Which members of the Detroit Lions are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

The highest honor a football player, coach or contributor can receive is induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

With the pending induction of Dwight Freeney this summer, there are now 23 players who spent time with the Detroit Lions in the Hall of Fame. Some spent just a year or two with the franchise in the scope of a long, distinguished career, like Freeney did, while some spent their entire careers with the team and are best-known for their time as a Lion.

Including a notable Hall of Fame coach who spent time with them as an assistant, here are the 24 Pro Football Hall of Famers with a tie to the Lions.

Detroit Lions Hall of Famers

Earl "Dutch" Clark (1931-1932; 1934-1938): Quarterback, GM, coach, inducted in 1963
Bill Dudley (1947-1949: Halfback, inducted in 1966
Bobby Layne (1950-1958): Quarterback, inducted in 1967
Alex Wojciechowicz (1938-1946): Center/Linebacker, inducted in 1968
Jack Christiansen (1951-1958): Defensive Back, inducted in 1970
Hugh McElhenny (1964): Halfback, inducted in 1970
Ollie Matson (1963): Running back, inducted in 1972
Joe Schmidt (1953-1965, 1966-1972): Linebacker, Coach, inducted in 1973
Dick "Nightrain" Lane (1960-1965): Cornerback, inducted in 1974
Yale Lary (1952-1953, 1956-1964): Defensive Back/Punter, inducted in 1979
Frank Gatski (1957): Center, inducted in 1985
Doak Walker (1950-1955): Halfback/Kicker, inducted in 1986
John Henry Johnson (1957-1959: Fullback, inducted in 1987
Lem Barney (1967-1977): Cornerback, inducted in 1992
Lou Creekmur (1950-1959): Offensive Lineman, inducted in 1996
Don Shula (1960-1962): Defensive backs coach, inducted in 1997
Barry Sanders (1989-1998): Running back, inducted in 2004
Charlie Sanders (1968-1977): Tight End, inducted in 2007
Dick LeBeau (1959-1972): Defensive Back, inducted in 2010
Curley Culp (1980-1981): Defensive Tackle, inducted in 2013
Dick Stanfel (1952-1955): Guard, inducted in 2016
Alex Karras (1958-1970): Defensive tackle, inducted in 2020
Calvin Johnson (2007-2015): Wide receiver, inducted in 2021
Dwight Freeney (2017): Defensive End, inducted in 2024

Which current Lions could make the Hall of Fame someday?

There are a few current Lions who could get a gold jacket some day. Offensive tackle Penei Sewell and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown look to be on a good early Hall of Fame track. Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and center Frank Ragnow are also on that radar, and Jared Goff may enter the conversation if he continues on an upward trajectory.