Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Lions owners make good on promise to Dan Campbell after division title

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 4/19/24

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell was incentivized to finish as NFC North champions in 2023.

The third-year head coach, who had never won more than nine games in any season before, led the Lions to a 12-5 season and the team’s second-ever appearance in a conference championship game.

In addition to winning Detroit’s first division championship since 1993 when it was in the defunct NFC Central, Campbell also got something else as a bonus: the return of the Lions’ black alternate jerseys — something he angled for after getting hired back in 2021.

“We're in the draft room literally months into his tenure, and he wore the black when he was here,” Lions team president Rod Wood told reporters Thursday via WXYZ Detroit. “He said, 'Rod, when can we get the black jerseys back? I said, ‘I'll make a deal, when you win the division, I'll bring the black jerseys back.’ So I went out on a limb. Thankfully, he delivered. That's a true story.”

The Lions black jersey paired with a blue helmet and blue pants is out of control. pic.twitter.com/qTv4cJbk4f
— NFL Fashion Advice (@fashion_nfl) April 18, 2024

The Lions unveiled their new uniforms for the 2024 season on Thursday. They included Campbell’s beloved black jerseys, complete with blue numbering and a silver outline, plus a blue helmet with a black Lions logo outlined in silver.

“He loved them,” Wood said of Campbell’s reaction. “When he was here, he wore them, and I think it was kind of the team's favorite at the time, and he just kind of pined for it again. For him, it's a throwback because it's when he was a player. I think they've dressed up even better than when he was here… It's a better look than the silver pants we wore at the time.”

The Lions debuted their black alternate jerseys in 2003 and wore them during Campbell’s tenure as a player from 2006 to 2008. The 2024 season will mark the first time since 2016 that Detroit will wear its black alternates.

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