Events from the year 1974 in Michigan.
The Associated Press (AP) selected the top news stories of 1974 in Michigan as follows: Gerald Ford's elevation to President of the United States after the resignation of Richard Nixon; The decline of the automobile industry tied to the 1973 oil crisis with layoffs of more than 200,000 automobile workers; The re-election of William Milliken as Governor of Michigan despite a general tide in favor of Democrats; The United States Supreme Court ruling in Milliken v. Bradley reversing a lower court order requiring cross-district busing of public school students among 53 school districts in metropolitan Detroit and instead directing the creation of a desegregation plan limited to the Detroit schools; Voters' repeal of the state sales tax on food and drugs; Gasoline shortage; Contaminated feed forces the slaughter of thousands of farm animals; Democrats take the Fifth and Eighth Congressional Districts and then hold them in post-Watergate elections resulting in Democrats taking control of the Michigan Legislature and the state's Congressional delegation; The worst snowstorm of the century hit southern Michigan; and Utilities suffered lower profit margins and were granted large rate increases.
The AP also selected the state's top sports stories of 1974 as follows: Al Kaline's retiring after 21 years with 3,007 hits and 399 home runs; The 1974 Michigan Wolverines football team compiling a 10–0 record before losing to Ohio State on November 23; The death of Detroit Lions head coach Don McCafferty on July 28; The 1974 Michigan State Spartans football team compiling a 7–3–1 record and upsetting No. 1 ranked Ohio State on November 9; The 1974 Central Michigan Chippewas football team winning the NCAA Division II Football Championship; The 1973–74 Detroit Pistons compiling a 52–30 record, the best in franchise history to that point; The rise and fall of the Detroit Wheels of the World Football League; The 1974 Detroit Lions compiling a 7–7 record under new head coach Rick Forzano; Hudson High School won the Class C state football championship and kept its winning streak alive; and John Hiller of the Detroit Tigers set an American League record with 17 wins as a relief pitcher and was named to the All-Star team.
The year's highlights in Michigan music included the releases of Stevie Wonder's Fulfillingness' First Finale which reached #1 and won the Grammy for Album of the Year, Grand Funk Railroad's Shinin' On album with the #1 hit The Loco-Motion, and Aretha Franklin's Let Me in Your Life album that reached #1 on Billboard's R&B albums chart.
Office holders State office holders
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: William A. Ryan (Democrat) Majority Leader of the Michigan Senate: Robert VanderLaan (Republican)/Milton Zaagman (Republican) Chief Justice, Michigan Supreme Court: Thomas M. Kavanagh
Mayors of major cities Mayor of Detroit: Coleman Young Mayor of Grand Rapids: Lyman Parks Mayor of Warren, Michigan: Ted Bates Mayor of Sterling Heights, Michigan: Anthony Dobry Mayor of Flint: Paul Calvin Visser Mayor of Dearborn: Orville L. Hubbard Mayor of Lansing: Gerald W. Graves Mayor of Ann Arbor: James E. Stephenson (Republican) Mayor of Saginaw: William F. Nelson, Jr.
Federal office holders United States Senator from Michigan: Philip Hart (Democrat) United States Senator from Michigan: Robert P. Griffin (Republican) United States Representative, District 1: John Conyers (Democrat) United States Representative, District 2: Marvin L. Esch (Republican) United States Representative, District 3: Garry E. Brown (Republican) United States Representative, District 4: J. Edward Hutchinson (Republican) United States Representative, District 5: Richard Vander Veen (Democrat) United States Representative, District 6: Charles E. Chamberlain (Republican) United States Representative, District 7: Donald W. Riegle Jr. (Republican) United States Representative, District 8: R. James Harvey (Republican)/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: James G. O'Hara (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: Martha Griffiths (Democrat) United States Representative, District 18: Robert J. Huber (Republican) United States Representative, District 19: William Broomfield (Republican)
Population
Sports Baseball
1974 Detroit Tigers season – compiled a 72–90 record and finished in last place in the American League East; in his final season, Al Kaline became the 12th player to join the 3,000 hit club 1974 Michigan Wolverines baseball team - Under head coach Moby Benedict, the Wolverines compiled an 18–14–1 record. John Lonchar was the team captain.2012 Record Book, p. 13.
