(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 1934 1963 1963 1974 1989 Relocate to Detroit Despite great success on the field, poor revenues and the Great Depression threatened the Spartans’ survival. In 1934, a group led by Detroit radio executive George Richards (owner of Detroit’s powerful WJR) bought the financially struggling Spartans and moved them to Detroit and renamed the team the …