Mackenzie High School (Michigan)
Encyclopedia
Mackenzie High School was a public secondary education facility in Detroit, Michigan
.
High School was named to honor the innovative educator who had served as principal of Central High School
, and as first dean of the city college that would become Wayne State University
. A native of Detroit, David Mackenzie was born in 1860; he died in 1926.
Mackenzie High School was among the first schools constructed on land acquired through Detroit's westernmost annexation efforts in Greenfield Township
; by 1926 the township had ceased to exist. Adorned in blue and yellow tile from the Pewabic Pottery
Works, the three-story facility opened in September 1928. In an effort to make efficient use of available classrooms, the school's early history featured a full range of grade levels – elementary through secondary.
In addition to a rigorous academic regimen, Mackenzie students enjoyed a diverse offering of extracurricular activities that included speech and debate, Reserve Officer Training Corps, swimming and diving, indoor track and field, archery, badminton, speed skating and ice hockey. An amusing article appeared in the January 1930 edition of The DIAL (Mackenzie's monthly news and entertainment magazine); the author admonished a few of the lower-elementary boys for throwing rocks into the school's outdoor ice rink. Over the next quarter century, throughout the Great Depression
and a booming World War II
-era economy to follow, Mackenzie High School grew in-step with a thriving and vital Detroit.
.
Inevitably, the post-war economy cooled; Detroit's automobile production slowed, and relatively inexpensive suburban housing developments became abundant. In a densely populated city of 1.8 million, Detroiters would once again look for greener pastures; by the early 1950s, Detroit's population was in decline.
The 1950s and 60s also marked a time of enormous social change. Thanks in-part to favorable Supreme Court
decisions and subsequent federal fair housing
legislation, Detroit's black citizenry was no longer restricted to the lower east side and near west end. Urban renewal and freeway construction resulted in the demolition of Detroit's black ghettos; formerly all-white neighborhoods, including those surrounding Mackenzie, entered a period of rapid integration
. An aura of cautious hope was tempered by resistance, antipathy and outright lawlessness.
In the years that followed Detroit's deadly 1943 race riot, neighborhood association
s had organized for the purpose of challenging home ownership rights of black families; while Board of Education policies provided discriminatory options for white students. Furthermore, a sense of mistrust and uneasiness had taken root following the January 1954 post-game stabbing of a Mackenzie basketball player at Central High; the near-fatal attack led to an immediate Board of Education ban on nighttime athletic events for Detroit public schools.
Yet, during the early 1960s, there was positive change taking place in Detroit. Mayor, Jerome P. Cavanagh encouraged citizens to embrace a bold new era; the national media referred to Detroit as a "model city" of intercultural harmony. America's love affair with the muscle car
resulted in an auto industry upswing, and the city was accorded global recognition for its "Motown" musical influence. In June 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and 125,000 Detroiters - of all colors - embarked on a Walk to Freedom down Woodward Avenue.
Despite the upbeat mood, a steady decline in Detroit's population had gained noticeable momentum by the mid-1960s; currents of social change had also grown increasingly turbulent. By the late 1960s, much of the United States was rife with social and political unrest; emotionally charged issues and incidents sparked civil disturbances in dozens of communities nationwide. In Detroit, downscaled production and subsequent layoffs in the automotive industry only made matters worse.
In July 1967, a police raid at an illegal drinking establishment escalated to five nights of deadly rioting on Detroit's lower west side; less than nine months later, smoldering anger reignited. On April 5, 1968 - the day that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - random violence gripped several Detroit schools. Beyond 1968 and into the early 1970s, increasingly chaotic disturbances became commonplace. At Mackenzie, Mumford
and Cooley High School
, sit-ins, walkouts and physical assaults spilled from classrooms to hallways, and onto the streets. Carloads of youthful agitator
s were frequently observed at Cody
, Redford
, Henry Ford
, and suburban Oak Park High School
; teachers, administrators and Board officials were overwhelmed.
By 1970, an accelerated outflow of white students was evident at Mackenzie, Cooley and Mumford; hundreds had transferred to Cody, Redford, Henry Ford, Lutheran-West/Rosary, Catholic Central
, and Cass Technical High School
. On a larger scale, thousands of families relocated to neighborhoods further west; thousands more left Detroit altogether for the northwestern Wayne County
communities of Livonia
, Westland
and Redford Township
. A similar outward migration of white families had taken place throughout the eastside neighborhoods of Detroit. In 1972, a Federal District Court-ordered (and subsequently delayed) program of public school busing evoked further resentment, while hastening the erosion of Detroit's multicultural fabric and tax base.
team championship in girls' track and field, and a 1979 MHSAA title in boys' basketball. Between 1970 and 1990, Mackenzie's football program earned national sports media attention by producing seven individuals who progressed to the National Football League
; three of those athletes - Pepper Johnson
, Gilbert Brown
and Jerome Bettis
- earned Super Bowl
championship rings.
