Dan Jaroshewich was only one year out of Herman High School when he began a long and illustrious career with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League.

He started working for the Lions in 1973 and by 1980, he was the team’s head equipment manager. Overseeing every need of 50-plus players at home and on the road, Jaroshewich handled the job with aplomb until 2002.   He served as the NFL Pro Bowl equipment manager in ’92 and ’94. He was recognized as the NFL’s equipment manager of the year in 1995 and  worked two Super Bowls (1982 Silverdome, 2006 Jacksonville).

It was Jaroshewich who started an annual coat drive that remains a tradition of the Lions’ Thanksgiving Day Game. He co-founded the Detroit Lions Courage House for abused women and children and served as a trustee of the Russ Thomas Scholarship.

Jaroshewich finally moved out of the locker room and into event managing, becoming the senior director of sports events and business development at Ford Field, overseeing mega concerts by Eminem, Madonna and the Rolling Stones and several NCAA tournaments. He retired in 2021 after 48 years with the team.

Throughout the years, Jaroshewich donated his time to various charitable and amateur organizations in Michigan, including the Troy Youth Hockey Association, the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association, the Detroit Police Athletic League and Kolo Charities. He was instrumental in pushing for the creation of the Troy Sports Center.

Now he takes his rightful place in the builders’ category of the Windsor/Essex County Sports Hall of Fame.