During the 1935-36 sports season, the Detroit Tigers won their first World Series, the Detroit Red Wings won their first NHL championship and the Detroit Lions won their first NFL championship. In 1936, Frank Fitzgerald, Governor of Michigan, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed April 18 “Champions Day” to celebrate the athletic achievements of Detroit’s sports teams and other hometown athletes. In 2012, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing rededicated April 18 as Champions Day at the Detroit Historical Museum and presented the Detroit Historical Society with a new proclamation.
Celebrate this year’s Champions Day on Monday, April 18 at the Detroit Historical Museum from 6 – 8:30 p.m. Visit the Allesee Gallery of Culture to view the original City of Champions plaque as well as other artifacts from Detroit athletes of the 1930s. Charles Avison, author of Detroit: City of Champions, will speak about the history and significance of the day at 7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public!
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The Detroit Historical Museum, located at 5401 Woodward Ave. (NW corner of Kirby) in Midtown Detroit, is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free for all, all the time. Parking in the Museum’s lot is $7 at all times. Group tour pricing and information is available by calling 313.833.7979. Permanent exhibits include the famous Streets of Old Detroit, the Allesee Gallery of Culture, Kid Rock Music Lab, Doorway to Freedom: Detroit and the Underground Railroad, Detroit: The “Arsenal of Democracy,” the Gallery of Innovation, Frontiers to Factories, America’s Motor City, and The Glancy Trains. For more information, call the Museum at 313.833.1805 or check out our website at detroithistorical.org.
