Top 10:
1. U-M Wolverines won the CFP National Championship in January by defeating the Washington Huskies, 34-13, in Houston. Led by Head Coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback J.J. McCarthy, Michigan finishes a perfect 15-0. Harbaugh was suspended twice during the historic season.
2. After winning their first division title in 30 seasons, the Detroit Lions won Ford Field January playoff games against the LA Rams and Tampa Bay only to lose in the NFC Championship game to San Francisco, wasting a huge third quarter lead.
3. The Tigers surprise MLB with a dash to the post-season after finishing third behind AL Central foes Cleveland and Kansas City. Detroit wins the wild card round, 2 games to zero over Houston yet loses in 5 games, 3-2, to the Guardians in the next round. Pitching ace Tarik Skubal wins the Cy Young Award and a pitching Triple Crown.
4. The Lions roared in the 2024 season winning a second straight division title, a perfect 8-0 road record and earning seven players Pro Bowl designation. Detroit overcame injuries to key players Aidan Hutchinson, David Montgomery, Alex Anzalone, Marcus Davenport, Kahlil Raymond, Michael Badgley, Alim McNeill and many others.
5. Detroit Red Wings nearly make the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, edged by the Washington Capitals on the final day. The Wings get off to a bad start in the new season. Team president Steve Yzerman fires coach Derek (Newsy) Lalonde and hires Todd McLellan, a one-time Wings assistant coach.
6. Detroit Pistons fans endure the worst season in franchise history, 14-68, and a record 27-game losing streak, the most ever in a single NBA season. Trajan Langdon was hired as the new President of Basketball Operations and J.B. Bickerstaff as the new head coach.
7. No. 14-seed Oakland University (24-12 record) shocks No. 3-seed Kentucky in the NCAA Basketball South Regional behind the scoring firepower of Jack Gohlke and his 32 points. Coach Greg Kampe’s team was eliminated in the second round.
8. Juwan Howard is fired as men’s basketball coach after a disappointing Big Ten season. The Fab Five member was replaced by Dusty May of Florida Atlantic. He gets U-M into the top-25 as the 2024 portion of the new season closes.
9. At the Paris Summer Olympics athletes with Michigan ties win medals. Devin Booker (gold) in men’s basketball, Alena Olsen (bronze) in rugby, Grant Fisher (two bronze) in track and Fred Richard and Paul Juda (bronze) of the U.S. men’s gymnastics squad.
10. Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans gets his team into the NCAA Men’s Tournament for the 26th consecutive time only to lose to North Carolina in the second round.
SPORTS DEATHS: Billy Bean, Mike Brumley, Ron Cameron, Ernie Clark, Rocky Colavito, Murray Costello, Earl Cureton, Mike Downey, Kirthmon Dozier, Ken Droz, Tim Ecclestone, Bill Eisner, Oscar Feldman, Joel Ferguson, Dan Fife, Aggie Guastella, Jim Hannan, Whitey Herzog, Greg Landry, Charlie Maxwell, Sergei Mnatsakanov, Bobby Morrison, Don Ohl, Ed Ott, Marty Pavelich, Dan Poile, Merv Rettenmund, Charlie Rutherford, Joe Schmidt, Chuck Seelbach, Gary Sutherland, Jean Guy Talbot, Larry Trader, Jon Urbanchek, Ozzie Virgil Sr., Pete Waldmeir, Chet Walker, Jerry Walker, Larry Walton, Mark Wells, Don Wert and Dick Wiencek.
Reach George Eichorn at [email protected] or @Sandsports99 on X (Twitter).