1977 in Michigan

none 1977 1977 Events from the year 1977 in Michigan. The Associated Press (AP) selected Michigan's top stories of 1977 as follows:PBB Poisoning Rated Top Michigan Story of 1977 Ironwood Daily Globe December 27, 1977 8 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/13734383/pbb_poisoning_rated_top_michigan_story/ Newspapers.com The emergence of the Michigan PBB contamination scandal as a political issue and related medical investigation and legislative actions (the PBB scandal was one of the state's top stories for the fourth consecutive year dating back to 1974); Cold weather through the winter of 1977 with many cities recording the coldest temperatures of the century, Lake Michigan frozen solid, several deaths due to exposure, closure of automobile plants due to natural gas shortages, and snow closing U.S. Route 131 between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo for a week; The Oakland County Child Killings involving the unsolved murders of at least four Oakland County youths reportedly tied to the driver of a blue Gremlin; The 13-week trial, conviction, and subsequent new trial order in the prosecution of two Filipina nurses, Filipina Narciso and Leonora Perez, in the Ann Arbor Hospital Murders in which 10 patients at the Veterans Hospital in Ann Arbor died mysteriously from respiratory failure (the Ann Arbor Hospital Murders were one of the state's top stories for the third consecutive year dating back to 1975); The case of Francine Hughes (subsequently the topic of The Burning Bed), a 29-year-old woman from Danville who killed her husband by setting his bed on fire in March after years of domestic abuse and was found not guilty in November by reason of temporary insanity; Gov. William Milliken's veto of Project Seafarer, a proposed underground military extremely low frequency (ELF) network in the Upper Peninsula; A civil lawsuit by farmers Roy and Marilyn Tacoma against several parties for the loss of cattle in connection with the Michigan PBB contamination scandal (See #1 above) and resulting in the longest court case in Michigan history; The August 25 abduction of Evelyn Van Tassel from her Upper Peninsula home and the subsequent trial and conviction of her abductor, Douglas Henry, for kidnapping and rape; The closure of Kincheloe Air Force Base in the eastern Upper Peninsula; and The April announcement by U.S. Senator Robert P. Griffin that he would not run for reelection in 1978. The AP and the United Press International (UPI) each selected the state's top sports stories of 1977 as follows:Bird's injuries voted top '77 sports story Traverse City Record-Eagle (UPI story) December 29, 1977 12 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/13734510/birds_injuries_voted_top_77_sports/ Newspapers.comInjured Fidrych Voted Top State Sports Story The News-Palladium (AP story) December 28, 1977 22 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/13734579/injured_fidrych_voted_top_state_sports/ Newspapers.com The second season of Detroit Tigers pitcher Mark Fidrych (2.89 ERA in 11 games) which was shortened by injuries (AP-1, UPI-1); The 1977 Michigan Wolverines football team led by quarterback Rick Leach and running back Russell Davis compiling a 10–1 record in the regular season, including a victory over Ohio State (AP-3, UPI-3 [tie]); The Detroit Red Wings' firing of Alex Delvecchio after the 1976–77 team compiled a 16–55–9 record, the hiring of Ted Lindsay as the team's general manager, and Lindsay's rebuilding program and promise to bring back aggressive hockey (AP-5, UPI-2); The 1976–77 Detroit Titans men's basketball team led by John Long and Terry Tyler compiling a 25–4 record followed by Dick Vitale's resignation as head coach (AP-4 [season], AP-6 [resignation], UPI-5 [season]); Magic Johnson's decision to attend Michigan State University after leading Lansing's Everett High School to the Michigan Class A high school basketball championship (AP-2, UPI-9); The 1976–77 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team led by Phil Hubbard and Rickey Green compiling a 26–4 record, receiving the No. 1 ranking at the end of the regular season, and advancing to the Elite Eight round in the NCAA tournament (AP-8, UPI-3 [tie]) The 1976 Michigan Wolverines football team's 14–6 loss to USC in the 1977 Rose Bowl (AP-7, UPI-7); The performances of Detroit Tigers players Dave Rozema (15-7 record, 3.09 ERA), Ron LeFlore (.325 batting average, 212 hits), and Steve Kemp (18 home runs, 88 RBIs) (AP-9 [Rozema and LeFlore], UPI-8 [Rozema and Kemp]); The trade of highly touted 1976 draft pick Marvin Barnes on November 23 after appearing in only 65 games for the Detroit Pistons to the Buffalo Braves in exchange for Gus Gerard, John Shumate and a 1979 first round draft pick (Roy Hamilton was selected) (UPI-6); and The April 12 trade of designated hitter Willie Horton, who had played for the Detroit Tigers since 1963, to the Texas Rangers in exchange for pitcher Steve Foucault (UPI-10). 