The Detroit Lions have the home-field advantage today (Jan. 18) during their divisional playoff battle against the Washington Commanders. Earning the top seed at 15-2, the Lions look to host their first-ever NFC Championship game. If that happens, Jared Goff and company hope to erase their names from the list of NFL teams to never appear in a Super Bowl. With such monumental stakes on the line, the Lions need every bit of team spirit their fanbase can muster. So who better to perform at the halftime show than Detroit megafan Theo “Gridiron” Spight?
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Theo “Gridiron” Spight Will Get the Lions Crowd Going
Born and raised right in Detroit, Theo “Gridiron” Spight has roots in gospel and soul music. And if Lions fans don’t recognize his name, his rich baritone is surely familiar. Spight has been the voice behind the Detroit Lions fight song, “Gridiron Heroes,” for the last 20 years.
Spight’s 2004 audition for Detroit’s WDIV Super Singer contest caught the attention of a Lions executive, who reached out to the superfan about performing the team’s fight song at Ford Field.
After every TD, Ford Field's massive video boards cut to a man in a No. 00 #Lions jersey and team-fitted cap belting out the team’s fight song. The singer’s name is Theo “Gridiron” Spight (@GridironGoLions) – a Detroit native who has been a staple at home games since 04. pic.twitter.com/vU6OFQrOyp
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) December 31, 2021
Written by a Wayne State music professor, “Gridiron Heroes” became the franchise’s official fight song in 1938. But since 2004, it’s been more or less Spight’s song—especially after his beloved Lions reach the end zone. “[That] boy be singing his heart out every time,” Detroit running back Jamaal Williams told ESPN with a laugh.
Detroit Artist Caleb Carroll Will Sing National Anthem
Theo “Gridiron” Spight will hype up the crowd at halftime. However, the Lions-Commanders game can’t get officially underway until Caleb Carroll belts “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Carroll, 23, is no stranger to Ford Field. He has performed the national anthem at several games, including the Lions’ season-opening victory against the Los Angeles Rams in September. Additionally, he was just 19 when he delivered a Thanksgiving 2020 rendition that moved many Detroit faithful to tears.
The Detroit Lions will clash with the Washington Commanders beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern on Fox.
Featured image via Instagram)
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