From his introductory press conference offering up "biting knee caps" as a metaphor for the attitude he promised to instill in the team he was taking over, to intense postgame locker room speeches after wins, it's no surprise Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell's music taste tilts heavy.
More specifically, Campbell is a noted Metallica fan going back a long time. He sent a welcome message to the band when they announced their 2023 tour was coming to Detroit. He referenced one of the the bands songs ("No Leaf Clover") in a famous speech the "Hard Knocks" cameras captured in 2022 (NSFW).
Players have their pregame routine, from when they dress, to pregame listening (music, podcasts, etc.) to get themselves in the proper mindset to bring their best on the field that day.
It's also fair to assume coaches have their pregame routines along similar lines. Coaches who are former players may carry the pregame routine they had as a player to when they become a coach.
Dan Campbell makes shocking reveal of pregame hype music
Via Tik Tok (h/t to The Detroit Times), the Lions apparently went around this week to ask team members what their favorite hype song before a game is.
The songs Campbell starts his answer with are no surprise; two of Metallica's most famous songs. But then he revealed a surprise.
Dan Campbell shares his game day hype song 🤣#OnePride pic.twitter.com/wE2XYAvmhu
— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔢𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔦𝔱 𝔗𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰 📰 (@the_det_times) December 19, 2024
"I've got a lot. But I would say most of it, probably stays with Metallica", Campbell said. 'Master of Puppets' is a go-to. 'Enter Sandman'. But, believe it or not, I also like classical music. I like the soundtrack from The Last of the Mohicans. That's an old throwback movie, alright. I love the violin. I love the cello. I love the, anyway, so that kinda gets me goin' a little bit."
Dan Campbell, classical music guy with a particular affinity for the violin and cello. That was on no one's bingo card when it comes to the music the Lions' head coach favors to get himself pumped up before games.
For the uninitiated, The Last of the Mohicans came out in 1992 and is set in 1757 during the French and Indian War.
Here are a couple songs from the soundtrack.
Upon further review, maybe it isn't that shocking Campbell likes The Last of the Mohicans soundtrack when he turns to classical music before games.