Champions Day
Encyclopedia
Champions Day is a special day that was set aside in 1936 to commemorate a number of sporting victories and accomplishments by Detroit, Michigan
natives and teams in the early 1930s. April 18 was designated Champions Day in Michigan by the state Governor Frank Fitzgerald
, and then specifically for Detroit by the Detroit City Council. The first Champions Day was celebrated with a large party at the Detroit Masonic Temple
, an event sponcered by the (now defunct) Detroit Times
newspaper.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
natives and teams in the early 1930s. April 18 was designated Champions Day in Michigan by the state Governor Frank Fitzgerald
Frank Fitzgerald
Frank Dwight Fitzgerald was an American politician. He was elected as the 34th and 36th Governor of Michigan and was the only Michigan governor to die in office.-Early life:...
, and then specifically for Detroit by the Detroit City Council. The first Champions Day was celebrated with a large party at the Detroit Masonic Temple
Detroit Masonic Temple
The Detroit Masonic Temple is the world's largest Masonic Temple. Located in the Cass Corridor of Detroit, Michigan, at 500 Temple Street, the building serves as a home to various masonic organizations including the York Rite Sovereign College of North America. The Masonic Temple Theatre is a venue...
, an event sponcered by the (now defunct) Detroit Times
Detroit Times
- Overview :The first iteration of the Detroit Times was an antislavery bulletin only printed from May - November, 1842 by Warren Isham.The second iteration began in November 1854. Published by G.S. Conklin and E.T. Sherlock, with John N. Ingersoll as editor...
newspaper.
Events commemorated
There were a number of individual and team accomplishment during this time, including:- 1931: Gar Wood wins the Harmsworth CupHarmsworth CupThe Harmsworth Trophy is the popular name of the historically important British International Trophy for Motorboats.The Harmsworth was the first annual international award for motorboat racing. Officially, it is a contest not between boats or individuals but between nations...
for unlimited power boat racing - 1932: Eddie "Midnight Express" TolanEddie TolanThomas Edward "Eddie" Tolan , nicknamed the "Midnight Express", was an American track and field athlete who compete in the Sprints. He set world records in the 100 yard dash and 100 meters event and Olympic records in the 100 meters and 200 meters events...
wins two gold medals in the Olympics for sprinting - 1934: Newell Banks crowned World Checkers Champion
- 1935: Joe LouisJoe LouisJoseph Louis Barrow , better known as Joe Louis, was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. He is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time...
bursts onto the national boxing scene - 1935, October 7: Detroit TigersDetroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
win their first World SeriesWorld SeriesThe World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy... - 1935, December 15: Detroit LionsDetroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
win their first NFL Championship - 1935 and 1936: Detroit OlympicsDetroit OlympicsThe Detroit Olympics were a minor league hockey team located in Detroit, Michigan that was a member of the Canadian Professional Hockey League 1927-29 and the International-American Hockey League 1929-36. The team played all of their home games at the Detroit Olympia...
(minor league hockey) win IHLInternational Hockey League (1929-36)The International Hockey League was a professional ice hockey league operating in Canada and the United States from 1929 to 1936. It was a direct ancestor of the American Hockey League....
Championship - 1936, April 11: Detroit Red WingsDetroit Red WingsThe Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
win their first Stanley CupStanley CupThe Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug... - 1936, April 18: First Champions Day