Spirit of Detroit’s pride (of Lions) is back

The Spirit of Detroit is again swelling with pride — the kind found at Ford Field.

The city’s iconic statue outside the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center building downtown at Woodward and Jefferson is wearing a Detroit Lions jersey again, dressed for a special occasion. The Lions will host their first playoff game in three decades and the first ever at Ford Field.

Ellen Trudell, a spokeswoman for the Detroit Lions, said the team appreciates the outpouring of support it gets from fans.

“It’s exciting for us as an organization to be able to tap into our community on such a large scale and celebrate being in the post-season,” she said. “It’s also an opportunity for the community at large and our fans to engage with the Spirit of Detroit and their Lions fandom in a major way.”

The city landmark last donned the Honolulu blue and gray football jersey in 2015 when the Detroit Lions took on the Dallas Cowboys in a playoff game in Texas for a wild-card spot. The Lions lost 24-20.

But the sculpture isn’t the only Detroit icon displaying its support for the team.

Officials with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan said Monday they will be lighting up the health insurance company’s Lafayette Tower in Detroit Honolulu blue.

Beginning Monday, the tower will display a blue and white football in lights.

“Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan congratulates the Detroit Lions for clinching a spot in the NFL playoffs,” Daniel Loepp, the company’s president and CEO, said in a statement Monday. “The talented and tenacious team has galvanized its dedicated fanbase throughout the state.”

He said the company is “proudly lighting our Detroit office tower in the team colors for the rest of the season” to show its support of the Lions during the team’s quest to reach the Super Bowl.

cramirez@detroitnews.com

X: @CharlesERamirez