William Clay Ford

In the course of his 88 years, William Clay Ford, who died Sunday, captained Yale’s tennis team, earned an engineering degree and chaired Ford Motor Co.’s finance committee, which is enough for any lifetime.

But he will likely be remembered mainly as the owner of the Detroit Lions, during five woefully unsuccessful decades. Since he took over the franchise in 1964, the Lions have won exactly one playoff game, and remain the only NFL team to miss out on all 48 Super Bowls.

William Clay Ford's widow, Martha Ford, will take control of the Detroit Lions, a team her husband purchased 50 years ago. She will have controlling interest in the football team, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports. 

Ford, the last surviving grandchild of Henry Ford, passed away Sunday morning at the age of 88.