Thursday is a big day for the Detroit Lions franchise, but they also made special delivery to Oxford High School.
Thursday is a big day for the Detroit Lions, with two first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. But as chronicled by Eric Woodyard of ESPN, it was also a big morning at Oxford High School when former Lions vice president of communications Bill Keenist met Oxford athletic director Tony DeMare to deliver a box from the team.
The Lions got their first win of the 2021 season in Week 13 against the Minnesota Vikings, on a game-winning walk-off touchdown pass from Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown. Days before, on Nov. 30, a tragic shooting had taken place at Oxford High School, leaving four teenagers dead and several others injured. The Lions dedicated the game, and then the win, to the Oxford community.
Detroit Lions deliver special game ball to Oxford High School
#Oxford HS AD Tony DeMare received the game ball from the #Lions’ 1st win of the 2021 season today, which was dedicated to the community after the tragic high school shooting in Nov. It’ll start off on display at the HS before being shared groups and organizations around town. pic.twitter.com/ifAjok0PkX
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) April 28, 2022
“11/30 has a different meaning in Oxford now. It’s not time to go to bed or get ready for lunch. Those numbers will never be forgotten for the honor of everybody involved,” Keenist said. “The football will remain forever as another symbol of that.”
The ball will start out displayed at the school, so students can celibrate it first, before being shared around the community to first responders, fire stations, police stations, Oakland County sheriffs, banks, restaurants, etc. It will carry meaning wherever it goes.
“Just thinking about it, it’s a football in a case, but it symbolizes the unity of people in Oxford,” DeMare said.
St. Brown spoke to Woodyard, and offered his hope for what the special game ball symbolizes.
“I hope it represents to them just to never quit and that fight …”
St. Brown went on to draw a parallel between the Oxford community and last year’s Lions team, to find motivation in tough times and come out the other side.
“It’s always hope, even in the worse times,” he added. “There’s always something to look forward to. You’ve just got to keep pushing, keep working, so I think it was just perfect how everything played out with Coach Campbell giving them that ball. Hopefully it gives them motivation moving forward.”