Crying Lions Fan gifted tickets to Sunday's divisional playoff game

Crying Lions Fan gets tickets for Bucs-Lions game

Arron Wikaryasz went viral Sunday night for his emotional reaction to the Detroit Lions' first playoff win at Ford Field. Now, he gets to go back -- and got an extra special gift from Barry Sanders.

BURTON, Mich. (FOX 2) - Arron Wikaryasz screamed with his arms reaching to the ceiling of Ford Field and tears streaming down his face. The Detroit Lions had just won the first-ever playoff game at Ford Field – the stadium his dad helped build.

He was one of 65,000 screaming fans celebrating the win and was captured on cameras during the national broadcast. Not long after, his face went viral on social media.

When we talked to him earlier this week, he jokingly called himself the ‘Detroit crybaby’. But the story of those tears and why he wasn't shy about shedding them runs deep.

Arron spent much of his childhood going to games with his father, Joe.

A lifelong Lions fan himself, it was him who introduced Arron to the team.

"He got us season tickets in '99. Two tickets, one for me and one for him. That was it, it was the only person he wanted to bring," said Arron.

Joe, who worked as an ironworker and assisted in building Ford Field, inspired Arron to enter the trade. It made him proud of his dad. Then, when Arron was 14, Joe tragically died in a truck crash while coming home from work.

Arron wasn't sure if he would be able to make the game this weekend.

After seeing our story, Michigan attorney Mark Bernstein wanted to guarantee it would happen.

"We saw him on television the same way everybody did and he’s just become this phenomenon," Bernstein said.

Arron said since he lost his dad at such a young age, he never got a chance to connect with him as an adult – except for when he's at the building his dad helped build.

"It’s hard for me to connect to my dad as an adult as a man because I just don’t know him like that," he said. "So these Lions games are always special to me connect with him out in the world. I can always come back to Ford field and revisit that connection."

Bernstein is an official sponsor of the Lions and he secured two tickets for Arron's grandmother – Joe's mom –- to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"The ability to share this with him is just a huge, huge honor," Bernstein said.

Arron's call after getting the tickets was to his grandmother, Marcy. She was also a Lions' fan for years and buried her son in a Lions jersey.

"I can tell you guys right now she is so thankful and so proud of her son and she just wants everyone to know that it feels good to be talking about him again," Arron said.

But Bernstein had another surprise. Arron's favorite Lion is also a partner with the law firm and gave something special for Arron – a signed football from his dad's favorite player: Barry Sanders,