Detroit Lions' Future May Rest with a "Magic" Grand Rapids Family

William Clay Ford has done enough.

Is so many ways, Ford has done enough for Detroit Lions fans. Since he became sole owner of the Lions in 1964, the franchise has only had four seasons with 10 or more wins.

Since 1964, the Detroit Lions have not won a championship, either. The Lions have only made the playoffs in nine of the 45 years (20 percent) of Ford's ownership.

The Lions have seen the careers of Barry Sanders, Billy Sims, Johnny Morton, Herman Moore, Lem Barney, Charlie Sanders, Robert Porcher, "Bubba" Baker, and so many others.

Put another way, for a 27-year-old man who read the news that Ford bought the Detroit Lions in 1964, the life expectancy is up. During that lifetime, that 27-year-old grew up in the Lions heyday and had bubblegum cards of Bobby Layne stuffed in his pocket.

That same man was born two years after the Detroit Lions' first championship. The Lions would go on to win three more championships while he was in high school and college.

For that man, representative of many Lions fans, William Clay Ford has done enough.

Recently, Richard DeVos put to rest "rumors" that he might pursue the Detroit Lions franchise.

Rumors? What rumors?

Apparently, the only people who knew about this were DeVos and his children—who want to buy the team.

DeVos is already in the pro sports world. His Orlando Magic are on the up and up. The DeVos family have even more sports connections. Richard's son, Dan DeVos, has a history of buying failed sports teams—he bought the Massachusetts Marauders (formerly the Detroit Drive) and brought them back to Michigan as the Grand Rapids Rampage.

The Rampage won a title in 2001, three years after moving to the Van Andel arena—named after Richard's longtime business partner.

Dan also owns the Grand Rapids Griffins, a minor league hockey team, and the Wichita Stealth, a football team playing in the Arena Football League 2.

The DeVos family name is also connected to a sports management program at the University of Central Florida.

Whether you blame Ford for the Detroit Lions' failures or not is inconsequential. More and more, a time is coming when the Ford Motor Company will be unable to support the Detroit Lions.

Ford was the world's 363rd richest man in the world in 2001. In 2006, he ranked 698th. Now, in 2009...Ford is unranked.

The Detroit Lions aren't exactly making the Ford family a bunch of money, either. The Lions are worth an estimated $917 million and lose $3 million a year. For Ford, that is a burden becoming increasingly hard to bear.

For Richard DeVos, the 119th richest man in the world (61st in the United State), $3 million is a pittance. His company, Alticore, is the 31st most valuable company in the world and makes over $8 billion a year.

If the NFL scraps the salary cap, the Detroit Lions are going to have a hard time luring free agents to a city with such a long rap sheet. Money will have to be spent—money Ford doesn't have.

A partnership could be the perfect option. The DeVos family could buy a majority share of the Detroit Lions, leaving the Ford name on the brand and Bill Ford Jr. as a vice chairman. Dan DeVos can step in as chairman and provide a fresh point of view for many of the personnel and front office decisions that have occurred under the Fords' unsuccessful eyes.

Under that partnership, capital shouldn't be a problem for the Lions.

Even if it were, a franchise owned by partners is usually far more conducive to bringing on more partners than a single family-owned business. If George Argyros, Michael Ilitch, or Manuel Moroun wanted to buy a small percentage of the Lions in a revenue-sharing (or advertising) deal, it is easier to negotiate with partners than a single family.

If the Detroit Lions are going to survive, the reign of a Detroit family, the Fords, needs to be over. A Grand Rapids family—Richard DeVos and his sons, Dan and Doug—is a perfect option.

Michael Schottey is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and the producer and host of The Average Joe Sports Show on 860AM KNUJ (New Ulm, MN). He is also an NFL Analyst and Senior Writer for DraftTek.com. Follow Him on Twitter.