Yet, by 1980, Mackenzie High School's enrollment had fallen below 2600 students, about half the figure reported for 1952. Meanwhile, between 1950 and 1980, Detroit's population fell from 1.85 to 1.2 million—a 35% loss in citizenry. The ravaging effect of spiraling economic decline continues to plague many of our nation's older urban
areas, Detroit has not been spared. Entire neighborhoods languish in ruin; acre upon acre of vacant land currently support herds of whitetail deer and populations of wild pheasant
.
In 2007, fewer than 1100 students attended Mackenzie on a regular basis. During an April 2007 meeting, the Detroit Board of Education announced that -due to budget constraints and declining enrollment- David Mackenzie High School would not open its doors for the 2007–2008 school year. In November 2010, Detroit Free Press
reporter Chastity Pratt-Dawsey wrote:
Detroit's official September 29 student count was 73,460; the district had about 84,000 students last school year. In what has been called the worst enrollment crisis in the nation, Detroit has lost more than 100,000 students since 1999.
Critically acclaimed professional actor, and 1951 graduate, Tom Skerritt
speaks fondly of the time spent crafting his skills at Mackenzie. Skerritt made his network television debut in 1959, appearing in the CBS
series Gunsmoke
; Tom also appeared in the 1960s ABC television series Combat!. Skerritt's cinematic credits include M*A*S*H
(1970); Harold and Maude
(1971); Ice Castles
(1978); Alien
(1979); SpaceCamp
(1986); Top Gun
(1986); Steel Magnolias
(1989), A River Runs Through It
(1992); Contact
(1997), and Bonneville
(2006). Tom also starred in the 1990s CBS television series, Picket Fences
.
Stanley Mouse
(Miller) attended Mackenzie for two years before a mischievous prank resulted in his expulsion. Mouse Miller is a noteworthy artist
, best known for creating the late 1950s "monster hot rod" art form (subsequently popularized by Ed Roth
and his commercially successful line of Rat Fink
merchandise). Mouse also designed psychedelic
rock concert posters and album cover art. During the mid-1960s, through his Mouse Studios, Miller and associates were commissioned by music promoter Bill Graham
to create many of the classic posters for the Avalon Ballroom and Fillmore Auditorium
. In 1971, along with artist Alton Kelley, Stanley Miller incorporated Mouse Studios with the Monster Company—first to create t-shirts using four-color process printing. Mouse Studios also produced album cover art for rock bands Journey
and Grateful Dead
.
As a member of the Funk Brothers studio band, 1959 Mackenzie graduate Dennis Coffey
played on dozens of recordings for Motown Records
. Coffey introduced the wah-wah guitar sound to Motown producer Norman Whitfield
's recordings; the most notable of which is Cloud Nine
by The Temptations
. Coffey also played on Edwin Starr
's "S.O.S.", The Isley Brothers
' "It's Your Thing", and Freda Payne
's "Band of Gold". In 1971, Coffey recorded "Scorpio", a million-selling instrumental single that peaked at #6 on the Billboard
pop chart. “Scorpio” earned Coffey and the Funk Brothers a golden disc from the Recording Industry Association of America
.
In 1971, basketball coach Carl Andrews led the Stags to their first Michigan High School Athletic Association regional championship title. That same season, Mackenzie advanced to the Public School League finals and The Detroit News
named Andrews as Public School League Coach of the Year.
Ernie Charboneau, longtime physical education instructor and athletic coach at Mackenzie, was a competitive boxer for Michigan State University
; Charboneau won the 1948 National Collegiate Athletic Association
flyweight
(112-pound) championship.
Bob Dozier
was a renowned educator and football coach at Mackenzie High School; his 33-year career spanned five decades (1969–2002). Six of Coach Dozier's athletes would eventually perform in the NFL; three of them played on Super Bowl
championship teams.
In his early years of coaching at Mackenzie, Dozier teamed with Wayne State University Hall of Fame fullback Elbert Richmond. Prior to Dozier's arrival, during the teacher strike-shortened 1967 season, Richmond's Mackenzie football team went 5-0; the Stag defensive squad did not yield a single point. From 1969 to 1978, the coaching tandem of Elbert Richmond and Bob Dozier compiled an impressive record of 63–20 (.759), including an undefeated season in 1969.