3 Office holders State office holders thumb|right|130px|Gov. Milliken thumb|right|140px|Sen. Griffin thumb|right|130px|Sen. Riegle Governor of Michigan: William Milliken (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Michigan: James Damman (Republican) Michigan Attorney General: Frank J. Kelley (Democrat) Michigan Secretary of State: Richard H. Austin (Democrat) Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives: Bobby Crim (Democrat) Majority Leader of the Michigan Senate: William Faust (Democrat) Chief Justice, Michigan Supreme Court: Thomas G. Kavanagh Mayors of major cities Mayor of Detroit: Coleman Young Mayor of Grand Rapids: Abe L. Drasin Mayor of Warren, Michigan: Ted Bates Mayor of Sterling Heights, Michigan: Anthony Dobry Mayor of Flint: James W. Rutherford Mayor of Dearborn: Orville L. Hubbard Mayor of Lansing: Gerald W. Graves Mayor of Ann Arbor: Albert Wheeler (Democrat) Mayor of Saginaw: Raymond M. Tortora/Joe Stephens Federal office holders United States Senator from Michigan: Donald W. Riegle Jr. (Democrat) United States Senator from Michigan: Robert P. Griffin (Republican) United States Representative, District 1: John Conyers (Democrat) United States Representative, District 2: Carl Pursell (Republican) United States Representative, District 3: Garry E. Brown (Republican) United States Representative, District 4: David Stockman (Republican) United States Representative, District 5: Harold S. Sawyer (Republican) United States Representative, District 6: Bob Carr (Democrat) United States Representative, District 7: Dale Kildee (Democrat) United States Representative, District 8: J. Bob Traxler (Democrat) United States Representative, District 9: Guy Vander Jagt (Republican) United States Representative, District 10: Elford Albin Cederberg (Republican) United States Representative, District 11: Philip Ruppe (Republican) United States Representative, District 12: David Bonior (Democrat) United States Representative, District 13: Charles Diggs (Democrat) United States Representative, District 14: Lucien N. Nedzi (Democrat) United States Representative, District 15: William D. Ford (Democrat) United States Representative, District 16: John Dingell (Democrat) United States Representative, District 17: William M. Brodhead (Democrat) United States Representative, District 18: James Blanchard (Democrat) United States Representative, District 19: William Broomfield (Republican) Population Sports Baseball 1977 Detroit Tigers season – Under manager Ralph Houk, the Tigers compiled a 74–88 record and finished fourth in the American League East. The team's statistical leaders included Ron LeFlore with a .325 batting average, Jason Thompson with 31 home runs and 105 RBIs, Dave Rozema with 15 wins, and Mark Fidrych with a 2.89 earned run average (ERA).1977 Detroit Tigers Statistics Sports Reference LLC Baseball-Reference.com September 12, 2017 https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/DET/1977.shtml 1977 Michigan Wolverines baseball team - Under head coach Moby Benedict, the Wolverines compiled a 33–15 record and finished second in the Big Ten Conference.2012 University of Michigan Baseball Record Book University of Michigan 2012 September 12, 2017 22, 71 http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/mich/sports/m-basebl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/bsb-recordbook-2012.pdf March 4, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304120456/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/mich/sports/m-basebl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/bsb-recordbook-2012.pdf dead American football 1977 Detroit Lions season – The Lions, under head coach Tommy Hudspeth, compiled a 6–8 record and finished in third place in the NFL's Central Division. The team's statistical leaders included Greg Landry with 1,359 passing yards, Horace King with 521 rushing yards, David Hill with 465 receiving yards, and Steve Mike-Mayer with 43 points scored.1977 Detroit Lions Statistics & Players Sports Reference LLC Pro-Football-Reference.com September 12, 2017 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/det/1977.htm 1977 Michigan Wolverines football team – Under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled a 10–2 record and were ranked No. 9 in the final AP Poll. The