Courtesy Photo Alpena City Hall employees show off their pride for the Detroit Lions by wearing Lions apparel to work earlier this week. People all over Northeast Michigan are celebrating the team’s success this year and hoping Detroit can win the Super Bowl in February.

ALPENA — It seems like everywhere you go in Northeast Michigan these days, you find Detroit Lions fans wearing their Honolulu blue and team-logoed shirts, hats, and other apparel.

Like the rest of the state, Alpena-area Lions fans are excited about the prospects of the team having a long playoff run and possibly advancing to Detroit’s first-ever Super Bowl appearance.

After decades of heartbreak, embarrassment, and grief, the Lions put together a record-breaking 2024-25 football season, and fans are hopeful that, in February, the team will deliver its first championship to Detroit and all of Michigan.

Some people, however, are fearful the team’s past luck could return and spoil the party.

Terry Bronson said he often wondered if the Lions would be legitimate contenders or if the string of poor rosters and bad luck would ever be broken.

He said the current batch of players are the best he has seen as an entire unit, and the team’s style of play is exciting and often stressful.

“We have waited for a team like this for forever, and I’m just going to enjoy the ride,” he said. “The team is young, it seems hungry, and I think the sky’s the limit. I think they can go all of the way, because they have the talent to do it.”

With a roster of players barely old enough to purchase alcohol, the team is tightly bound and energetic. Six Lions were selected All-Pros this season, and a majority of the players still haven’t reached their prime.

Tim Kraft said his favorite player is running back Jahmyr Gibbs because of Gibbs’ quickness and ability to find the end zone. He said Gibbs reminds him of Hall of Fame Lions running back Barry Sanders.

After years of watching the Lions lose — often in dramatic fashion — Kraft said it feels good to root for a winning team.

“All true Lions fans deserve this,” he said. “I think most of us have stuck by the team through the worst of times and all of the losing, and we didn’t think we would ever see anything like this. I think they have a real shot of winning the whole thing. If they don’t, we still had an amazing season, and it looks like we will be good for a while.”

Some fans are confident in the team’s ability to win the Super Bowl, but still prepare for a letdown.

Trent Shultz said that, after years of watching the team flounder and lose because of bad penalties and bad luck, staying confident is hard, sometimes.

“I’m enjoying every second of this, but I’m also sort of waiting for the next foot to drop and something happens that ruins everything,” Shultz said.

Even the state government knows how important the Lions’ success and opportunity to win a Super Bowl is to residents in Michigan.

On Friday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared today Honolulu Blue Day to rally Michiganders ahead of the looming playoff game.

Whitmer encouraged Michiganders to wear Honolulu Blue today to show support for the team.

“GRIT lies at the foundation of the Michigan spirit and drives the Detroit Lions, fueling us to dig deeper, push harder, rise above any challenge, and outplay any opponent, no matter their size or strength,” Whitmer said in a statement. “I encourage every Michigander to join me in throwing on our Honolulu Blue and cheering on the Lions this Saturday. One Pride!”

The Lions ended the regular season 15-2 — the team’s best-ever record — and clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the first time in team history.

By clinching the top seed, the team enjoyed a bye week last weekend and will have all home games at Ford Field in Detroit until the Super Bowl, which is played in New Orleans this year.

The Lions host the Washington Commanders in Detroit at 8 p.m. tonight.

The winner will advance to the NFC championship.

If the Lions win the conference championship, the team will punch a ticket to Super Bowl LIX, which will be played on Feb. 9.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.