Champions Day

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.^[1] 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.

Governor Fitzgerald's Proclamation Letter

Detroit City Council Proclaims Champions Day

Events commemorated

There were a number of individual and team accomplishment during this time, including:

• 1931: Gar Wood wins the Harmsworth Cup for unlimited power boat racing^[2]
• 1932: Eddie "Midnight Express" Tolan wins two gold medals in the Olympics for sprinting^[2]
• 1934: Newell Banks crowned World Checkers Champion^[3]
• 1935: Joe Louis bursts onto the national boxing scene^[2]
• 1935, October 7: Detroit Tigers win their first World Series^[4]
• 1935, December 15: Detroit Lions win their first NFL Championship^[5]
• 1935 and 1936: Detroit Olympics (minor league hockey) win IHL Championship
• 1936, April 11: Detroit Red Wings win their first Stanley Cup
• 1936, April 18: First Champions Day

City of Champions

Because of the many sporting accomplishments during this time frame, Detroit was given the nickname City of Champions.^[1] No other city has held the championship for three of the four major North American sports at the same time.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Champions Day Campaign
2. ^ ^{a b c} http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=91
3. ^ http://www.checkerschest.com/checkers/banks.htm
4. ^ http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/postseason/mlb_ws_recaps.jsp?feature=1935
5. ^ http://www.detroitlions.com/team/history/all-time-results.html

External links

• Detroit: City of Champions (book)
• Time.com story: The Greatest, Forgotten Season in Sports History
• Detroit: City of Champions, by David Lee Poremba (a book of photographs detailing sports in Detroit from the 20s through the 50s)