One of Richmond's defensive backs, Richard Byas Jr., went on to a rewarding career with the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. Elbert Richmond also enjoyed a long and successful career as the baseball and varsity basketball coach at Mackenzie; his 1978-79 squad won the MHSAA
basketball title. In 1998, Richmond was honored with induction to the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Hall of Fame.
At a time when the Detroit Metropolitan League and MHSAA did not sponsor championship events for female athletes, the 1939 Mackenzie field hockey team finished their season undefeated and untied. Seniors Betty Yakel, Jeanne Chambers, Betty Wine, Mary Lou Palmer, team captain Ella Heatlie and goalie Helen Geoffrion paced the Stagettes to a perfect 6-0 record.
Mackenzie's basketball team completed the 1943-44 season with an unblemished record of 20–0. Playing to a capacity crowd at Central High School, Coach Herb Spathelf and his Stags defeated Northwestern High School
to claim the City League championship trophy. Seniors Dick Hall, Ted Krzeminski and Tino Sabuco were honored with selection to the All-Metropolitan Squad by the Detroit News.
1944 was a very special year at Mackenzie High School; in addition to earning top basketball honors, Coach Richard Frankowski and All-Metropolitan offensive back Tino Sabuco led the Stag football team to a perfect 9-0 record. As Metropolitan League champions, Mackenzie capped its storybook '44 season with a 3-0 Goodfellows Game victory over Catholic League champion, Holy Redeemer High School. Fittingly, Michigan sportswriters rewarded Mackenzie High School with the title of consensus State Champions. Tino Sabuco would go on to play collegiate football at Wayne State University and the University of San Francisco
; Sabuco also performed as a professional, with the San Francisco 49ers
.
Throughout 1946, Mackenzie's Alex Foley was the best high jumper and pole vaulter in Michigan; Foley won city championships in both events.
Following the 1948 basketball season, Arnold Domke was named to the Detroit Free Press
All-City and All-State team; earlier that year, Domke set a city league single-game record with 43 points in a February 3 contest versus Central - Domke's record remained on the books for six seasons.
In the spring of 1952, senior track captain John Mackenzie won the city league 880-yard title in 1:59.0; John's time was the best by a Michigan schoolboy in 1952, and it was five seconds better than the MHSAA champion. For his efforts, John was named Michigan High School Track and Field Athlete of the Year. John would later run cross-country and track at Western Michigan University; in 1969, he coached Redford Union High School
to the MHSAA track and field team title. The Stag track and field team was once again in the spotlight during the 1954 season, when the varsity four-mile relay squad set an American interscholastic record of 18:56.8
For Mackenzie's swimming and diving program, 1956 was a memorable year.
In February, Richard Boka, Howard Scarborough, John C. Smith and Tony Tashnick
led the Stags to a city championship - sealing victory during the final event. Because the Detroit public school league had not yet returned to MHSAA competition, Scarborough, Smith and Tashnick never swam for a state title; however, in the summer of 1956, all three competed at the United States Olympic Trials. 1956 also marked the first time that an athlete from Mackenzie would compete in the Olympic Games
. Diver Barbara Sue Gilders
, the Olympic Trials silver medalist, placed fourth in the three-meter final at the Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.
Beyond their years at Mackenzie, Howard Scarborough and John C. Smith were successful collegiate swimmers. In 1958, Scarborough won two Mid-American Conference titles for Bowling Green State University
. In addition to placing fourth in the 100-meter backstroke at the 1956 US Olympic Trials, John C. Smith earned All-American honors in 1958 and 1959 at the University of Michigan
. Meanwhile, Barb Gilders won a bronze medal at the 1959 Pan American Games
; she was also the 1959 and 1960 (indoor) US Open champion.
By the late-1950s, Tony Tashnick had established himself as one of the best all-around swimmers in the United States; setting US Open records in the 100 and 200-yard butterfly, and 200-yard individual medley. Swimming for the University of Michigan, Tony won NCAA titles in the 100 and 200-yard butterfly; Tashnick also swam the 200-meter butterfly at the 1959 Pan American Games and 1960 US Olympic Trials. Tony finished third at the Trials, narrowly missing a trip to the Olympic Games in Rome, Italy.
Rightfully on this list of nationally recognized swimmers is 1958 Mackenzie graduate Gary LaPrise. Representing Bowling Green State University, Gary was a three-time (1960–62) Mid-American Conference
champion in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle; he was also named to the NCAA All-America team in 1960 and 1962. LaPrise was honored with induction to the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1970.
