Martin Luther King High School (Michigan)
Encyclopedia
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. High School is located at 3200 East Lafayette Boulevard in Detroit
, Michigan
; the building is operated by the Detroit Board of Education. King's district encompasses Downtown
and Midtown
Detroit; it also includes the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects, the Martin Luther King Apartments and Riverfront Condominiums
. In addition it includes the three Wayne State University
housing complexes that permit families with children (Chatsworth Tower, DeRoy, and University Tower).
Throughout its history, Eastern High was an interscholastic sports juggernaut - particularly during the 1960s. In addition to producing several outstanding athletes in track and swimming, the Eastern Indians won four consecutive Detroit City League men's basketball titles (1959–62).
In 1968, Eastern High School relocated to 3200 East Lafayette Boulevard; bordering historic Elmwood Cemetery
, within walking distance of Detroit's central business district. In 1969, Eastern was renamed as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. High School; the official school colors were changed from orange and black, to gold and black; the school logo/mascot was changed from an American Indian
, to the Crusaders
.
championship finals - winning on five occasions; in 1985, 90, 91, 2003 and 2006.
In 2006, ML King Jr. High School won the Detroit City League championship trophy in men's swimming and diving.
In 2007, the King Crusaders, coached by Jim Reynolds, became the first team from the Detroit Public Secondary Schools Athletic League to win a MHSAA
Football Championship.
During 2008, King High School's marching band raised over 300,000 dollars (including sponsorship from U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton) to perform at the Summer Olympic Games
in Beijing, China.
DETROIT - Demolition of the former Martin Luther King, Jr. Senior High School has begun, with excavators on site today, tearing down the administration and science lab wings in the first phase of demolition. It will take about four weeks to raze the 230000 square feet (21,367.7 m²) school that was built in 1963.
One of the largest projects in the Detroit Public Schools' $500.5 million bond construction program voters approved in 2009, the MLK project includes razing the 48-year-old building facing Lafayette Street. The auditorium of the former school will remain in use. The new school, complete with a new athletic complex and cyber café, will connect to the auditorium that is receiving upgrades that include interior finishes and systems.
The new $46.4 million facility will face Larned and McDougall streets with the focal point being the glass façade of the MLK Center which will house the cafeteria and a small amphitheater for student assemblies. More than 1000 square feet (92.9 m²) of 4 ft (1.2 m) by 8 ft (2.4 m) Vision glass panels have been installed to the commons area to capture the largest amount of natural light and make the LEED Gold-certified building more energy efficient.
Jenkins/Granger, a 49% Detroit-headquartered firm, is the design builder for the MLK project. TMP Architecture is the architect.
Construction of the new MLK school began in Summer 2010 and will be open for students in September.
Detroit voters approved Proposal S in Nov. 2009 which enabled the district to access $500.5 million for school capital improvement projects. DPS received the sixth largest allocation in the nation.
The improvement program also includes technology upgrades and security initiatives being funded with Proposal S dollars. To comply with federal guidelines, all bond dollars must be spent within three years and all projects must be completed by Sept. 2012.
Since work began just over a year ago in one of the city's largest construction projects that will build and renovate 18 Detroit Public Schools facilities, nearly 500,000 hours have been logged by workers employed by Detroit-headquartered companies at 14 active job sites. Four school projects are 100 percent complete where students spent their last weeks of this school year in modernized classrooms, gymnasiums and theater rooms.
By the start of school in the fall, nine more schools will open for the city's schoolchildren, and demolition of the nearly 90-year-old Cass Technical High School will be complete, for a combined total of $325 million in construction-related spending funded by $500.5 million Proposal S dollars voters approved in 2009.
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, Michigan
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"....
; the building is operated by the Detroit Board of Education. King's district encompasses Downtown
Downtown Detroit
Downtown Detroit is the central business district and a residential area of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Downtown is bordered by the Lodge Freeway to the west, the Fisher Freeway to the north, Interstate 375 to the east, and the Detroit River to the south.Downtown contains much historic...
and Midtown
Midtown, Detroit
The Midtown area in Detroit is a mixed-use area located along the east and west side of Woodward Avenue between Downtown Detroit and the New Center. The community area of neighborhoods is bounded by the Chrysler Freeway on the east, the Lodge Freeway on the west, the Edsel Ford Freeway on the...
Detroit; it also includes the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects, the Martin Luther King Apartments and Riverfront Condominiums
Riverfront Condominiums Detroit
Riverfront Condominiums Detroit is a complex of three luxury high rise residential skyscrapers along the International Riverfront in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Each Riverfront Tower creates an ascending tier of three.-Buildings:...
. In addition it includes the three Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
housing complexes that permit families with children (Chatsworth Tower, DeRoy, and University Tower).
History: 1901-1969
The facility that came to be known as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. High School was originally constructed as Eastern High School. EHS opened in 1901, with three teachers and 300 students, at the intersection of Mack Avenue and East Grand Boulevard.Throughout its history, Eastern High was an interscholastic sports juggernaut - particularly during the 1960s. In addition to producing several outstanding athletes in track and swimming, the Eastern Indians won four consecutive Detroit City League men's basketball titles (1959–62).
