DETROIT (WWJ) - Two families, four pairs of tickets and the Detroit Lions — it's a story that Metro Detroit native Jennifer "Jen" Luoto says spans decades of loss and love while celebrating a sport that goes beyond the 40 yard line.
While the view from Jen's seats at Ford Field may have been the same since 2002, the tickets in her possession have held special places at the Pontiac Silverdome and further back still to a time when the Lions shared the same field as the Detroit Tigers, where this story begins.
"These tickets actually... we call it the 'Lions love story,'" she told WWJ's Pat Vitale. "A very good friend of my dad's was the reason that we got pulled into these season tickets and the tickets go back to his grandfather [William Hunt] who owned the tickets in the 1940s when they were still at Briggs Stadium."
When Hunt passed away, the tickets passed from generation to generation -- from father to son to grandson -- spanning a time that saw the Lions host two NFL Championship Games in the 1950s, the coming and going of legendary running back Barry Sanders, and endured the franchise's move out of Corktown and into the suburbs.
When the tickets came into the possession of Doug Ringer, Hunt's grandson, he shared them with his life-long friend and Jen's father, Fred Luoto.
"And that's how I started going to Lions games," Jen smiled.
Growing up in Livonia to parents with no sons, Jen quickly became indoctrinated in Detroit sports fandom under the enthusiastic guidance of her father -- and football reigned supreme in the Luoto household.
"I was always sort of the one that was interested in sports and particularly interested in football, so [my dad] taught me about football. We watched football together every Sunday. He taught me about all the plays, the calls, the penalties," Jen explained. "It's sort of the running joke with my husband that I know more about football than he does."
Jen recalled when she, her father and her father's friend would all pack into the car and trek out to the Silverdome, and then, when the Lions moved back to Detroit, to Ford Field in its inaugural days.
"I remember particularly we would leave very early and we get down to the games and we'd stop and get a concession and get in our seats predominantly," she said. "It wasn't a big social outing... it was more of just a 'let's watch the game, let's see the plays.'"
Jennifer Luoto
As a lifelong Lions fan, Jen has had her share of frustration as the team struggled over the years, stating "there was a lot of times maybe when we left the game early to avoid the traffic."
But the trio hardly ever missed a game -- no matter what -- sharing in the highs and lows and making memories along the way. The bond between family and friends through football was so strong, Doug made a special request prior to his passing in 2017.
"He wanted to will the tickets to me because his wish was that he wanted somebody who loved the Lions as much as his family did to take over these wonderful tickets," Jen said.
The four tickets in question were thoughtfully selected on the 40 yard line, 15 rows behind the Lions bench at Ford Field, smack dab in the center section.
A perfect view.
"When [Doug's] family was invited down to Ford Field as they were building [it], he was in the top 100 Lions season ticket holders in seniority, so he was among a very small group of people that were invited to Ford Field to personally select their seats," Jen explained. "We have the perfect vantage point for the entire game and you can see everything that's going on and anytime I bring anybody with me, they're absolutely wild and blown away, like 'how the heck did you get these tickets?'"
The answer is a beautifully simple one: the Lions Love Story.
Jen and her father -- along with Jen's husband, John -- continued their tradition in honor of Doug's memory, attending as many home games as they could and never thinking twice of giving up the beloved seats.
Even during the Lions' historic 0-16 season, Jen said the thought never crossed her mind.
"I always found ways to cut other things I do," she said. "We never wanted to lose the seats."
From her spot on the 40 yard line, she bore witness to Dan Campbell's transition from player to head coach that has breathed new life and excitement among Lions fans.
"With Dan Campbell, I think it's just reinvigorated this entire city and everybody loves the Lions because he's just created this winning atmosphere," she said. "The team loves each other and I get chills when I talk about it."
"I think this could be their year," Jen said, adding that she is tired of the negative talk the Lions have endured for so long.
Among the treasured memories and precious moments that football has given to her and her loved ones, the Detroit Lions has grown to mean so much more to Jen and so many other fans than just a team.
They've come to embody hope, optimism and courage.
And above all — grit.
"I really believe strongly the Lions can beat Tampa Bay this weekend," she told Vitale. "I think that if they beat Tampa Bay, then only greater things lie ahead."
This season, Fred has had to watch some games from the comfort of home due to medical issues, but that hasn't stopped him from getting in on all the excitement as the Lions clinched their first division title in 30 years after a 30-24 win at the Minnesota Vikings on Dec. 24.
"The whole game we were FaceTiming with him," she said. "We were sending videos of the crowd. We were sending videos of the intro with all the Lions running out of the field. We sent videos at the end of the game when all the streamers are falling from the sky, so he felt like he was included."
And if the Lions make it all the way? It'll make the perfect ending to a Lions love story several decades in the making.
