Saturday open thread: What is your proudest moment as a Lions fan?

The life of a Detroit Lions fan is tough. In foreign lands, sometimes you must conceal your Lions fandom for fear of ridicule and shame. Even in Detroit, some would rather hate on the team than to love them unconditionally.

And as for prideful moments as a Lions fan, the list can be rather short. The team hasn’t won a playoff game in over 25 years, they haven’t won their division since it was changed to the “NFC North” and they just put together back-to-back winning season for the first time in over 20 years.

But we’re Lions fans, and our freaking name is Pride of Detroit, so let’s take a moment to discuss your most prideful moment as a Lions fan. Today’s Question of the Day is:

What is your proudest moment as a Lions fan?

My answer: This is going to sound really sad and pathetic in retrospect, but I had never been more proud and confident of this team than I was after they beat the Minnesota Vikings last year in Minnesota to move to 3-1 on the season. They had not only beaten a legitimate NFC contender on the road, but it was a divisional rival, and they won in a way they almost never do: with their defense. Matthew Stafford threw for just 209 yards that game and was sacked six times.

But the defense won the day, which means the Lions were finally a team that could beat you without having to rely on late-game heroics from Matthew Stafford. They had finally taken the next step, right?

Of course, that all fell to pieces quickly after the game, but having been in Minnesota for the game, I really felt like the team I was watching could be a legitimate contender, and I had never been prouder.

If we’re talking in retrospect, the moment I can now look back on and be proud as a Lions fan is when Barry Sanders hit 2,000 yards rushing in a single season. That remains the Lions’ most iconic moment in the Super Bowl era, and it’s something that will remain special for this franchise until the end of time. For all of the bad times this team has endured, Barry gave us a special year that only six other players in NFL history were able to replicate. That has never stopped being really frickin’ cool.

Your turn.