Ron “Crackman” Crachiola, 71, of Macomb Township, has a custom-painted Detroit Lions Ford F-150 in front of his custom-painted Detroit Lions garage that features his famous tagline “Who Loves Ya Baby,” while a Detroit Lions flag flies underneath the American flag in front of his home on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. In 2001, Crackman was inducted into the Visa Hall of Fans for his hard-core fandom in a blue-collar city with a go-to-work type of team, the Detroit Lions. That’s where the hard hat and cutoff overalls come from.
Detroit Lions fans come from all over Michigan and in all shapes and sizes, but for many, it is a passion passed down from generation to generation and shared between family and friends. For Ron Crachiola, it was natural for him to love the Lions.
Ron Crachiola, 71, of Macomb Township, paints his face and beard with Honolulu Blue colors in his bathroom. Crachiola says he never married and doesn’t have any kids, that he knows of, but he calls people he has met at Detroit Lions games his football family. “I’ve met fans from all over the whole country, Europe,” Crachiola said. “I’ve been to London twice and people just get it. The fandom grew.”
LEFT: Ron “Crackman” Crachiola, 71, of Macomb Township, holds a 10-cent program from a 1936 Detroit Lions game against the Brooklyn Dodgers at his home that is filled with Lions’ memorabilia. RIGHT: Ron Crachiola, 71, of Macomb Township, shows an old photo with his dad who worked as a lineman for Detroit Edison Company, where Crachiola also worked as lineman for DTE Energy before retiring.
Crachiola's grandfather, who he called “a tough old bird” worked for Ford Motor Co. before retiring from Chrysler and his father, Tony Crachiola, who retired from Detroit Edison Company as a lineman, taught him that to be a true Detroit Lions fan, it takes passion and belief that one day your team will make it to the big game. That’s when “Crackman” and his catchphrase, "Who Loves you Baby!" was born. In his hard hat and cutoff overalls, Crachiola embodies the blue-collar spirit of his family and the go-to-work attitude of the Lions.
In 2001, he was inducted into the Visa Hall of Fans for his hardcore fandom.
Stacye “Lions Baby” Jones, 51, of Sterling Heights, holds a small replica she had made of the Vince Lombardi trophy with Detroit Lions colors at the Saturday night game between the Detroit Lions and the Denver Broncos.
LEFT: Stacye “Lions Baby” Jones, 51, of Sterling Heights, wears a custom-made outfit down to her custom nails by Queen of Nails for the Saturday night game between the Detroit Lions and the Denver Broncos. RIGHT: Jones wears a custom-made outfit down to her custom kicks. Jones says she is a Detroit Lions fan 365 days a year and always wears something Lions every day. “I am a proud Lions fan, because we’re resilient,” Jones said. “Even though we haven’t won, every year we come back and we are better.”
Stacye “Lions Baby” Jones, 51, of Sterling Heights, begins to tear up at the thought of the Detroit Lions finally winning after being a Lions fan for 46 years at the Saturday night game between the Detroit Lions and the Denver Broncos. She is standing on what she calls her throne, cheering on players at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. Jones grew up watching the Lions with her father, Hilliard Jones. “To stand at my spot and look around and see all the fans, new and old, cheering my guys on has been very emotional for me,” Jones said. “Charlie (Sanders) used to tell me that this day was coming … and now that is here, he’s not.”
The love Stacye “Lions Baby” Jones feels for the Detroit Lions started when she would watch the game with her father, Hilliard Jones, as a little girl dealing with her parent’s divorce.
“Even though we haven’t won, every year we come back and we are better!” Jones said decked out in Lions gear from her perfect Lions-themed nails to her bejeweled custom Lions sneakers. Standing near her seat at the tunnel you can hear Jones’ voice over everything, a beacon of love and hope, as tears begin to slowly stream down her face. “To stand at my spot and look around and see all the fans, new and old, cheering my guys on has been very emotional for me,” said Jones, “Charlie (Sanders) used to tell me that this day was coming … and now that it is here, he’s not,” said Jones. “We’ve never been here before and I don’t want this feeling to leave me.”
Gary “Macho Mane” Campioni, 52, of Flint, gets dressed in his basement that was partially remodeled with the $15,000 he won after being named Detroit Biggest Sports Fan in 2022. The prize also included a pair of season tickets for the 2022 season. Campioni says he is 52, but he acts like he is 22 years old on game day. “That passion I had as a kid for the (Detroit) Lions still comes out on game day,” Campioni said. “I would look better in spandex when I was 22 than I do now, but it’s fun and we have a good time, “ he joked. Campioni says football brings people together and his love for the Detroit Lions is rooted in friendship. Campioni and his friends created a group called the “Blue Mane Group” and they dress up for the games to show their love for the team.
Gary Campioni, who describes himself as 52 going on 22, said he and his college buddies always watched the Lions games together and went to an away game in North Carolina where they met the Panthers' Avengers, a devoted group of Carolina Panthers fans. It inspired the friends to start their Blue Mane Group. “We get home a couple weeks later, my buddy's like, 'Hey, I bought an Elvis outfit,'” Campioni said, “And then you start going through your closet and pull out your daughter’s sewing machine and before you know it you’re the 'Macho Mane.' ”
Mike Toldo, 38, and Angelo Aversa, 38, of Windsor, consider themselves some of Canada’s biggest Detroit Lions fans and have their photo taken in front of the Detroit skyline on the Windsor waterfront, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. Aversa said that you can count wins and losses, but there is more to being a fan. “What really matters is the moments that are created with the people you care about.” Aversa was there for Toldo, his grade-school friend, when his father, Lee, died earlier this year.
Windsor resident Angelo Aversa remembers being there for his best friend Mike Toldo when his father died at hospice care. Toldo was playing Barry Sanders highlights on YouTube for his dad. With a smile on his face, Toldo turned to Aversa and said: “Barry just broke one and the Lions are down 30,” bringing back memories of their childhood and friendship watching Barry Sanders play. Aversa said it's not about the wins and the losses. "At the end of the day, what really matters is the moments that are created with the people you care about.”
