The mere notion of the Detroit Lions winning a Super Bowl has long seemed kooky.

Put the historical baggage onto the scales, and a Lions confetti shower in New Orleans next winter would far exceed the Chargers winning it or longtime pinatas such as the Jets, Bears, Jaguars, Cardinals and Falcons holding the trophy aloft.

So when the Super Bowl LIX odds came out last week, the football ground shook when Detroit stood fifth on five different betting sites.

In other words, the four San Diegans on Dan Campbell’s coaching staff and their friends have a real shot at spinning the NFL on its collective helmet.

I’m referring to the quartet of Dave Fipp, a former pole vault champion from La Jolla High School who oversees Detroit’s special teams, and former University of San Diego products Taylor Engstrand, Hank Fraley and Steve Oliver, who serve on Campbell’s offensive staff.

The San Diego expats could be to Detroit what Theo Epstein, a former USD law student and Padres executive, was to the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs.

After Epstein oversaw ramp-ups that culminated in the Sox and Cubs each winning their first World Series trophy in several decades, many fans took their celebrations to cemeteries.

You might think the Browns, Bills and Vikings have had at it worse than the Lions.

But where the Bills and Vikings have made it to four Super Bowls apiece, the Lions have never reached the big game.

The (Charlie) Browns? They’ve not gone to a Super Bowl but have outdone the Lions in conference-title appearances.

So although it appears the Lions will field their best modern team this year, they’re by no means heavy favorites to win anything, including their own divisional race.

But coming off a 12-5 season followed by two playoff victories and the NFC title-game loss to the top-seed 49ers, the Lions have reaped an early offseason victory: Ben Johnson, their impressive offensive coordinator, chose to return for his third season instead of pursuing a head coaching job.

Johnson has shown rare attention to detail and creativity. The Lions have finished ninth and eighth in points under the 37-year-old coach who walked on to North Carolina as a quarterback and left Chapel Hill with degrees in math and computer science before serving under several accomplished NFL coaches.

In the first half of the NFC title game, his offense ripped the 49ers for 280 total yards with 148 yards rushing.

Fraley began his coaching career at USD under head coach Dale Lindsey.

Oliver played for him, and together they oversee a Lions line that serves as the foundation to the franchise’s Super Bowl bid.

Engstrand, a former quarterback at Grossmont College and San Diego State who coached at USD, coordinates a passing game that finished second in yards and fourth in touchdowns this year.

The defense needs more speed and depth. But in its three years under coordinator Aaron Glenn, who made three Pro Bowls as a 5-foot-9 cornerback, the unit has risen from 31st to 29th to 23rd in points.

Campbell has shown himself sharp at staff-building and game-management as measured by the metric of win probability added.

As mentioned here a few years ago, Campbell’s size, authenticity and humor bring Bruce Bochy to mind.

What will it take for Campbell to pull a Bochy and lead his own long-thirsty franchise to its first trophy?

Above all, it will mean squeezing the utmost from quarterback Jared Goff, 29. Having revived his career with big assists from Detroit’s powerful agile blockers, can he improve a smidge at the agile improvisational plays where young NFC rivals such as the 49ers’ Brock Purdy and the Packers’ Jordan Love hold a large edge?

A receiver’s two dropped passes late in the NFC championship provide the coaches invaluable reminders on mastering the fundamentals.

Another productive draft will be needed from Brad Holmes. The GM holds four premiums picks in the top three rounds.

Dwight Eisenhower was residing in the White House the last time the Lions raised the trophy. They’d beaten the Browns in the 1957 NFL championship behind QB Tobin Rote. The QB would lead the San Diego Chargers to the AFL title in Balboa Stadium six seasons later.

It’d be nice for everyone involved if Fipp and mates reciprocated.