Sheila Ford Hamp is part of two enormous family legacies. As her name suggests, she is a descendant of the world-renowned Ford Motor Company on her father's side. On her mother's side, Sheila is also an inheritor of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.
Though her family tree is substantial, to say the least, she's been able to make history in her own right. In 1973, she graduated from Yale among the first class that included women. She currently serves on the NFL's Super Bowl and Major Events Committee.
In 2014, she was named vice chairwoman of the Detroit Lions. Soon after, she would succeed her mother as the Lions' de facto owner in June 2020.
As one might expect, she is one of the richest football owners in the NFL today. According to a 2023 report by Pro Football Network, her net worth currently stands at a staggering $2 billion. Reportedly, the Ford family as a whole is already worth $2 billion to begin with, which would suggest that she built her own substantial legacy.
Sheila Hamp Ford
NFL Team owner, Detroit Lions
Net worth: $2 billion
Sheila Ford Hamp is the current owner of the Detroit Lions. She is also the matriarch of the Ford and Firestone families of Ford Motor Company and Firestone Tire and Rubber Company fame.
Birthdate: Oct. 31, 1951
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan
Birth name: Sheila Firestone Ford
Marriages: Steve Hamp
Children: 3
In a 2021 interview with the Detroit Free Press, Sheila spoke about the backlash she received after becoming owner and how she has tried to combat discrimination based on her gender.
"It's part of what I'm trying to change around here, which is the open communicative culture and I'm a part of it," she told the outlet.
As of this writing, the Lions are set to take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sun, Jan. 28 for a spot in Super Bowl LVIII.