With Detroit's return to MHSAA
competition in 1961, it didn't take long for the Stags to make their presence known. In March 1963, junior Ron Boyd became Mackenzie's first -and only- male athlete to compete in the state swimming and diving championships; Boyd took part in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle. In June 1963, Dennis Lugar, Cotrell Poole, Duane Varner, and Charles Poindexter took top honors in the one-mile relay. In 1967, Charles Robinson was state champion in both the 100 and 220-yard dash. Two years later, at the 1969 MHSAA Finals, the team of Carlos Woods, John Ware, Darryl Arnold and, 100-yard state champion, Ken James struck gold for Mackenzie in the 880-yard relay.
) the Stags battled through successive rounds of MHSAA competition - all the way to the quarterfinals. Mackenzie once again faced Kettering, losing a hard-fought contest by the score of 60-57.
In the spring of 1971, versatile John Ross set a MHSAA Finals record on his way to winning the long jump title; Ross became the school's first field event state champion in forty-one years. Then, in 1972, the 880-yard relay team of Andre Payne, Ron Duncan, Ed Glass, and Gary Quick won what would turn out to be the last state championship in a men's track and field event for Mackenzie High School.
In June 1975, Mike Brown, Carlos Armstrong, Jeff Moore, Wayne Robinson and Coach Ron Thompson led the Stag baseball team to a City League title, with a victory over Western High School
at Butzel Field.
In 1978 (Mackenzie High's 50th anniversary), Alfreda Bronson, Lela Fitten, Myra Jones, Melanie Tillman, and Kimberly Watts joined Carman Rivers, Delisa Walton
and Coach Barb Halinski to win the MHSAA Girls' Track and Field championship - the school's first state title in any sport.
Side note: Delisa Walton enjoyed an impressive athletic career at the University of Tennessee
; for several years to follow (as Delisa Walton-Floyd) she was one of America's best runners at 800 meters. In 1988, Delisa Walton-Floyd became Mackenzie's second Olympian; placing fifth in the 800 at the 1988 Summer Olympics
.
In March 1979, at the MHSAA Basketball Finals, Steve Caldwell led all scorers with 28 points during Mackenzie's 72–64 victory over Pontiac Central
. In less than a year, Mackenzie High School had earned two state championship trophies.
At the 1979 MHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships, sisters Allison and Kathy Merriweather made history; becoming the first female athletes from the public school league to compete in a state meet final. Allison placed eighth in the 200, and 500-yard freestyle; Kathy, a sophomore, finished sixth in the 100-yard butterfly. To this day, Mackenzie's Merriweather sisters are the only DPSSAL swimmers to earn a lane in the finals at the girls' state championships.
Five years following Mackenzie's state championship season, another chapter was added to Stag basketball history; when Duane Marcellis, Derrick Richmond, Mario Person, and Doug Blanchard paced Mackenzie to the 1984 DPSSAL basketball crown; the school's first since the 1944 season.
In June 1984, pitcher Larry Simmons led Mackenzie to Tiger Stadium, for the DPSSAL championship baseball game versus Northwestern High; in the final, Simmons threw a 5–0 shutout. The Stags went on to play Catholic League champion Dearborn-Divine Child
, in the Operation Friendship Game.
Although the school's football program produced several players who enjoyed rewarding careers in the NFL, Mackenzie's win-loss record dipped during much of the 1980s and 90s. A shift occurred between 2002 and 2006, when the football team posted a overall record of 33–19. In 2003, Mackenzie went 9–3 during a campaign that ended with a one-point loss to Novi High School
, in the third-round of MHSAA tournament play.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
The early years: 1928–1940s
Located on Detroit's west side, David MackenzieDavid L. Mackenzie
David Mackenzie was a noteworthy Michigan educator and administrator. Mackenzie was born in Detroit on May 28, 1860; he attended Capitol High School and the University of Michigan.-Biography:...
High School was named to honor the innovative educator who had served as principal of Central High School
Central High School (Detroit, Michigan)
Central High School is the oldest secondary school in Detroit, Michigan; it is staffed and operated by the Detroit Public Schools.-History:In 1858, Detroit's first high school opened on Miami Avenue. By 1863, due to increased enrollment, the school was moved to a building that had formerly housed...
, and as first dean of the city college that would become Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
. A native of Detroit, David Mackenzie was born in 1860; he died in 1926.
Mackenzie High School was among the first schools constructed on land acquired through Detroit's westernmost annexation efforts in Greenfield Township
Greenfield Township, Michigan
Greenfield is a former civil township of Wayne County, Michigan; it was created from a portion of neighboring Springwells Township in 1833. Greenfield eventually encompassed the survey township T1S R11E....
