Larry Benjamin, 83, is a father of five, a former General Motors employee and a viral sensation for dyeing his hair "Honolulu Blue" in honor of his lifelong loyalty to the Detroit Lions.
He's been "a Lions fan as long as I've known him, which is my whole life," Larry's only son, Jeff Benjamin, tells TODAY.com. "We weren't rich but we would go to games when we could afford it. If you live in Detroit, being a Lions fan is part of your DNA."
If you live in Detroit, being a Lions fan is part of your DNA."
In fact, Larry and Jeff were in the stands the last time the Lions won a playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys in 1992. Jeff, who has lived in cities where it's easy to root for a winning team, says, "When you’re a Lions fan, you take victories in a different way. [Winning two playoff games] is as far as the Lions have ever gone. This is huge."
The Detroit Lions are one of only four teams to have never won a Super Bowl. But diehard fans like Jeff and his father are convinced that that the Vince Lombardi trophy belongs to the Motor City this year.
When Larry realized that Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had dyed his hair blue in advance of the playoff season, he decided to follow suit. Jeff's wife, who was visiting Detroit to help take care of Larry, purchased the hair dye, and Larry's nurse helped dye his hair ... twice! (The dye fades quickly and Larry wanted it to be true blue for game day.)
Jeff posted an image of his father on social media on Jan. 16, along with the caption: "My Dad in hospice got his hair dyed for the @Lions playoff run. A lifelong Lions fan hoping for the best."
Jeff, who uses social media for his work as a wealth management editor at ETF.com, was surprised to see to see his phone "blowing up with likes and retweets and comments."
The news eventually reached St. Brown, who was so touched by the gesture that he sent Larry a signed football jersey. On it, St. Brown wrote, "To: Larry the Man, Keep being a beast. Best fans in the world. One Pride!”
A number of commenters reflected on just how major a Super Bowl win would be for Detroit:
- "Lions need to win a Super Bowl, it would cause generational healing in Michigan."
- "so many elderly lions fans who have waited their whole lives for a super bowl appearance. if that doesn’t fuel the lions idk what will"
- "This has me in all sorts of feels. So so awesome. 💙🦁🥲 Mega Saints⚜️ fan here hoping Dan and the boys take this one!"
Larry was even able to chat directly with St. John on the phone. Between that and all the attention, Jeff says it has been a "whirlwind" for his father, who suffers from COPD and "doesn't have a lot of energy right now."
But he did muster up the energy to watch Sunday's playoff game with family and neighbors, who often head to his house to root for the Lions together. Jeff flew in to spend the weekend with his father. The family was surprised and delighted to see Larry (and his blue hair) featured on ESPN a half hour before kickoff.
Jeff, wearing a big smile, posted a second image of his blue-haired dad as they celebrated the big win.
His hair inspiration, St. Brown, was instrumental in helping the Lions win the game with a crucial touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. The Lions will play the San Francisco 49ers for the NFC championship on Sunday, Jan. 28. It could be the season of a lifetime for so many Detroit fans, like Jeff Benjamin and his father.
For the Benjamin family, the Lions' victory and their father's newfound fame "gives us something positive to think about," Jeff says. "Hopefully the Lions take it all."
CORRECTION (Jan. 22, 2024, 1:53 p.m.): A previous version of the story misstated that the Detroit Lions team was founded in 1967. That was the year of the first Super Bowl. The team was officially moved to Detroit and named the Lions in 1934.
