What Does the 'WCF' Patch on Lions Uniforms Stand for?

Patrick Andres | Sep 4, 2024

Oct 24, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Leonard Floyd (54) pressures Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during the third quarter at SoFi Stadium. / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions are one of the NFL's oldest teams, dating back to the 1930 creation of the Portsmouth Spartans (whose inaugural season resulted in an odd record of 5-6-3).

After four solid years in the Ohio River town, the team moved north to Detroit and became the Lions. Since then, the team's fortunes have waxed and waned alongside the fortunes of the city itself, peaking in the heady post-World War II economic boom and bottoming out in the economic collapse of 2008.

It is fitting, then, that Detroit has spent much of its existence owned by the Ford family. The Lions are owned by a Ford now—businesswoman Sheila Ford Hamp, the great-granddaughter of Henry Ford himself.

The Lions' rich history begs the question: what, then, is the significance of the 'WCF' patch on Detroit's jerseys?

What Does the 'WCF' Patch on Lions Uniforms Stand for?

Simply put, 'WCF' stands for "William Clay Ford Sr." Ford, who was Ford Hamp's father and Henry Ford's grandson, owned the team from 1964 until his 2014 death, having become a minority owner in 1961 and won a power struggle with the franchise's other shareholders.

Under Ford's ownership, the Lions were not particularly great. They won a single playoff game in his entire tenure despite boasting stars like running back Barry Sanders and wide receiver Calvin Johnson. The team has persevered through up-and-down times into the current season.

In 2017, as a permanent tribute to Ford, the Lions added a patch bearing his initials to their jerseys. The patch has moved around on the jerseys occasionally but remains a persistent reminder of the franchise's longtime steward.

Detroit will open season eight with the permanent patches on Sunday, when it does battle in prime time with longtime former quarterback Matthew Stafford and his Los Angeles Rams.