, but all show the dedication that these people have for a team that may continue to provide frustration but still is considered to be “their” Lions.

This tome is a labor of love about your and mine favorite football team and the city we all love DETROIT LIONS…If you are looking for an accurate history of the Lions this is not the book..But if you are looking for a love letter to the team and fans..Here It Is!!!..Gary also described the ups and downs of the city itself..which is a very nice touch..A great book for a fan from a fan

I love this book. It’s speaks to all aspects of the shared suffering of a die hard fan of a die hard team in a die harder city. The unending commitment of a fan base bonded in experience like no other.Gary’s literary voice and story telling make for a compelling ,easy read that you walk away from having learned more than you realized while reading. I’m furious I didn’t write this book ,butas we say around here. Maybe next year. Can’t wait for the draft.Go Lions!

Gary J Evans has truly captured what it means to be a Detroit Lions fan. His book parallels the rise and fall of the team and their city, in a heartfelt, amusing, and thought provoking way. His book is well researched (792 endnotes!) and his interviews range from football insiders to average fans. Still Our Lions is a must-have for any Lions fan, but it is also a great history lesson about the city of Detroit.

This is an ok read of a fans viewpoint regarding the history of his favorite team. The author does a good job relating the many heartbreaking seasons that the Lions have had and takes you on a walk down memory lane of past decades of Lions players, coaches and seasons.I was disappointed that most of his "interviews " by the author for this book was people in bars or acquaintances. It would have been nice to have first-hand interviews with past players and coaches. There are also recurring editing problems where many sentences seemed to contain a revised part of the sentence along with the uncorrected version of the sentence all in the same line. This was a frequent occurrence. Finally a glaring factual mistake is where the author states many times that the Lions are the first team in the Superbowl era to go winless in a season...completing disregarding the fact that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went winless in 1976 although in 1976 there were only 14 regular season games, while the Lions were the first team to go winless in a 16 game regular season. With that said the Buccaneers still have the Lions beat as they went 26 games straight in 1976 and 1977 before winning a game.All in all for me this was just an average book...It had great aspirations but could have been much better.