Dan Campbell, Glen Rose High School grad, leads Detroit Lions to first NFC Championship game since 1991

DETROIT - Texas native and former Dallas Cowboys tight end Dan Campbell has taken the Detroit Lions to a place the team hasn't been in more than 30 years.

Campbell, who graduated from Glen Rose High School in Somervell County and played for Texas A&M, led the Lions to a 31-23 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

IRVING, TX - SEPTEMBER 19: Tight end Dan Campbell #86 of the Dallas Cowboys evades linebacker Andra Davis #54 and linebacker Anthony Henry #37 of the Cleveland Browns during the game at Texas Stadium on September 19, 2004 in Irving, Texas. The Cowboy

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The win sends the Lions to the NFC Championship game for the first time since 1991.

The Lions win means the Dallas Cowboys, 28 seasons, and the Washington Commanders, 32 seasons, now have the two longest droughts of not making the NFC Championship.

Campbell was introduced as head coach on Jan. 21, 2021. Sunday's win was exactly 3 years later.

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"I got a lot of really outstanding people around me. I'm fortunate and it takes a village. without everybody involved. With Brad Holmes, without (Lions owner) Sheila (Hamp), without (Lions president) Rod (Wood), without Chris Spielman, without Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn, Dave Fipp…I'm fortunate," he said.

DETROIT, MI - JANUARY 21: Head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions stands on the sidelines during the national anthem prior to an NFL divisional round playoff football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field on January 21, 2024 in Det

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Now the Lions will take on the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship with a trip to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas on the line.

"I envisioned that we would have a chance to compete with the big boys and that's where we're at. All you gotta do is get in. It's about placing yourself in the very best position to where you can move. and you get a home game and maybe you get a second home and maybe it gets a little easier. And if you get a one seed, you only have to win two games," Campbell said. "Once you get in, it's about matchups and finding a way to win."

The Lions have never been to the Super Bowl.

Fox 2 Detroit contributed to this story.