Dan Campbell’s Wife Reveals Her Game-Day Superstitions — Including Hiding in the Suite Bathroom
Holly Campbell, the wife of Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, has opened up about the “crazy” rituals she swears by to help her husband’s team find success — even if it means spending tense moments hiding in a bathroom.
Holly, 50, and Dan, 49, have been together since tying the knot in 1999, and after more than two decades, she jokes that their marriage is “pretty much grandfathered in at this point.”
After years of standing by his side through the highs and lows of football, Holly has built a list of quirky game-day superstitions — some that have stuck and others that have been retired.
“I Get Sent to the Bathroom”
While most fans live for the thrill of each play, Holly admits the experience can be nerve-racking for her.
“I’m not calm,” she confesses. “Game days are hard.”
For home matchups at Ford Field, Holly arrives early — always heading down for her and Dan’s pregame kiss about an hour before kickoff. If she can’t make it to the stadium, the couple always connects via FaceTime before the first snap.
“I mean, that’s a must,” she says with a laugh.
Once the game starts, Holly usually watches from a suite — though not always in her seat.
“If things start going badly, I get sent to the bathroom,” she admits, explaining that the suite’s restroom has basically become her good-luck charm.
“It’s kind of a break,” she explains. “I just sit there, watch the Gamecast on ESPN, and wait to hear the cheers before I come out.”
Her friends and family play along, banishing her to the stall when the Lions need a spark and summoning her only when things begin to turn around.
“I can’t really argue with it — it works!” she laughs.
Wardrobe Rules and Old Rituals
Like many superstitious fans, Holly also keeps mental notes on what she wears when things go wrong.
“If the team loses, that outfit goes on ice,” she admits. “It’s not being worn anytime soon.”
Back when Dan was a tight end for the Lions (2006–2008), Holly sported a bracelet with his number — 89 — engraved on it. But during a long losing streak, she decided the accessory might be cursed.
“I actually boiled it to get the bad luck out,” she says. “It’s crazy, I know, but I think we won the next game. So maybe it worked!”
For nearly two decades, another tradition defined her pre-game routine: before every game, she told Dan, “Do a good job.”
The saying came from their first date, watching Armageddon. “When Steve Buscemi’s going crazy and they’re trying to blow up the asteroid, he keeps saying, ‘Do a good job, do a good job,’” Holly recalls. “It became our thing.”
But that ritual ended unexpectedly during Dan’s first season as head coach in 2021. The Lions had started 0–10 before finally earning a victory against the Vikings.
“The day we won that game, I forgot to say it,” Holly remembers. “Maybe it was me the whole time saying, ‘Do a good job,’ that was jinxing us!”
A Roaring Start
Now, with Detroit sitting at 4–2, the Campbells feel confident about the direction of the team. After a shaky opening loss to the Packers, the Lions bounced back strong with wins over the Bears, Ravens, Browns, and Bengals.
Holly says she’s hopeful this season’s luck — and maybe a few of her superstitions — will carry them all the way.
“We’re ready to go all the way,” she declares proudly.