In 1968, Eastern High School relocated to 3200 East Lafayette Boulevard; bordering historic Elmwood Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan)
Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit is one of Michigan's most important historic cemeteries. Located at 1200 Elmwood Street in Detroit's Eastside Historic Cemetery District, Elmwood is the oldest continuously operating, non-denominational cemetery in Michigan...
, within walking distance of Detroit's central business district. In 1969, Eastern was renamed as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. High School; the official school colors were changed from orange and black, to gold and black; the school logo/mascot was changed from an American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, to the Crusaders
Crusaders
The Crusaders are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Christchurch that competes in the Super Rugby competition. They are the most successful team in Super Rugby history with seven titles...
.
History: Since 1969
The Crusader women's basketball program has enjoyed tremendous success. Over the past twenty-six seasons, King High School - coached by William Winfield - has appeared in eleven Michigan High School Athletic AssociationMichigan High School Athletic Association
-About:The Michigan High School Athletic Association is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing...
championship finals - winning on five occasions; in 1985, 90, 91, 2003 and 2006.
In 2006, ML King Jr. High School won the Detroit City League championship trophy in men's swimming and diving.
In 2007, the King Crusaders, coached by Jim Reynolds, became the first team from the Detroit Public Secondary Schools Athletic League to win a MHSAA
MHSAA
MHSAA can refer to:*Michigan High School Athletic Association*Mississippi High School Activities Association*Missouri High School Athletic Association...
Football Championship.
During 2008, King High School's marching band raised over 300,000 dollars (including sponsorship from U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton) to perform at the Summer Olympic Games
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing, China.
DETROIT - Demolition of the former Martin Luther King, Jr. Senior High School has begun, with excavators on site today, tearing down the administration and science lab wings in the first phase of demolition. It will take about four weeks to raze the 230000 square feet (21,367.7 m²) school that was built in 1963.
One of the largest projects in the Detroit Public Schools' $500.5 million bond construction program voters approved in 2009, the MLK project includes razing the 48-year-old building facing Lafayette Street. The auditorium of the former school will remain in use. The new school, complete with a new athletic complex and cyber café, will connect to the auditorium that is receiving upgrades that include interior finishes and systems.
The new $46.4 million facility will face Larned and McDougall streets with the focal point being the glass façade of the MLK Center which will house the cafeteria and a small amphitheater for student assemblies. More than 1000 square feet (92.9 m²) of 4 ft (1.2 m) by 8 ft (2.4 m) Vision glass panels have been installed to the commons area to capture the largest amount of natural light and make the LEED Gold-certified building more energy efficient.
Jenkins/Granger, a 49% Detroit-headquartered firm, is the design builder for the MLK project. TMP Architecture is the architect.
Construction of the new MLK school began in Summer 2010 and will be open for students in September.
Detroit voters approved Proposal S in Nov. 2009 which enabled the district to access $500.5 million for school capital improvement projects. DPS received the sixth largest allocation in the nation.
The improvement program also includes technology upgrades and security initiatives being funded with Proposal S dollars. To comply with federal guidelines, all bond dollars must be spent within three years and all projects must be completed by Sept. 2012.
Since work began just over a year ago in one of the city's largest construction projects that will build and renovate 18 Detroit Public Schools facilities, nearly 500,000 hours have been logged by workers employed by Detroit-headquartered companies at 14 active job sites. Four school projects are 100 percent complete where students spent their last weeks of this school year in modernized classrooms, gymnasiums and theater rooms.
By the start of school in the fall, nine more schools will open for the city's schoolchildren, and demolition of the nearly 90-year-old Cass Technical High School will be complete, for a combined total of $325 million in construction-related spending funded by $500.5 million Proposal S dollars voters approved in 2009.
Distinguished alumni
- Bernard Lucas (1935) was one of the nation’s best interscholastic high jumpers during the 1930s; Lucas won three events for Eastern at the 1934 Detroit (DPSSAL) Championships: the high jump (6-4.75); long jump (21-8), and 120-yard high hurdles (:16.0). Bernard Lucas was also the 1934 Michigan High School Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
- Joe AltobelliJoe AltobelliJoseph Salvatore Altobelli is an American former player, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. In , he succeeded Hall of Famer Earl Weaver as manager of the Baltimore Orioles and led the team to their sixth American League pennant and their third World Series championship.- Personal life...
(1950) versatile, All-City basketball, football and baseball player for the Eastern Indians; Altobelli enjoyed several successful seasons of Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, as a player and as manager of the 1983 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...
champion Baltimore OriolesBaltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
.
- Reggie HardingReggie HardingReginald 'Reggie' Harding was an American professional basketball player.-Basketball career:A native of Detroit, Michigan and a 1961 graduate of Eastern High School, Harding, a 7'0" center, was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the fourth round of the 1962 NBA Draft...
