When Lions owner William Clay Ford Sr., died on March 9 at age 88, team president issued a respectful statement.

Lewand knew and worked for Ford for 19 seasons. He shared a more personal look at an appearance on Monday night at the MGM Grand Detroit.

— Early meeting: “I was scared to death, I walked into his office and sat at his desk, he looked down and said: 'I want you to be sure you’re clear on one thing, you are not here to make me money I’ve got a day job that takes care of that. You’re here to give me football players and to make sure we can put as many good football players on the field as possible.’’’

— Desire to win: “He did what he thought was right, not what was popular. He never bowed to public pressure. ... He did things the way he thought they should be done.  He wanted nothing more than to win football games.’’

— On Lions fans: “He cared a lot about our fans and he cared throughout his life about them. And he knew the thing they wanted the most is what he wanted the most, that’s a Super Bowl trophy.’’

(Follow @PaulaPasche on Twitter. Order her book,  “100 Things Lions Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die’’ here. It’s also available at bookstores.)