83-year-old Lions fan in hospice dyes hair blue to support team

Excitement has been growing as the Detroit Lions continue to chase their first Super Bowl berth. One longtime fan took his passion for the team to the next level.

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Larry Benjamin, 83, of Saginaw, is in hospice care. He gained attention this week when he dyed his hair Honolulu blue to match his favorite team’s colors, WJBK-TV reported. He said the inspiration came from Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who was flaunting his blue-dyed hair.

“Man it took off like wildfire, much more than I ever thought,“ Benjamin told the television station. “I was surprised at everything that happened.

“I was just hoping a few people would say ‘OK, I’ll dye my hair blue too.’”

The Lions, who won their first NFL playoff game since Jan. 5, 1992, when they defeated the Los Angeles Rams 24-23 last week, host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Benjamin’s daughter, Lynn Benjamin, posted photos of her father on a Lions fan page to see if the team could reach out to him, WWJ-TV reported.

On Thursday, St. Brown said Larry Benjamin’s gesture was “awesome.”

“It’s humbling as a player to know that you can touch other people’s lives just by playing a sport and being who I am,” St. Brown told WJBK. “I’m actually going to try and reach out to him tomorrow if I can. … But it’s definitely a cool thing to see.”

A Lions representative set up a video call between Brown and Benjamin on Friday, according to WWJ.

“It was very good, I was really impressed with him -- he’s a fine-looking young man,” Benjamin told WJBK.

Now, Benjamin is hoping the Lions can get past Tampa Bay and reach the NFC Championship Game for the first time since January 1992. While the Detroit area has hosted a Super Bowl twice -- Jan. 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome; and Feb. 5, 2006, at Ford Field -- the Lions have never played in one.

Benjamin is planning a big party for Sunday’s game, which will also be played at Ford Field.

“I got neighbors, relatives -- we’re going to have a big ol’ nacho party,” Benjamin told WJBK. “It’s going to be super.”

“He’s got enough blue hair color, he said we can all color our hair for Sunday’s game, so we’re looking forward to that,” Benjamin’s daughter told WWJ. “This is our year we’re ready.”

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