GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Lions fans are showing their support even as far as London. One of them is a die-hard Honolulu Blue junkie since 1985.
The reason stems from a small gesture from a family visiting from Detroit. It's a memory that had a lasting impact and made this man across the pond a lifetime fan.
Now, he wants to say thank you, and hopes someone out there can help.
"I've got my Detroit Lions top. I've got my hats. And all I think is go Lions True Grit, One Pride," Alan Bolchover said as he put his Lions shirt on.
Bolchover is a true Lions fan and has been for decades.
"I feel pumped. I do feel really pumped," he told FOX 17 Wednesday.
Bolchover is feeling pumped from almost 4,000 miles away.
"I stay up every time they've been on. Look, they weren't on so much when they weren't doing so well. But now, they're on every week," Bolchover explained.
Ever since he was 11 years old, he's shown his support for our Detroit Lions.
.
"Everyone's been making fun of me for 30 years because I'm the only Detroit [fan]. Everyone else was the Dolphins and the 49ers or the Bears or, you know, the Patriots," Bolchover said.
His passion for the NFL started on a family trip to Ireland in the summer of '85.
"Some Irish guys would take you out on the boat and tell stories about leprechauns and Guinness and all that kind of stuff," he recalled.
However, one story from a Detroit family made for a lasting memory.
"So, they told me all about, you know, this whole thing was talked about — the Detroit Lions and what was going on with the Detroit Lions. Well, this was all completely new to me," Bolchover explained.
Before the two families said their goodbyes, the father told Blochover more than a tale about our Motor City team.
"The father had a cap, he had a Detroit Lions cap, and he gave me the cap, which, sadly, I have lost," Bolchover said.
Lost but not forgotten because he's hoping to reconnect and say thank you.
"The father who'd had a, he had a mustache. He was about 30 years old. He was quite a slender build. And that's the photo. So I'm trying to find the photo," he added.
Bolchover is throwing a Hail Mary, hoping someone out there recognizes the family.
"They're my NFL Detroit family," he said.
Bolchover says he's thankful the Lions have done so well this year. Because of their amazing season, he's been able to watch them more and get his kids to see their team play more, possibly creating a new generation of Lions pride across the pond.
