Elizabeth Conley / the Detroit News

Robert Porcher

Former Lion has his paws on everything Detroit

It can be difficult playing for the Lions, who haven't won a championship since 1957, and it can be easy to leave Detroit when the playing days are over.

But where many see obstacles, Porcher always has seen a chance. He played football at a small college, South Carolina State University, before being drafted in the first round by the Lions in 1992.

In business, where many see holes, Porcher sees opportunity. Along with partner Frank Taylor, he formed the Southern Hospitality Restaurant Group, which owns the acclaimed Seldom Blues and two more bright downtown Detroit places -- Detroit Breakfast House and Grille and Grand City Grille.

Porcher never played in a Super Bowl, but he helped host one, serving on the Super Bowl XL Host Committee. When the event came to Detroit in February, Porcher hosted football greats all week. But serving as the city's unofficial sports ambassador was hardly all he did. He participated in the Feed the Children program at Word of Faith International Christian Center and conducted seminars for student-athletes at Cass Tech High School, helping kids understand the business of sports.

Besides his business interests, Porcher and his wife, Kimberly -- along with their three children: daughters Morgan and Mallory and son Robert IV -- are ingrained in the community, involved in numerous charities.

They established the Robert and Kimberly Porcher Cancer Research and Relief Fund and the Robert Porcher & Friends Charities. Along with Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Porcher helped establish the annual Detroit Football Classic at Ford Field, featuring two historically black colleges.

Porcher never had to search far for reasons to stay in his adoptive hometown. While others sought possibilities elsewhere, Porcher kept looking here.

"I just want to be part of the solution, that's all," says Porcher, who retired from the Lions in 2004 as the team's career leader in sacks. "I try to focus on what's right about the city, instead of always harping on what's wrong. I like the fabric of this area. The people work hard, and that's pretty much my core. I think I fit here."

He worked to fit here, making contacts through teammates and city leaders, eager to learn more. Porcher always seemed to understand the game better than most, that business and sports are intertwined, and business can create a larger legacy when executed properly.

"No matter what business issue I get into, I can always equate it to something that has happened to me in football," Porcher says. "No. 1 is being prepared. You can't just go out on the field and think you're going to have a great game. You've got to study. You've got to know your opponent, and you've got to know your strengths and weaknesses."

Porcher's strengths are still apparent, two years after his football career ended.

Leaving is easy; leading isn't. Some make an investment in a team and a city and hope it grows. Porcher opted to make it grow, and grows it still.

Bob Wojnowski