Martha Ford has helped to try and transform the Detroit Lions into a winner and a more fan-friendly organization since taking over as majority owner when her late husband, William Clay Ford, passed away in 2014. Mrs. Ford, now 93, sorely wants more substantial success for her beloved Lions while she’s still got the vitality to enjoy them.
Team president Rod Wood, one of her signature hires, strongly believes Ford holds the team to a higher standard and higher expectations than her husband ever did.
Speaking to a luncheon in Grand Rapids (thanks FOX-17), Wood praised Ford for not being her husband. When a 58-year-old fan asked about instilling a winning culture into Detroit, Wood responded,
“We’re the same age so I feel your pain. I think it’s a great question and I think a lot of it is the people at the top running the organization, myself included. I think Mrs. Ford is a much different owner than her husband. She has a lot less patience for mediocrity which is why we have made some of the changes we’ve made.”
Wood continued,
“When I was hired and we had the choice of a general manager, I wanted to go to an organization that is used to winning and doesn’t know anything but winning that’s how we landed on Bob Quinn. Then after we decided on a head coach, we looked at the same thing and a coach looking for someone who doesn’t expect less than competing for the Super Bowl every year.”
That’s what every Lions fan wants. It starts with the big fan at the top, Martha Ford.
