Lions fans ready for cross-country trip to 49ers: 'I'm going all-in; I don't care'

The new-look Detroit Lions, now just 60 minutes away from a Super Bowl, have instilled hope, joy and even confidence in a long-suffering fanbase. But not many fans are as confident as Jean Virkus' husband, Mike. He bought a pair of plane tickets to San Francisco even before the Lions beat the Los Angeles Rams in their opening playoff game.

"He was trying to surprise me, but I got an email from Delta confirming my flight," Jean Virkus said.

Over in Bloomfield Hills, longtime Lions fan Dan Ervin displayed similar courage, buying a pair of airplane tickets to the Bay Area for him and his son, Danny, just after the Lions' win over the Rams.

"I figured, 'I'm going all-in; I don't care,'" Dan Ervin said. "If it doesn't come together, I'm still going to San Francisco."

The Lions have had one of the best-traveling fanbases in the NFL this season, sometimes stunning opponents with takeovers of large sections of their stadiums. Now comes one of the bigger logistical challenges as the Lions face their biggest games in more than three decades, 2,400 miles away in Santa Clara.

"We have such an awesome fan base, my expectation is that there will be a lot of blue in the stadium," Virkus said. "We've been traveling well all season, and I know a ton of Detroit people are trying to go."

Not cheap, but not as exorbitant as some might imagine

Ervin and Virkus are each flying into San Francisco, where they each have old friends they want to visit before the game. But for Lions fans strictly interested in attending the game, a flight into Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport might make the most sense — it's only about 7 miles from Levi's Stadium, the home of the 49ers, whereas San Francisco International Airport is more than 30 miles away.

A flight from Detroit Wayne County International Airport to San Jose, flying from Saturday to Monday, was about $500 with a reasonable layover stop as of Monday afternoon. Flights to San Francisco were between $420 and $660 with a layover.

Tickets to the game at Levi's Stadium were available Monday on ticketmaster.com starting at $595 on up to more than $2,200 — in line with Ford Field postseason prices the last couple of weeks. Ervin hasn't bought his tickets yet: "We are monitoring it closely, trying to figure out if they are going to go up or down in price," he said.

Hotels very near the stadium were surprisingly affordable as of Monday. A two-night stay beginning Saturday at the Ramada by Wyndham Sunnyvale/Silicon Valley, only about 1.5 miles from the stadium, was $139 a night on Hotels.com, taxes and fees included. Those seeking a more upscale experience could try the Hyatt Centric Santa Clara Silicon Valley at about $350 a night.

Transportation to and from these hotels to the stadium via taxi or Uber runs less than $20 generally — but may be hiked for an NFC Championship Game. Some hotels may run stadium shuttles. The area's Valley Transportation Authority offers light rail that connects to Caltrain, which offers a connection to the stadium from the city of San Francisco, as well as VTA bus services to the stadium. Cost is $15 or less.

'The greatest year of our lives as sports fans'

Ervin was a Lions season ticket holder for many years at the old Pontiac Silverdome, and then the first few years at Ford Field. Life got busy and the season tickets were let go, but he and his son still attended Lions games with frequency.

Free Press sports columnist Carlos Monarrez in May 2019 profiled Danny Ervin as a young Lions "superfan," fervently supporting the team despite its losing ways.

Danny, now 22, is preparing to graduate with a degree from the University of Michigan, which just won its own national championship in football earlier this month.

"It's been the greatest year of our lives as sports fans" seeing both the Lions and the Wolverines have so much success, Dan Ervin said.

The Ervins reestablished their Lions season tickets just as failed general manager and head coach Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia were shown the door, just as Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell were brought in to try again. "We bought at the bottom," Ervin said.

With another friend, the Ervins have developed a "world-class tailgate" just outside of Ford Field, sometimes attracting up to 100 new and old friends.

'So much buy-in and so much suffering for so long'

"It's like a homecoming," Ervin said. "I'm seeing high school friends, college friends, work friends — they have heard about this and want to be a part of it. Then there's the people you get to know from the aisle" in your section of the stadium.Lions football brings metro Detroiters together — of diverse races, ages, incomes — in a way other sports in Detroit just don't, he said. And the Lions' amazing season and postseason run has made it even more amplified and special.

"It's emotional in a way that I never thought a sport could make me," Ervin said. "There's been so much buy-in and so much suffering for so long. To see it actually happen is inspiring."

Ervin was around to see the Pistons and Red Wings win championships. But if the Lions were to do it? "It will be the biggest thing to ever happen in this town, by multiple times over," he said.

An old Lions jacket in the basement, resurrected

Jean Virkus and her husband grew up in sports-loving — and Lions-loving — families. She grew up in East Lansing, and her father, Fred Tinning, in addition to being an instructor in Michigan State University's medical school, was the team chaplain for the Spartans football team for eight years under then-coach Darryl Rogers, who later became Lions coach.

Jean Virkus lost both parents in 2019, her dad suddenly around Thanksgiving. She also had a sister pass away last year.

Getting ready to attend the Lions playoff game against the Rams, Virkus was looking for an old, favorite Lions jacket from years ago. She couldn't find it, then remembered it was stored away in the basement.

"As I wore it to the game, I realized it was what I was wearing the last day I saw my dad before he passed away," she said. "My last picture with my dad, I'm wearing this Lions jacket. I'll obviously be wearing that jacket when I get to the game in Santa Clara."

It's difficult for Virkus to dare to dream about a Lions Super Bowl appearance.

"I get really nervous with this kind of stuff, because I want them to win so badly," she said. "But I just have a really good feeling about it. "They just have the spirit of Detroit."

Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions fans going to Santa Clara for game against San Francisco