ROYAL OAK (WWJ) — Metro Detroit has Lions fever. So much so that there’s a proposal to rename a road in Royal Oak after head coach Dan Campbell.
Kristopher Powell, CEO of HRPro, which sits along Campbell Road in Royal Oak, submitted a proposal with the city on Tuesday to rename it to “Dan Campbell Road.”
Campbell runs north and south from I-696 to 14 Mile Road at the border with Madison Heights.
Powell, a diehard Lions fan, told The Detroit News the idea came to him while he was sitting at work on Campbell Road.
"This guy's a great leader, I mean, he's a great coach and a great leader and I see what he's built with the team,” Powell said, according to a report from the News.
The proposal comes as the Lions head into the playoffs as the NFC’s No. 1 seed with a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs after beating the Vikings 31-9 in the regular season finale last Sunday night.
The win pushed the Lions’ record to 15-2, the best ever record in franchise history. Their success has all of Metro Detroit and Michigan buzzing for the Honolulu Blue and Silver.
But do residents think it’s a good idea to change the name of the road? WWJ Newsradio 950’s Mike Campbell hit the streets to find out, with many fully on-board with the idea.
“Do it. He’s a hero,” one man said of Campbell, who has been integral in changing the culture of the franchise and leading them to new heights.
“That sounds good to me. I think he deserves it,” another fan said, while another said “we can knock some kneecaps off on it,” a nod to Campbell’s quirky quote from his introductory press conference in January 2021.
But some folks have their reservations about the idea.
“I’m a big Lions fan, big Dan Campbell fan, cute idea, but I don’t know if you need to go changing streets in Madison Heights to be named after him,” one man told WWJ.
Several others, however, like the idea but think any decisions should be delayed until after the Super Bowl.
A city ordinance allows residents to propose changes to street names, though they are usually reserved for those who made significant contributions to the city, county, state, or nation.
Under the city’s ordinance, it would cost $150 to change each sign, according to the report from The Detroit News.
Campbell Road is currently named for Welcome Campbell, according to the Ferndale Historical Society. The society’s website says Campbell moved to Royal Oak Township in 1859 with his wife and eight children and bought 750 acres of land between 9 and 10 Mile, which had a road running north through it.
Elsewhere across the area, Metro Detroiters are showing off their Lions excitement. Home Bakery in Downtown Rochester is displaying a life-sized Amon-Ra St. Brown cake in the front window, Michigan Central Station is lit up in Honolulu Blue and Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard has authorized his department's personnel to wear Lions hats as part of their uniforms.