Martha Firestone Ford is an American businesswoman best known as the former principal owner and chairperson of the NFL’s Detroit Lions and a member of both the Firestone tire and Ford automotive families.

Quick Scoop

  • Full name: Martha Parke Firestone Ford, born September 16, 1925, in Ohio, into the prominent Firestone tire family.
  • Family ties: She married William Clay Ford Sr., grandson of Henry Ford, in 1947, linking two major American industrial dynasties.
  • Detroit Lions role: She became principal owner and chairwoman of the Detroit Lions in 2014 after her husband’s death and was one of the few female owners in the NFL.
  • Leadership style: Known for being decisive, she approved major front-office changes and a privately financed renovation of Ford Field to try to improve the team.
  • Philanthropy: She has been involved with community and health initiatives, including serving on the board of the Henry Ford Health System in Michigan.
  • Recent context: As she reached her 100th birthday in 2025, fans and local forums often discussed her legacy, crediting her for trying to modernize the franchise and later handing more responsibility to her daughter, current Lions owner Sheila Hamp.

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