; by 1926 the township had ceased to exist. Adorned in blue and yellow tile from the Pewabic Pottery
Pewabic Pottery
Pewabic Pottery is a studio and school located in Detroit, Michigan and founded in 1903. The studio is known for its iridescent glazes, some of which grace notable buildings such as the Shedd Aquarium and Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Pewabic Pottery is on display...
Works, the three-story facility opened in September 1928. In an effort to make efficient use of available classrooms, the school's early history featured a full range of grade levels – elementary through secondary.
In addition to a rigorous academic regimen, Mackenzie students enjoyed a diverse offering of extracurricular activities that included speech and debate, Reserve Officer Training Corps, swimming and diving, indoor track and field, archery, badminton, speed skating and ice hockey. An amusing article appeared in the January 1930 edition of The DIAL (Mackenzie's monthly news and entertainment magazine); the author admonished a few of the lower-elementary boys for throwing rocks into the school's outdoor ice rink. Over the next quarter century, throughout the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and a booming World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
-era economy to follow, Mackenzie High School grew in-step with a thriving and vital Detroit.
Detroit's West Side and Mackenzie: 1950s–1960s
Nearly five thousand students attended Mackenzie in 1950, making it one of the largest public schools in the state of MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Inevitably, the post-war economy cooled; Detroit's automobile production slowed, and relatively inexpensive suburban housing developments became abundant. In a densely populated city of 1.8 million, Detroiters would once again look for greener pastures; by the early 1950s, Detroit's population was in decline.
The 1950s and 60s also marked a time of enormous social change. Thanks in-part to favorable Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
decisions and subsequent federal fair housing
Fair housing
In the United States, the fair housing policies date largely from the 1960s. Originally, the terms fair housing and open housing came from a political movement of the time to outlaw discrimination in the rental or purchase of homes and a broad range of other housing-related transactions, such as...
legislation, Detroit's black citizenry was no longer restricted to the lower east side and near west end. Urban renewal and freeway construction resulted in the demolition of Detroit's black ghettos; formerly all-white neighborhoods, including those surrounding Mackenzie, entered a period of rapid integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
. An aura of cautious hope was tempered by resistance, antipathy and outright lawlessness.
In the years that followed Detroit's deadly 1943 race riot, neighborhood association
Neighborhood association
A neighborhood association is a group of residents or property owners who advocate for or organize activities within a neighborhood. An association may have elected leaders and voluntary dues....
s had organized for the purpose of challenging home ownership rights of black families; while Board of Education policies provided discriminatory options for white students. Furthermore, a sense of mistrust and uneasiness had taken root following the January 1954 post-game stabbing of a Mackenzie basketball player at Central High; the near-fatal attack led to an immediate Board of Education ban on nighttime athletic events for Detroit public schools.
Yet, during the early 1960s, there was positive change taking place in Detroit. Mayor, Jerome P. Cavanagh encouraged citizens to embrace a bold new era; the national media referred to Detroit as a "model city" of intercultural harmony. America's love affair with the muscle car
Muscle car
Muscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high-performance automobiles. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines muscle cars as "any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." Usually, a large V8 engine is fitted in a...
resulted in an auto industry upswing, and the city was accorded global recognition for its "Motown" musical influence. In June 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and 125,000 Detroiters - of all colors - embarked on a Walk to Freedom down Woodward Avenue.
Despite the upbeat mood, a steady decline in Detroit's population had gained noticeable momentum by the mid-1960s; currents of social change had also grown increasingly turbulent. By the late 1960s, much of the United States was rife with social and political unrest; emotionally charged issues and incidents sparked civil disturbances in dozens of communities nationwide. In Detroit, downscaled production and subsequent layoffs in the automotive industry only made matters worse.
In July 1967, a police raid at an illegal drinking establishment escalated to five nights of deadly rioting on Detroit's lower west side; less than nine months later, smoldering anger reignited. On April 5, 1968 - the day that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - random violence gripped several Detroit schools. Beyond 1968 and into the early 1970s, increasingly chaotic disturbances became commonplace. At Mackenzie, Mumford
Mumford High School (Michigan)
Located on Detroit's near-northwest side, Samuel C. Mumford High School is operated by the Detroit Board of Education; the school's namesake served twenty-two years on the Board and was a former president of the organization...
and Cooley High School
Cooley High School
Thomas M. Cooley High School is located at the intersection of Hubbell Avenue and Chalfonte Street, on the northwest side of Detroit, Michigan. The three-story, Mediterranean Revival-style facility opened its doors on September 4, 1928....
