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Robert Porcher to become newest member of Lions' Ring of Honor

Originally posted on Side Lion Report | By Brad Berreman | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 3:43 PM ET

On Thursday, former Detroit Lions defensive end Robert Porcher was out at Allen Park for the joint practice against the Houston Texans. On it's own that wasn't notable, but it has been revealed to be a precursor for something else.

Lions special assistant Chris Spielman joined Jason Benetti and T.J. Lang in the tv booth for Saturday's game against the Texans. There he made the announcement that Porcher would be the newest member of the "Pride of the Lions", the Lions' Ring of Honor.

"We are thrilled to cement Robert Porcher's legacy as one of the all-time Lions greats," Lions President & CEO Rod Wood said via a statement released by the team. "As someone who spent his entire (12-year) career in Detroit and holds our franchise record for career sacks, he is incredibly deserving of this honor. He was a model of stability and tenacity as a player and will always be someone our fans and even current players can look up to. We look forward to welcoming Robert back to Ford Field for what will be an extra special celebration when we take on the Chicago Bears for our home opener."

The Lions social media team revealed the moment Porcher found out about the honor. He was greeted by three of his former teammates: Spielman, Herman Moore and Jason Hanson.

The moment Robert Porcher found out he'd be joining the Pride of the Lions pic.twitter.com/gKMJGl8mtR
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 23, 2025

The ceremony to induct Porcher into the "Pride of the Lions" will take place during the home opener against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 14.

Robert Porcher takes his rightful place in the "Pride of the Lions"

Porcher was taken 26th overall by the Lions in the 1992 draft out of South Caroina State, and he spent all 12 seasons of his career (1992-2003) in Detroit. He retired as the franchise’s all-time sacks leader with 95.5, only usurped by Hall of Famer Alex Karras' 100 sacks upon research from before sacks were an official NFL stat in 1982. He was a three-time Pro Bowler (1997, 1999 and 2001).

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Porcher had five double-digit sack seasons in his career, including four straight from 1996-1999. His 68 sacks from 1996-2001, highlighted by the (official) single-season franchise record 15 sacks in 1999, were the second-most in the league over that span. Tallying just 10 sacks over his final two seasons stopped him short of 100 career sacks.

Porcher will be the 22nd member of the "Pride of the Lions", joining these franchise legends:

QB Dutch Clark

QB Bobby Layne

RB Barry Sanders

RB Doak Walker

WR Herman Moore

WR Calvin Johnson

TE Charlie Sanders

OL Lou Creekmur

OT Lomas Brown

G Dick Stanfel

C/LB Alex Wojciechowicz

DT Alex Karras

DT Roger Brown

LB Joe Schmidt

LB Chris Spielman

CB Lem Barney

CB Dick “Night Train” Lane

DB/P Yale Lary

DB Dick LeBeau

S Jack Christiansen

K Jason Hanson