DETROIT – Daniel Brinker and Harry Schroeder have been friends -- family, really -- for more than 50 years.
They first met when Harry started dating Daniel’s sister in 1975.
“He’s just very loving, caring, and he’s a great guy,” Brinker said on Friday afternoon. “He’s very humble, and he wants everybody to have a great day.”
As for what he thinks of his brother-in-law.
“He takes care of the family in a very big way,” Schroeder said. “If it wasn’t for Daniel, a lot of things that we do as a family would not happen.”
It was one of the most unexpected things to come out of last weekend’s Super Bowl.
A pair of lifelong friends and Detroit Lions fans were spotted by a reality star at a concession stand, and it turned into a thrill of a lifetime.
“I love the Lions, man. I had season tickets back in the day,” Schroeder said. “I’d go religiously, and I just love them and follow them.
‘Win, lose, or draw, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “Good season, bad season. You gotta love them.”
A couple of weeks ago, on a whim, Daniel – or “Brinks” as Harry calls him – came up with an idea for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“He said, ‘Hey, Brinks, what are we doing for the Super Bowl?’ and I said, ‘We’re going. We’re going to go to the Super Bowl,’” Brinker said.
“And I thought he was just talking,” Schroeder said. “I say, ‘yeah, let’s go, man,’ and not realizing that, he’s dead serious about it.”
Harry’s been battling cancer for the last couple of years. After initially having it removed, the cancer recently returned.
Not knowing when, or if, they would ever be able to see the Lions play in it, they decided to go for it.
Brinker paid for everything, from the airfare to the hotel to the last-second tickets to the game itself.
The lads had a ball exploring San Francisco, a place that Harry had never been before.
And everywhere they went, they were wearing Lions gear.
“It was a good feeling,” Brinker said. “No negativity with our Lions gear or nothing like that. It was actually supportive.”
The guys were at the game having a blast – Schroeder in a white Barry Sanders jersey, Brinks in a blue No. 84 Herman Moore jersey – when they made a trip to the concession stand that turned into the viral moment of a lifetime.
“The people that we fist-bumped and whatnot, I didn’t know who they were. And come to find out that the one gentleman was a bachelor and such like that.”
It was the Bachelorette, to be exact.
Jason Tatrick and his girlfriend Kathryn Hurley – a Plymouth native and fellow Lions fan – spotted the men and dapped them up. Hurley was excited to see Lions fans out in the open.
The couple, who met on the reality show The Bachelorette, posted the encounter on Instagram and TikTok.
Once they got word of Harry’s condition, Tatrick put the call out to his followers to make sure they got the VIP treatment from the Lions.
“I’m thinking every person that sees this, tags the Detroit Lions in the comments,” Tatrick says in the video. “Hopefully the Lions see it, and they can do something special for Harry.”
The Lions were tagged thousands of times across social media. Unbeknownst to them, it became the most viral moment of the Super Bowl that did not involve Bad Bunny.
“It all started there,” Schroeder said. “We flew in Tuesday morning, and we had no idea what was happening.
“It’s just been a whirlwind, and it’s been wonderful,” he said. The Lions eventually got the message, and on Thursday, Harry and Brinks got the VIP treatment at Ford Field.
They got a tour of the Lions’ locker room; each got their own No. 26 jersey, a ball signed by Barry Sanders, and a helmet signed by defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson.
A pair of special guests also showed up.
“Jason and Kathryn joined us,” Brinker said. “They flew in that day to meet us, and that was a pleasant surprise as well.”
The two friends have been overwhelmed by the response to the viral video – an attitude of gratitude fills their home. The admiration they have for each other is palpable.
“Everybody loves Harry,” Brinker said. “That hashtag, #LetsDoItForHarry, it’s so appropriate for what this man has done for people.”
Harry is still receiving chemotherapy, and he’s making the most of every day in front of him.
“My life is wonderful in spite of the cancer, and I embrace every single day,” Harry said. “I give thanks and take the very best out of each day.”
They also have one more goal in mind.
“We’re going to Los Angeles [for Super Bowl LXI],” Brinker said. “We’re going next year to see the Lions play in it.”