Sports · 1887–1975Avery Brundagesports administrator, former athleteDetroit-born fifth president of the International Olympic Committee, the only American to hold the post, who led the Olympic movement from 1952 to 1972.DETROIT / A living lexicon / ¼
Famous Detroiters
People who were born here, moved here or built their careers in Detroit: musicians, carmakers, athletes, writers, inventors, civil-rights leaders and a few notorious names. With their dates, their Detroit story and the places where they lived, worked and played, closed ones included.
- 1,940 famous people
- 366 Detroit places
- 21 fields
Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
27 people
Clear filtersSports · 1887–1975Avery Brundagesports administrator, former athleteDetroit-born fifth president of the International Olympic Committee, the only American to hold the post, who led the Olympic movement from 1952 to 1972.
Sports · 1886–1961Ty Cobbbaseball player, center fielder, player-managerWidely regarded as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, Cobb played 22 of his 24 major-league seasons with the Detroit Tigers and served as the team's player-manager for his last six.
Auto industry · 1878–1941Louis Chevroletracing driver, engineer, co-founder of ChevroletSwiss-born racer who designed the first Chevrolet in a Detroit workshop in 1911 and later returned to the city's factories as a mechanic.
Sports · 1889–1972Ralph Craigtrack and field athlete, sprinterDetroit-born sprinter who won Olympic gold in both the 100 meters and 200 meters at the 1912 Stockholm Games, later carrying the American flag at the 1948 Olympics.
Sports · 1892–1969Walter Hagenprofessional golferFlamboyant winner of eleven major championships, "the father of professional golf", who became the first head professional at Oakland Hills and made Michigan his home.
Sports · 1894–1968Jack Adamsice hockey coach and general managerHall of Fame builder who spent 36 years running the Red Wings as coach and general manager, winning seven Stanley Cups and turning Detroit into an NHL powerhouse; the NHL's annual coach-of-the-year award bears his name.
Sports · 1872–1940Kid McCoyboxer, actorFlamboyant 1890s boxing champion, often linked to the phrase "the real McCoy", who spent his last years working for Ford and died in Detroit in 1940.
Sports · 1886–1983Jam HandyOlympic swimmer and water polo player, industrial filmmakerTwo-time Olympic bronze medalist who built the Jam Handy Organization in Detroit into one of America's largest producers of industrial and training films.
Sports · 1880–1968Sam Crawfordbaseball player, outfielderHall of Fame Tigers right fielder of 1903–1917, Ty Cobb's teammate and rival, who still holds the major-league record for career triples.
Sports · 1894–1951Harry Heilmannbaseball player, radio announcerFour-time batting champion for the Tigers who hit .403 in 1923, then became the team's beloved radio voice from 1934 to 1950.
Sports · 1893–1962Tommy Miltonracing driver, automotive engineerFirst driver to win the Indianapolis 500 twice (1921 and 1923), despite having sight in only one eye; he spent his later years in the Detroit area auto industry.
Sports · 1860–1922Sam Thompsonbaseball player, right fielderHall of Fame slugger of the 1887 champion Detroit Wolverines who later settled in Detroit, played briefly for the Tigers at 46 and is buried at Elmwood Cemetery.
Sports · 1869–1928Hughie Jenningsbaseball manager, former shortstopTigers manager from 1907 to 1920 who led Detroit to its first three American League pennants, famous for his "Ee-Yah!" cries from the coaching box.
Sports · 1880–1971Gar Woodpowerboat racer, inventor, industrialistDetroit inventor and boat builder who dominated powerboat racing on the Detroit River and became the first person to travel over 100 miles per hour on water.
Politics · 1869–1927George P. Coddlawyer, mayor of Detroit, judge, congressmanDetroit-born lawyer and former Michigan baseball captain who was mayor in 1905–1906, then a Wayne County circuit judge and congressman.
Sports · 1854–1927Charlie Bennettbaseball catcherStar catcher of the 1880s Detroit Wolverines who lost both legs in a train accident; the Tigers' first ballpark, Bennett Park, was named for him.
Sports · 1879–1952James E. Norrisbusinessman, Red Wings ownerGrain magnate who bought Detroit's bankrupt NHL club and the Olympia in 1932, renamed the team the Red Wings and presided over five Stanley Cups.
Sports · 1882–1951Pete Hillbaseball player and managerHall of Fame outfielder chosen by Rube Foster as the first player-manager of the Detroit Stars when the club was founded in 1919.
Sports · 1898–1941Andy Cooperbaseball pitcher and managerHall of Fame left-hander who pitched nine seasons for the Negro-league Detroit Stars; one historian called him the greatest pitcher ever to play for a Detroit team.
Sports · 1871–1935Frank Navinpresident and owner of the Detroit TigersInsurance bookkeeper who became the Tigers' president for 27 years, signed Ty Cobb and built Navin Field at Michigan and Trumbull.
Politics · 1842–1904William G. Thompsonlawyer, Union officer, mayor of Detroit, baseball club founderCivil War veteran and lawyer who was mayor of Detroit from 1880 to 1883 and founded the Detroit Wolverines, the city's first major-league baseball team, in 1881.
Sports · 1885–1941Bruce Petwaybaseball catcher and managerStrong-armed Negro-league catcher who played for and managed the Detroit Stars from 1919 to 1925 and scouted Turkey Stearnes for them.
Business & brands · 1854–1924Frederick K. Stearnspharmaceutical manufacturer, owner of the Detroit Wolverines, DSO founderPresident of Detroit's Frederick Stearns & Company who owned the 1887 champion Detroit Wolverines and organized what became the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.The lexicon keeps growing. Every entry lists its sources at the bottom. Dates were checked against Wikidata and Wikipedia. The texts are our own. Famous people's places among the sights ↗