American football 1974 Detroit Lions season – compiled a 7–7 record and finished in second place in the NFC Central in their final season playing in Tiger Stadium; head coach Don McCafferty died before the season began and was replaced by Rick Forzano Detroit Wheels – compiled a 1–13 record in the World Football League before ceasing operations and cancelling the final six games 1974 Michigan Wolverines football team – compiled a 10–1 record, won the Big Ten co-championship, and was ranked No. 3 in the final AP Poll; cornerback Dave Brown was a consensus All-American 1974 Michigan State Spartans football team – compiled a 7–3–1 record and was ranked No. 12 in the final AP Poll 1974 Central Michigan Chippewas football team – compiled a 12–1 record and won the NCAA Division II Football Championship 1974 Eastern Michigan Hurons football team – compiled a 4–6–1 record 1974 Western Michigan Broncos football team – compiled a 3–8 record and finished last in the Mid-American Conference 1974 Wayne State Tartars football team – compiled a 7–3 record
Basketball
1973–74 Detroit Pistons season – compiled a 52–30 record and finished in third place in the Midwest Division of the NBA's Western Conference; Dave Bing led the team in minutes played and assists 1973–74 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team – compiled a 22–5 record, won the Big Ten co-championship, and advanced to the Elite Eight 1973–74 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team – compiled a 13–11 record and finished in fifth place in the Big Ten
Ice hockey 1973–74 Detroit Red Wings season – compiled a 29–39–10 record and finished in sixth place in the NHL East; Marcel Dionne led the team in points scored Great Lakes Invitational - Michigan Tech defeated Michigan, 3–2, in the championship game at Olympia Stadium in Detroit (December 29)
Motor sports Michigan 400 - Richard Petty won the race in front of 51,500 spectators at the Michigan International Speedway (June 16) Gar Wood Trophy Race - For the third consecutive year, the Miss Budweiser, piloted by rookie Howie Benns, won the unlimited hydrofoil race on the Detroit River (June 30)
Michigan 200 - Bobby Unser won the race in front of 46,180 spectators at Michigan International Speedway (July 21)
Other 1974 Virginia Slims of Detroit – Billie Jean King defeated Rosemary Casals in the singles; King and Casals defeated Françoise Dürr and Betty Stöve in the doubles (February 24) 1974 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships – The UTEP Miners won the team championship at Cobo Arena in Detroit (March 8-9) Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race - the "Dora IV", captained by Lynn Williams of Chicago, was the overall winner (July 22)
Music
February - Ted Nugent, a Redford native, released his Call of the Wild album February - Aretha Franklin, who was raised in Detroit, released her Let Me in Your Life album; it reached #1 on Billboard's R&B albums chart March - Bob Seger, a Detroit native, released his album Seven March - Grand Funk Railroad, from Flint, released its Shinin' On album; it peaked at #5 in the US and was certified gold, and its first single, a cover of The Loco-Motion was a #1 hit in the US March - Smokey Robinson, a Detroit native, released his Pure Smokey album March 30 - An Alice Cooper concert in São Paulo draws a crowd estimated at 100,000; days later, he drew a crowd of 120,000 in Rio April - The Four Tops, from Detroit, released their Meeting of the Minds album May - Diana Ross, a Detroit native, released her Live at Caesars Palace album
July - Stevie Wonder, a Saginaw native who was raised in Detroit, released his Fulfillingness' First Finale; the album reached #1 in the US and received the Grammy for Album of the Year; the song You Haven't Done Nothin' also topped the singles chart August - Alice Cooper, a Detroit native, released his Greatest Hits album, including a new remix of I'm Eighteen September - Ted Nugent released his Tooth Fang & Claw album September 27 - Stevie Wonder performed a concert at Olympia Stadium in Detroit; Mayor Young pronounced September 27 Stevie Wonder Day in Detroit and presented Wonder with a key to the city September 29 - Elvis Presley performed a concert before a crowd of 17,105 at Olympia Stadium in Detroit October 5 - Alice Cooper attended a party in Bloomfield Hills for the premiere of his film, "Good to See You Again, Alice Cooper". October 12 - Bachman Turner Overdrive played a sold-out concert at Cobo Arena in Detroit; warm up artist Bob Seger "knocked 'em out with 'Travelin' Man'" November 13-15 - Elton John performed three sold-out concerts at Olympia Stadium in Detroit December - Grand Funk Railroad released its All the Girls in the World Beware!!!
Companies The following is a list of major companies based in Michigan in 1974. Company1974Rank(1974 ranking based on 1973 performance)1975Rank(1975 ranking based on 1974 performance) Headquarters Core businessGeneral Motors12DetroitAutomobilesFord Motor Company33DearbornAutomobilesChrysler411Highland ParkAutomobilesDow Chemical Company3827MidlandChemicalsBendix Corporation6176SouthfieldAutomotive brakes, vacuum tubes, aeronautical hydraulics and electric power systems, avionics, fuel control systems, radios, televisions and computersAmerican Motors8893DetroitAutomobilesWhirlpool Corporation97122Benton HarborHome appliancesClark Equipment Company149148BuchananIndustrial and construction machinery and equipmentKellogg Co.197200Battle CreekCereal productsGerber Products Company461--FremontBaby foodBurroughs Corporation DetroitBusiness equipmentNational Bank of Detroit DetroitBankingDetroit Edison DetroitElectric utilityEx-Cell-O TroyEngine components, auto parts, machine toolsMasco TaylorHome improvement and construction productsS. S. Kresge Corporation TroyKmart and Kresge retail storesMonroe Auto Equipment Co. MonroeAuto partsUpjohn KalamazooPharmaceuticalSteelcase Grand RapidsOffice, educational, and health care furnitureConsumers Power JacksonNatural gas utilityMichigan National Corp. Bloomfield HillsBankingAmway AdaConsumer products, direct selling
Chronology of events
January January 1 – Detroit began the new year with five homicides on New Year's Day. January 2 – Coleman Young was sworn in as the first black mayor of Detroit and warned criminals to "hit the road". January 9 – State Senator Charles N. Youngblood, Jr. resigned his Michigan Senate seat following his conviction for bribe conspiracy.