ROMULUS, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Michigan football team took off from Detroit Friday, headed to Houston for the National Championship game. Fans were not far behind.
Multiple flights left Detroit metro airport Friday en route for Houston, with fans decked out in maize and blue on board.
“We're going to Houston," fan Jarred Kwiatkowski said. "We got to watch the boys win the National Championship!”
It’s the start of a dream trip for Kwiatkowski and his dad Daniel. It's a dream that's been decades in the making.
“To experience the first National Championship in I don't know how many years with my Dad is probably one of the best things in my life so far,” Jarred Kwiatkowski said.
“It means a lot to me," Daniel Kwiatkowski said. "I'm fighting back tears listening to my son right now talk about how great of a feeling it is for him.”
It’s a feeling shared by many Michigan fans wearing maize and blue at DTW. Many have had season tickets for decades and needed to see this game in person.
"Might never see it again. You never know," 30-year season ticket holder Greg Kuypers said.
“Hard to put into words," fan Chad Hurd said. "It's been since '97, so this is kind of once in a lifetime for us.”
With so many fans wanting to travel, Delta added seven new flights between Detroit and Houston for the game. However, some fans were already prepared.
"I booked the flights about two months ago, though. After the Penn State game, I was feeling pretty good,” fan and alum Michael O'Brien said.
O'Brien is flying to Austin then driving to Houston but still hasn't bought tickets to the game. The cheapest seat is over $800 on Ticketmaster, and lower bowl tickets cost thousands.
"Oh, we’ll have tickets. I'm not worried about that. We’ll get them. There’s no doubt in my mind,” O'Brien said. "This is a lifelong dream to me, so we're willing to shell out whatever it takes.”
As for Daniel Kwiatkowski, he's wearing a 1978 Big Ten Championship ring on his finger and a 1979 Rose Bowl watch on his wrist, both of which he earned as a Michigan football player.
"I haven't worn it to be honest with you in about 20 years. It's been behind glass," Daniel Kwiatkowski said of the ring. "It’s very important now.”
While playing for the Wolverines, his team lost in the Rose Bowl to Washington. Therefore, this dream trip is also a rematch, decades in the making.
“It's going to be tremendous," Daniel Kwiatkowski said of the trip. "It's going to make everything even, going to make me feel like I won one!”
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