Fandom represents one of life's great contradictions. What else can make folks feel so enraptured in one moment and so sullen in the next? It's a wretched sorceress, one that can coax unassuming viewers with one glance and grieve them with the next.
Few fanbases in American sports are more familiar with the conflicting nature of sport than the Lions. On one hand, Detroiters have been able to witness some of football's greatest talents sport their colors, from Dick "Night Train" Lane to Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson.
And yet, the Lions have exactly zero Super Bowls. Detroit's last championship came during the Eisenhower Administration. Although the Lions are not the oldest NFL team without a Super Bowl win (that would be the Cardinals, who haven't gotten their hands raised as the league champion since 1947), they haven't even reached the Big Game despite being around since the AFL-NFL merger. Only them and the Browns can lay claim to such futility.
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Lions fans have suffered for the better part of 70 years. There are levels to pain, however, and it's hard to argue there's any Michigander who's been forced to grapple with Detroit's mediocrity more than Benjamin Capp.
Capp, an 89-year-old who has been a Lions season ticket-holder since 1958, has seen lots of change over his six-plus decades as a Detroit devotee. Through it all, he has retained a love for his beloved Lions -- even when they haven't always returned the favor.
With that, here's the skinny on Capp, the Lions' senior-most supporter.
Tonight's extra special for Benjamin Capp. Who has been a season ticket holder since the 50's. 😮 pic.twitter.com/R108fBSSMW
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 15, 2024
Who is Benjamin Capp?
Capp's name came into the spotlight during Detroit's postseason run in 2023. His love for the Lions stretches back decades, however.
A native of Grosse Pointe, Mich., Capp represents the oldest of the old guard of Honolulu blue enthusiasts.
He purchased his tickets in 1958, a year after the Bobby Layne-led Lions vanquished all foes to capture their last NFL championship. Capp initially bought two tickets. He added two more while Detroit played at Briggs Stadium. He made it six when the Lions settled into the Pontiac Silverdome. He reduced his outtake to four when Detroit moved into Ford Field back in 2001, setting up shop in Section 108, Row 24. He said that he had to grant his son power of attorney to select his most recent seats. He was in Florida at the time and the only way to pass them along is via official legal document.
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A longtime football aficionado (and former junior-varsity player), Capp's love of football has remained throughout his fandom. So, too, has his optimism. Capp sees the gridiron as a metaphor for life, filled with sweet sugar but also rancid honey -- and everything else in between.
“I’m an optimist and fans should be optimistic, but they should also be realists,” Capp told Grosse Pointe News' Meg Leonard in a recent article. “Good times can end, whether it’s briefly, momentarily or maybe it lasts a year. So enjoy the ups and if you like, pray for the ups. But there will be some down times.
“It’s all part of the game.”
More importantly, though, the sport of football offers Capp and his family a vehicle by which they can bond with one another.
“For us, it was (about) family,” Capp said. “It’s the game of football that we like. We each played football in high school. I played junior varsity, but Stan made it to varsity, but it’s a game we all enjoy. All of our friends and buddies, everybody loves football.”
He's seen it all during his time in the stands. Capp was in attendance when the Lions battered the reigning champion Packers, 26-14, on Thanksgiving Day 1962. He also saw Sanders and Johnson hit career-high marks during their record 1997 and 2012 seasons, respectively.
He's also witnessed tragedy. Capp watched on in horror as wide receiver Chuck Hughes collapsed and died on the field back in 1971.
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Nevertheless, he feels overjoyed to be able to be a part of the ornate quilt that is Lions history. And who knows? If Detroit makes it to the Big Dance, you'd be hard-pressed to find a fan more deserving of a front-row seat than Capp, one of the sport's most beloved elders.
Just don't tell him that.
“I’m enjoying this, but I certainly don’t think of myself as being such a special person or that I’m some sort of special fan,” Capp said. “I’m just a regular fan and the moment was caught based on my years of holding a ticket."