team's statistical leaders included Rick Leach with 1,109 passing yards, Russell Davis with 1,013 rushing yards and 96 points scored, and Ralph Clayton with 393 receiving yards.1977 Michigan Wolverines Stats Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football September 12, 2017 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/michigan/1977.html 1977 Michigan State Spartans football team – Under head coach Darryl Rogers, the Spartans compiled a 7–3–1 record. The team's statistical leaders included Ed Smith with 1,731 passing yards, Leroy McGee with 720 rushing yards, and Kirk Gibson with 531 receiving yards.1977 Michigan State Spartans Stats Sports Reference LLC September 13, 2017 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/michigan-state/1977.html 1977 Central Michigan Chippewas football team – Under head coach Roy Kramer, the Chippewas compiled a 10–1 record.Central Michigan 2015 Football Media Guide Central Michigan University September 12, 2017 100, 110 2015 http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/cmu/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2015-16/misc_non_event/2015-Football-Media-Guide.pdf October 26, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161026171041/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/cmu/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2015-16/misc_non_event/2015-Football-Media-Guide.pdf dead 1977 Eastern Michigan Hurons football team – Under head coach Ed Chlebek, the Hurons compiled an 8–3 record.2014 Digital Media Guide: Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University Football September 12, 2017 169, 176 http://www.emueagles.com/custompages/football/2014/2014EMUFBGuide.pdf 1977 Western Michigan Broncos football team – Under head coach Elliot Uzelac, the Broncos compiled a 4–7 record.Football Records: Annual Results Western Michigan University September 12, 2017 http://www.wmubroncos.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4600&ATCLID=204948424 Basketball 1976–77 Detroit Pistons season – Under head coach Herb Brown, the Pistons compiled a 44–38 record and finished second in the NBA's Midwest Division. The team's statistical leaders included Bob Lanier with 1,616 points and 745 rebounds and Kevin Porter with 592 assists.1976–77 Detroit Pistons Roster and Stats Sports Reference LLC Basketball-Reference.com September 12, 2017 https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DET/1977.html 1976–77 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team – Under head coach Johnny Orr, the Wolverines compiled a 26–4 record. The team's statistical leaders included Rickey Green with 120 assists and Phil Hubbard with 588 points and 389 rebounds.1976–77 Michigan Wolverines Schedule and Results Sports Reference LLC SR/CBB September 12, 2017 https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/michigan/1977.html 1976–77 Detroit Titans men's basketball team – The Titans compiled a 25–4 record under head coach Dick Vitale. The team's statistical leaders included John Long with 568 points and Terry Tyler with 319 rebounds.1975–76 Detroit Titans Roster and Stats Sports Reference LLC SR/CBB September 12, 2017 https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/detroit-mercy/1977.html Ice hockey 1976–77 Detroit Red Wings season – Under head coach Alex Delvecchio and Larry Wilson, the Red Wings compiled a 16–55–9 record and finished fifth in the National Hockey League's Norris Division. Walt McKechnie led the team with 25 goals, 34 assists and 59 points. The team's regular goaltenders were Jim Rutherford and Eddie Giacomin.1976–77 Detroit Red Wings Roster and Statistics Sports Reference LLC Hockey-Reference.com September 12, 2017 https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/DET/1977.html 1976–77 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey season – Under head coach Dan Farrell, the Wolverines compiled a 28–17 record and finished second at the 1977 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, losing to Wisconsin in the title game.College Hockey News September 12, 2017 Michigan Team History http://www.collegehockeynews.com/reports/teamHistory/Michigan/31 1976–77 Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey team – Under head coach John MacInnes, Michigan Tech compiled a 19–18–1 record and finished second in the 1977 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, losing to Minnesota in the title game.College Hockey News September 12, 2017 Michigan Tech Team History http://www.collegehockeynews.com/reports/teamHistory/Michigan-Tech/33 1976–77 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team – Under