The Adrian Lions were a minor league baseball team that played in the Southern Michigan League

Southern Michigan League

The Southern Michigan League was a Minor League Baseball circuit which operated between 1906 and 1912. It was classified as a Class D league from 1906 to 1910 and as a Class C league from 1911 to 1912...

 in 1912. They were based in Adrian, Michigan

Adrian, Michigan

As of the 2010 census Adrian had a population of 21,133. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 84.1% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 5.9% from some other race and 4.0% from two or more races...

, USA. Major League Baseball players that played for them include Emil Huhn

Emil Huhn

Emil Hugo "Hap" Huhn was a right-handed Major League Baseball first baseman and catcher who played for the Federal League's Newark Pepper in 1915 and for the Cincinnati Reds in 1916 and 1917...

, Cowboy Jones

Cowboy Jones

Albert Edward "Cowboy" Jones was a professional baseball pitcher. He pitched one full season and parts of three others in Major League Baseball from 1898 until 1901 for the Cleveland Spiders and St. Louis Perfectos/Cardinals.- Early life :...

, Elmer Smith and Bun Troy

Bun Troy

Robert Gustave "Bun" Troy was a German-born Major League Baseball pitcher who was killed in action while serving with the U.S. Army during World War I at Petit Majouym, France....

. Prior to being the Adrian Lions, they were the Adrian Yeggs

Adrian Yeggs

The Adrian Yeggs were a Southern Michigan League baseball team based in Adrian, Michigan, USA that played from 1909 to 1911.Carl Vandagrift, Frank Gilhooley and Elmer Smith played for them....

. They became the Adrian Champs

Adrian Champs

The Adrian Champs were a minor league baseball team that played in the Southern Michigan League in 1913. They were based in Adrian, Michigan, USA. Major League Baseball players that played for them include Cecil Coombs, Paul Smith, Johnny Mitchell, Emil Huhn, Cowboy Jones and Bun Troy. Prior to...

 in 1913. They finished first in the league with a 78-47 record and were managed by Dan Jenkins.

The team was probably named after the Lion motor car

Lion (automobile)

The Lion was an automobile built in Adrian, Michigan, United States, by the Lion Motor Car Company from 1909-12. The Lion had a four-cylinder 40 hp engine, and was available in at least three body types. The 1912 model cost $1,600 and came equipped with internal expanding brakes with drums of ...

manufactured in Adrian. The factory burned down during 1912 and the company ceased operations, thus the change of name in 1913.