, sit-ins, walkouts and physical assaults spilled from classrooms to hallways, and onto the streets. Carloads of youthful agitator
Agitator
An agitator is a person who actively supports some ideology or movement with speeches and especially actions. The Agitators were a political movement as well as elected representatives of soldiers, including the New Model Army of Oliver Cromwell, during the English Civil War. They were also known...
s were frequently observed at Cody
Frank Cody High School
Named to honor the former Superintendent of Detroit Public Schools; Frank Cody High School was dedicated in 1955.Cody serves Brightmoor, the Rosedale Park Historic District and a section of Old Redford...
, Redford
Redford High School
Redford High School was a secondary educational facility in Detroit, Michigan. The school opened in 1924 and ceased operations in June 2007. Staffed and operated by the Detroit Public Schools; Redford High School served the sub-communities of Old Redford, Grandmont, Rosedale Park and...
, Henry Ford
Ford High School (Detroit, Michigan)
Henry Ford High School is located at 20000 Evergreen Road, on the northwest side of Detroit, Michigan; the facility is staffed and operated by Detroit Public Schools. Ford High opened its doors on September 5, 1957; it was constructed to accommodate an overflow of students from nearby Cooley,...
, and suburban Oak Park High School
Oak Park High School (Michigan)
Oak Park High School is a public high school located in Oak Park, Michigan an inner suburb of Detroit. The school is part of the Oak Park School district...
; teachers, administrators and Board officials were overwhelmed.
By 1970, an accelerated outflow of white students was evident at Mackenzie, Cooley and Mumford; hundreds had transferred to Cody, Redford, Henry Ford, Lutheran-West/Rosary, Catholic Central
Detroit Catholic Central High School
Detroit Catholic Central High School is a private, Catholic, all-male, college preparatory high school in Novi, Michigan. Founded in 1928 in Detroit, Michigan by the Archdiocese of Detroit, the school is operated by the Congregation of St. Basil...
, and Cass Technical High School
Cass Technical High School
The Cass Tech Technicians football team is a high school football program in Division 1 Public School League, representing the prestigious Cass Technical High School in Detroit, MI. Cass Tech High School has long been recognized nationwide for its extraordinary football program dating back to its...
. On a larger scale, thousands of families relocated to neighborhoods further west; thousands more left Detroit altogether for the northwestern Wayne County
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
communities of Livonia
Livonia, Michigan
Livonia is a city in the northwest part of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Livonia is a very large suburb with an array of traditional neighborhoods connected to the metropolitan area by freeways. The population was 96,942 at the 2010 census, making it Michigan's 9th largest...
, Westland
Westland, Michigan
Westland is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located about west of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,094.-Politics:...
and Redford Township
Redford Township, Michigan
The U.S. Census Bureau also defined Redford Township as a census-designated place in the 2000 Census so that the community would appear on the list of places as well on the list of county subdivisions...
. A similar outward migration of white families had taken place throughout the eastside neighborhoods of Detroit. In 1972, a Federal District Court-ordered (and subsequently delayed) program of public school busing evoked further resentment, while hastening the erosion of Detroit's multicultural fabric and tax base.
Resurgence and finality: 1970s–2007
As Detroit's population declined, the public schools suffered successive rounds of budget cuts and staff reductions; nevertheless, thanks largely to athletic accomplishments, Mackenzie High School experienced a renaissance in school pride. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Mackenzie student-athletes captured numerous state titles in the sport of track and field. Those noteworthy individual accomplishments were followed by a 1978 Michigan High School Athletic AssociationMichigan High School Athletic Association
-About:The Michigan High School Athletic Association is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing...
team championship in girls' track and field, and a 1979 MHSAA title in boys' basketball. Between 1970 and 1990, Mackenzie's football program earned national sports media attention by producing seven individuals who progressed to the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
; three of those athletes - Pepper Johnson
Pepper Johnson
Thomas "Pepper" Johnson is a former American football linebacker, and the current defensive line coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League.-College:...
, Gilbert Brown
Gilbert Brown
Gilbert Jesse Brown, is a former nose tackle who played for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . Brown played 125 Packers games recording 292 tackles and seven sacks. Nicknamed "The Gravedigger," in honor of his celebratory dance following a thunderous tackle, Brown played in...
and Jerome Bettis
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Abram "The Bus" Bettis is a retired American football halfback who played for the NFL's Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. Bettis is considered one of the best big backs ever because his footwork and power, and is currently fifth on the National Football League's all-time...
- earned Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
championship rings.
