Die-hard Detroit Lions' fan turns Woodhaven front lawn into Ford Field replica

Lions Coach Dan Campbell decided last month to sell his Bloomfield Township house because people found out where it is and didn’t like the attention — and shenanigans — when the team, which has been winning big, lost last year.

But Brad Smith’s colonial is now the talk of the internet because the fan, with the help of a buddy, painted a Ford Field gridiron — a scaled-down, grass version — on his front lawn, and the Woodhaven resident is enjoying a few moments of fame.

"I can't believe it's gotten the attention it has," Smith told the Free Press on Thursday. He spent a couple of days working out the math to make it. He got permission from his next-door neighbor to use part of her yard for an end zone. And then, he painted the lines. "I really didn't think it would go much past that."

But in the past week, Smith's enhanced lawn — and story behind it — has gone viral and been featured on local TV stations and websites, and it feels a bit like all of metro Detroit is cheering him and his little home DIY project on.

Smith's love for the Lions, which he acknowledges borders on fanaticism, and what he recently made also shows why so many Michiganders, are excited this year, because even when their team was losing, they clung to hope that someday they just might make it to the Super Bowl.

And, Smith said, this could be the season they do.

A field of his own

Smith, who grew up in Indiana as a Colts fan, converted after he married his wife and moved to Michigan.

"I fell in love with everything about them," the 50-year-old construction worker said of the Lions, adding what he admires about the players. "Their toughness, determination — that they wouldn't win, and were getting beat every week — but I just, I don't know, I just knew that at some point that was going to turn around."

Smith — who, every Sunday, or whatever day the team is playing, gathers in his garage with buddies to watch the game on a 75-inch TV — said earlier this week he came up with a plan to take his NFL fandom to an even higher level.

But first, he had to consult his wife.

"He was mowing the front lawn, and all of a sudden, he started screaming, 'Babe, babe, I got this great idea,' " Tracie Smith recounted to WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) . She agreed to his brainstorm, but with one condition: "If you’re going to do it, it better look great."

To work out the measurements, Brad Smith got help from another neighbor, Jared Blair.

They had to do some figuring to make sure the field was as close to what they saw each week on TV and in photos. Smith used to go to games, but gave it up. Then, they got some string, about $100 worth of materials, and turned the lawn into a one-tenth-scale outdoor replica of Ford Field.

They even, WDIV-TV (Channel 4) reported , went "all in on their design" down to the centerfield logo.

Now they are winners

The Lions, who so far are 4-1, have come a long way from 2008, when the team lost every game.

In 2019, they were a little better, but still losing, and loyal — but hardly proud — fans weren't celebrating on their front lawns. They were going to games to vent, holding up signs that said, "Sell the team" and "We deserve better."

Some fans were so ashamed they sat in the stadium with paper bags over their heads.

As everyone knows, that has changed.

More: Experts agree Detroit Lions' Aidan Hutchinson will make full recovery. When he returns is the question

You can decide for yourself how great the Smiths' yard, on East Chipmunk Trail just west of Interstate 75, looks.

Neighbors have been roaring about it, with some, WDIV said, alerting the station to the lawn.

WXYZ’s Carolyn Clifford praised the project Wednesday during her broadcast: "We love it. We give it a 10."

Brad Smith, who with some Midwestern modesty, told WXYZ, he thought his project "turned out OK." His wife, who made sure it looked good as a condition of approving it, said she was pleased, praising her husband's work on television.

And unlike Campbell, who disliked fans' fascination with his home, the Smiths are delighted by their interest.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.

(This story was updated to change a video.)

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Die-hard Detroit Lions' fan turns Woodhaven front lawn into Ford Field replica