Here are the local sports stories with the greatest impact throughout the year:
Jim Caldwell out, Matt Patricia in for Lions
Back-to-back 9-7 seasons wasn’t good enough for Lions general manager Bob Quinn, so after showing head coach Jim Caldwell the door, he turned to a familiar face in Matt Patricia, the former Patriots defensive coordinator with whom Quinn worked while he was in New England.
It appeared to be a slam-dunk hire. Patricia, hailed for his smarts (he was an aerospace engineering graduate from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) as well as his football background, helping the Patriots win three Super Bowls.