Yet, by 1980, Mackenzie High School's enrollment had fallen below 2600 students, about half the figure reported for 1952. Meanwhile, between 1950 and 1980, Detroit's population fell from 1.85 to 1.2 million—a 35% loss in citizenry. The ravaging effect of spiraling economic decline continues to plague many of our nation's older urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
areas, Detroit has not been spared. Entire neighborhoods languish in ruin; acre upon acre of vacant land currently support herds of whitetail deer and populations of wild pheasant
Pheasant
Pheasants refer to some members of the Phasianinae subfamily of Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Males are usually larger than females and have...
.
In 2007, fewer than 1100 students attended Mackenzie on a regular basis. During an April 2007 meeting, the Detroit Board of Education announced that -due to budget constraints and declining enrollment- David Mackenzie High School would not open its doors for the 2007–2008 school year. In November 2010, Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
reporter Chastity Pratt-Dawsey wrote:
Detroit's official September 29 student count was 73,460; the district had about 84,000 students last school year. In what has been called the worst enrollment crisis in the nation, Detroit has lost more than 100,000 students since 1999.
Contributors to the Mackenzie Mystique
Few professional educators have matched the record of Mr. A. Rex Carletti; the guidance counselor, baseball coach and National Honor Society sponsor who served Mackenzie students from 1932 until 1974. Eight US Presidents, eleven Michigan Governors and ten Mayors of Detroit would come and go during Mr. Carletti's forty-two year career.Critically acclaimed professional actor, and 1951 graduate, Tom Skerritt
Tom Skerritt
Thomas Roy "Tom" Skerritt is an American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes since 1962.-Early life:...
speaks fondly of the time spent crafting his skills at Mackenzie. Skerritt made his network television debut in 1959, appearing in the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
series Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
; Tom also appeared in the 1960s ABC television series Combat!. Skerritt's cinematic credits include M*A*S*H
MASH (film)
MASH is a 1970 American satirical dark comedy film directed by Robert Altman and written by Ring Lardner, Jr., based on Richard Hooker's novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors. It is the only feature film in the M*A*S*H franchise...
(1970); Harold and Maude
Harold and Maude
Harold and Maude is a 1971 American dark comedy film directed by Hal Ashby and released by Paramount Pictures. It incorporates elements of dark humor and existentialist drama, with a plot that revolves around the exploits of a young man intrigued with death, Harold...
(1971); Ice Castles
Ice Castles
Ice Castles is a 1978 American romantic drama, starring Lynn-Holly Johnson and Robby Benson.It is the story of Alexis, a young figure skater, and her rise and fall from super stardom. Tragedy strikes when, following a freak accident, Lexie loses her sight, leaving her to hide away in the privacy of...
(1978); Alien
Alien (film)
Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
(1979); SpaceCamp
SpaceCamp
SpaceCamp is a 1986 American film based on a book by Patrick Bailey and Larry B. Williams and inspired by the U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. Directed by Harry Winer from a screenplay by Clifford Green and Casey T. Mitchell, the film stars Kate Capshaw, Kelly Preston, Larry B...
(1986); Top Gun
Top Gun
Top Gun may refer to:* Top Gun is a 1986 film starring Tom Cruise.**Top Gun , soundtrack to the movie**Top Gun , a number of games based on the movie...
(1986); Steel Magnolias
Steel Magnolias
Steel Magnolias is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross that stars Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah and Julia Roberts....
(1989), A River Runs Through It
A River Runs Through It (film)
A River Runs Through It is an Academy Award winning 1992 American film directed by Robert Redford and starring Brad Pitt, Craig Sheffer, Tom Skerritt, Brenda Blethyn, and Emily Lloyd...
(1992); Contact
Contact (film)
Contact is a 1997 American science fiction drama film adapted from the Carl Sagan novel of the same name and directed by Robert Zemeckis. Both Sagan and wife Ann Druyan wrote the story outline for the film adaptation of Contact....
(1997), and Bonneville
Bonneville (film)
Bonneville is a 2006 American dramedy film directed by Christopher N. Rowley. The screenplay by Daniel D. Davis is based on a story by Davis and Rowley.-Plot:...
(2006). Tom also starred in the 1990s CBS television series, Picket Fences
Picket Fences
Picket Fences is a 60-minute American television drama about the residents of the fictional town of Rome, Wisconsin, created and produced by David E. Kelley. The show initially ran from September 18, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on the CBS television network in the United States...
.
Stanley Mouse
Stanley Mouse
Stanley George Miller , better known as Mouse and Stanley Mouse, is an American artist, notable for his 1960s psychedelic rock concert poster designs and Grateful Dead album cover art.-Early life:...