head coach Amo Bessone, the Spartans compiled a 14–21–1 record.College Hockey News September 12, 2017 Michigan State Team History http://www.collegehockeynews.com/reports/teamHistory/Michigan-State/32 Great Lakes Invitational - Other Music Albums and singles by Michigan artists or centered on Michigan topics that were released or became hits in 1977 include the following: "Sir Duke", a single by Detroit native Stevie Wonder, was released in March 1977, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was ranked No. 18 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1977. "I Wish", a single by Stevie Wonder, was released in November 1976, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was ranked No. 51 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1977. "Hotel California", a single with lyrics by Detroit native Glenn Frey, was released in February 1977, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was ranked No. 19 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1977. "New Kid in Town", co-written by Detroit natives Glenn Frey and JD Souther (with Don Henley), was released in December 1976 and became a hit in 1977, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and ranking No. 59 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1977. "Night Moves", a single by Detroit native Bob Seger, was released in December 1976, reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was ranked No. 55 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1977. "Rock and Roll Never Forgets", a single from Bob Seger, was released in June 1977. Though it only reached No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, it became a staple of classic rock radio. Cat Scratch Fever, the third studio album from Ted Nugent, was released in May 1977. It reached No. 17 on the Billboard album chart and was certified platinum. The album included the single "Cat Scratch Fever" that reached No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2009, the single was named the 32nd best hard rock song of all time by VH1.Vh1 Top 100 Hard Rock Songs http://music.spreadit.org/vh1-top-100-hard-rock-songs/ January 1, 2009 February 7, 2009 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090212180319/http://music.spreadit.org/vh1-top-100-hard-rock-songs/ February 12, 2009 Lust for Life, an album by Michigan native Iggy Pop written and recorded with David Bowie, was released in February 1977. It included the classic songs "Lust for Life" and "The Passenger". The Idiot, an Iggy Pop album written and recorded with David Bowie, was released in March 1977. It included the songs "China Girl", "Funtime", and "Nightclubbing". "You and Me", a single by Detroit native Alice Cooper, was released in April 1977, reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was ranked No. 48 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1977. "I Never Cry", a single by Alice Cooper, was released in July 1976, became a hit in 1977, and was ranked No. 82 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1977. Sweet Passion, a studio album from Aretha Franklin, was released in May 1977. The single "Break It to Me Gently" which reached No. 1 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. An Evening with Diana Ross, a live album by Detroit native Diana Ross, was released in January 1977 and reached No. 29 on the Billboard album chart. Baby It's Me, an album from Diana Ross, was released in September 1977, and reached No. 18 on the Billboard album chart. It included the hit single "Gettin' Ready for Love". Deep in My Soul, an album by Smokey Robinson, was released in January 1977. Chronology of events January February March April May June July August September October November December Births February 22 - J. J. Putz, Major League Baseball relief pitcher (2003-2014), in Trenton, Michigan February 24 - Floyd Mayweather Jr., professional boxer and boxing promoter, in Grand Rapids March 25 - Brian Calley, Michigan Lieutenant Governor (2011–2018), in Dearborn, Michigan September 7 - Mateen Cleaves, basketball player at Michigan State and professionally (1996-2009), in Flint, Michigan September 21 - Jeff Backus, NFL offensive lineman (2001-2012), in Midland, Michigan September 26 - Kevin Cotter, 72nd Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives (2015-2017) October 22 - Jocelyn Benson, 43rd Michigan Secretary of State (2019–present) December 30 - Kenyon Martin, NBA basketball player (2000-2015), in Saginaw, Michigan Gallery of 1977 births Deaths March 3 - Stubby Overmire, Major League Baseball pitcher (1943-1952), at age 57 in Lakeland, Florida Gallery of 1977 deaths References 30em