(1961) First-team Parade Magazine All-American in 1961; Harding led Eastern to three-consecutive Detroit Public School League basketball championships. A three-time all-state selection, Harding was drafted out of high school by the Detroit PistonsDetroit PistonsThe Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
; he played a total of four seasons in the NBA.
- James MacMillan (1962) was one of the fastest high school swimmers in the United States during the early 1960s. At the 1962 MHSAA Championships, MacMillan took first place for Eastern High in both the 50 and 100 yard freestyle; his winning times still stand as DPSSAL records. On the collegiate scene, James MacMillan was a nine-time NCAA All-American for Michigan State UniversityMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
(1964–66); during the summer of 1968, MacMillan competed in the 100 and 200 meter freestyle at the US Olympic Trials.
- Bill YearbyBill YearbyWilliam M. Yearby was an American football defensive lineman who played for the New York Jets of the American Football League in 1966...
(1962) won the shot putShot putThe shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
event at the 1962 MHSAA Track and Field Finals. Upon graduation from EHS, Yearby became an All-American football player at the University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
; he also performed professionally with the New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
- Lou Scott (1963) was one of America's top distance runners during the 1960s; Scott won Michigan Track and Field Athlete of the Year honors in 1962 and 1963. Scott competed collegiately for Arizona State University; in 1967 he won a silver medal in the 5000 meter run at the Pan American Games1967 Pan American GamesThe 5th Pan American Games were held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from July 23 to August 6, 1967.Winnipeg was chosen as host of the Pan American Games on its second try. It first bid for the fourth Pan American Games at the 1959 PASO meeting in Chicago. It lost to São Paulo, Brazil...
. The following year, by virtue of his third place finish at the Olympic Trials, Lou Scott competed in the 5000 at the 1968 Summer Olympics1968 Summer OlympicsThe 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
.
- Stanley Allen (1965) was another of Eastern's state track and field champions; Allen took first place in the high jump, at the 1965 MHSAA finals.
- John "Frenchy" Fuqua (1965) matriculated from Eastern High School to collegiate football stardom, as a running back for Morgan State UniversityMorgan State UniversityMorgan State University, formerly Centenary Biblical Institute , Morgan College and Morgan State College , is a historically black college in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Morgan is Maryland's designated public urban university and the largest HBCU in the state of Maryland...
. Fuqua later played eight rewarding seasons with the New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, of the National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. While with the Steelers, Fuqua become part of NFL lore as the intended receiver for quarterback Terry BradshawTerry BradshawTerry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
's pass that sports historians refer to as the Immaculate ReceptionImmaculate ReceptionThe Immaculate Reception is the nickname given to one of the most famous plays in the history of American football. It occurred in the AFC divisional playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 23, 1972...
.
- Walter Davis (1967) was twice city champion in the pole vault event; his winning height of 13-7, at the 1967 DPSSAL Track & Field Championships, still stands as the public school league record.
- George GervinGeorge GervinGeorge "The Iceman" Gervin is a retired American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association and National Basketball Association for the Virginia Squires, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls...
(1970) a.k.a. "The Iceman" is a former professional basketball player and esteemed member of the Basketball Hall of FameBasketball Hall of FameThe Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
. In 1997, Gervin was voted one of the NBA's 50 Greatest PlayersNBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time TeamThe 50 Greatest Players in National Basketball Association History were chosen in 1996 to honor the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association...
- Rod HillRod HillRodrick Hill is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, the Buffalo Bills, the Detroit Lions, and the Los Angeles Raiders. After his NFL career he played five seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and still holds the career interception...
(1977) was another in a long line of gridiron greats at King High; Hill played collegiate football for Kentucky State UniversityKentucky State UniversityKentucky State University is a four-year institution of higher learning, located in Frankfort, Kentucky, United States, the Commonwealth's capital. The school is an historically black university, which desegregated in 1954...
. In 1983, Rod Hill was selected in the first-round of the NFL draft by the Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. Rod Hill played a total of eleven professional seasons; six in the NFL and five with the Winnipeg Blue BombersWinnipeg Blue BombersThe Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
of the Canadian Football LeagueCanadian Football LeagueThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
.
- Kelton Graham (1993) ended a seventeen year drought for DPSSAL male athletes, when he swam in the finals at the 1993 MHSAA championships; Graham placed sixth in the 100-yard breaststroke. More recently, Kelton Graham coached the Ann Arbor-Huron High School Boys' Swimming and Diving program to a MHSAA team title in 2008; under Graham's tutelage, Huron High was also 2009 MHSAA team runner-up. Kelton Graham was the 2008 Michigan Interscholastic Swimming and Diving Coaches Association Coach of the Year.
- Kevin B. Jackson (2008), MHSAAMHSAAMHSAA can refer to:*Michigan High School Athletic Association*Mississippi High School Activities Association*Missouri High School Athletic Association...
silver medalist (men's high jumpHigh jumpThe high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
); DPSSAL Championship record holder (2.03 m); 2008 MHSAA top-ranked performer (2.08 m)