Detroit Lions fan goes viral with victory tears. ‘That one was for my dad’

DETROIT — As the clock ticked down on the Detroit Lions’ first playoff win in three decades, the scene at Ford Field had to be hard to put into words for the 66,000-plus in attendance.

At least one story could be told in tears.

That was 35-year-old Arron Wikaryasz with the outpouring of emotion, captured by NBC’s broadcast in the closing minutes of the 24-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams. It was a special moment for so many, and one the Grand Rapids native wishes he could’ve shared with his father.

“He was a diehard Lions fan, so when they got in victory formation there, man, it just came full circle to me,” Wikaryasz told MLive.

“It was more than a game. I knew how happy my dad would’ve been to see them win, so I was glad I was there. I was 14 when he passed away, so I don’t know my dad as a man really. So it’s hard to connect sometimes, but when I’m at the Lions game, I’m 12, 13 years old again and I can feel that.”

As a kid, Arron and his father Joseph attended games at the Pontiac Silverdome, as the elder Wikaryasz was a season-ticket holder. Both were in attendance to watch the Lions defeat the Dallas Cowboys in 2002, the final game in that stadium.

Joseph Wikaryasz was a 20-year union ironworker from Local 25 in Detroit, which helped build Ford Field. They broke ground on the Lions’ new home in November 1999. By the time the team moved downtown, the family no longer could afford season tickets. Tragically, Joseph died in a motor vehicle accident one day after leaving work.

“So I think a lot of my emotion was, I know how long it’s been since we won, and I know a lot of loyal Lions fans aren’t here with us today. And that one was for my dad, man. That one was for my dad,” Wikaryasz said.

Since his father’s passing, Wikaryasz has made it his mission to attend at least one game per season. Sunday’s playoff game wasn’t part of the plan, though.

Wikaryasz’s brother, Robby Meadows, surprised him with playoff tickets after the two already had attended Detroit Pistons and Red Wings games that weekend. (“Like a trifecta,” Wikaryasz said.)

At the game, he also was able to link up with his mother and stepfather, and the whole crew had the chance to meet former Lions kicker Jason Hanson.

“The energy there was unreal,” Wikaryasz said. “I think Dan Campbell said it best in his post-interview speech. He said if you were here tonight, you’ll remember this the rest of your life. And that’s it, man. I’ll remember this for the rest of my life as a fan.”

Since Sunday’s win, Wikaryasz has been busy with media requests. One TV reporter suggested his expression of joy over the Lions’ win embodied the city of Detroit.

“I go, ‘hold on, hold on. I don’t know if I embody Detroit.’” Wikaryasz said. “That’s a big city with a lot of beautiful people in it, but I definitely encapsulated a lot of people that have had loved ones passed away that were Lions fans. So I mean, there’s a lot of people that were happy that night.”

The Lions will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round at 3 p.m. Sunday.