Portsmouth, Ohio is a small city along the Ohio River at the Kentucky border.
It is nearly equidistant from Cincinnati, Columbus, Lexington, and Charleston, WV, all of which are roughly 90 miles away.
Portsmouth was the birthplace of Roy Rogers, the singing cowboy;
Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers executive who signed Jackie Robinson;
and 7 former Major League Baseball players.
In 1930, the city population peaked at a mere 42,000 residents.
Yet from 1930–1934, it was home to a NFL football team.
They were called the Portsmouth Spartans.
Residents built the team a downtown stadium. They named it Spartan Municipal Stadium.
In the team’s inaugural season, their record was 5 wins, 6 losses, and 3 ties.
In 1931, they had their best record — 11 wins and only 3 losses. They finished in second place.
In 1932, they had a record of 6 wins, 2 losses, and 4 ties.
Yet the Spartans went to the post-season and played in the first NFL playoff game.
They lost to the Chicago Bears in Chicago 9–0.
In their final season, the Spartans claimed 2nd place at 6–5 with no ties.
In 1934, due to heavy debts and the financial distress of the Great Depression, the team left Ohio.
They moved north and became the Detroit Lions.
Portsmouth’s population has declined ever since, now down to 20,000 residents.
Nearly 90 years since the Spartans left, however, their downtown football stadium still exists. Plans exist to renovate the field.
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