(Miller) attended Mackenzie for two years before a mischievous prank resulted in his expulsion. Mouse Miller is a noteworthy artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, best known for creating the late 1950s "monster hot rod" art form (subsequently popularized by Ed Roth
Ed Roth
"Big Daddy" Ed Roth was an artist, cartoonist, custom car painter, and pinstriper who created the hot-rod icon Rat Fink and other extreme characters. As a custom car builder, Roth was a key figure in Southern California's Kustom Kulture and hot-rod movement of the late 50's and 1960's...
and his commercially successful line of Rat Fink
Rat Fink
Rat Fink is one of the several hot-rod characters created by one of the originators of Kustom Kulture, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. Roth conceived Rat Fink as an anti-hero answer to Mickey Mouse...
merchandise). Mouse also designed psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
rock concert posters and album cover art. During the mid-1960s, through his Mouse Studios, Miller and associates were commissioned by music promoter Bill Graham
Bill Graham
William Carvel "Bill" Graham, PC QC is a former Canadian politician, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of National Defence, and Leader of the Opposition and interim Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.-Personal life:...
to create many of the classic posters for the Avalon Ballroom and Fillmore Auditorium
The Fillmore
The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
. In 1971, along with artist Alton Kelley, Stanley Miller incorporated Mouse Studios with the Monster Company—first to create t-shirts using four-color process printing. Mouse Studios also produced album cover art for rock bands Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
and Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
.
As a member of the Funk Brothers studio band, 1959 Mackenzie graduate Dennis Coffey
Dennis Coffey
Dennis Coffey is an American guitarist. He was a studio musician for many soul and R&B recordings.-Biography:Coffey learned to play guitar at the age of thirteen, in the Michigan Upper Peninsula town of Copper City...
played on dozens of recordings for Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
. Coffey introduced the wah-wah guitar sound to Motown producer Norman Whitfield
Norman Whitfield
Norman Jesse Whitfield was an American songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Berry Gordy's Motown label during the 1960s...
's recordings; the most notable of which is Cloud Nine
Cloud Nine (The Temptations song)
"Cloud Nine" is a 1968 hit single recorded by The Temptations for the Motown label. It was the first of their singles to feature Dennis Edwards instead of David Ruffin in the lineup, was the first of producer Norman Whitfield's psychedelic soul tracks, and won Motown its first Grammy Award...
by The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
. Coffey also played on Edwin Starr
Edwin Starr
Edwin Starr was an American soul music singer. Starr is most famous for his Norman Whitfield produced singles of the 1970s, most notably the number one hit "War".-Biography:...
's "S.O.S.", The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
' "It's Your Thing", and Freda Payne
Freda Payne
Freda Charcilia Payne Some sources give a birth year of 1945, but this appears to be an error as all sources agree that she is older than her sister Scherrie, born 1944. is an American singer and actress best known for her million selling, 1970 hit single, "Band of Gold". She was also an actress in...
's "Band of Gold". In 1971, Coffey recorded "Scorpio", a million-selling instrumental single that peaked at #6 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
pop chart. “Scorpio” earned Coffey and the Funk Brothers a golden disc from the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
.
In 1971, basketball coach Carl Andrews led the Stags to their first Michigan High School Athletic Association regional championship title. That same season, Mackenzie advanced to the Public School League finals and The Detroit News
The Detroit News
The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960,...
named Andrews as Public School League Coach of the Year.
Ernie Charboneau, longtime physical education instructor and athletic coach at Mackenzie, was a competitive boxer for Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
; Charboneau won the 1948 National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
flyweight
Flyweight
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing less than 112 lb but above 108 lb .-Professional boxing:...
(112-pound) championship.
Bob Dozier
Bob Dozier
Robert "Bob" Dozier is a 1993 inductee to the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame; he was a highly successful educator and football coach at Detroit's Mackenzie High School. Dozier's thirty-three year career spanned five decades...
was a renowned educator and football coach at Mackenzie High School; his 33-year career spanned five decades (1969–2002). Six of Coach Dozier's athletes would eventually perform in the NFL; three of them played on Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
championship teams.
In his early years of coaching at Mackenzie, Dozier teamed with Wayne State University Hall of Fame fullback Elbert Richmond. Prior to Dozier's arrival, during the teacher strike-shortened 1967 season, Richmond's Mackenzie football team went 5-0; the Stag defensive squad did not yield a single point. From 1969 to 1978, the coaching tandem of Elbert Richmond and Bob Dozier compiled an impressive record of 63–20 (.759), including an undefeated season in 1969.
One of Richmond's defensive backs, Richard Byas Jr., went on to a rewarding career with the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. Elbert Richmond also enjoyed a long and successful career as the baseball and varsity basketball coach at Mackenzie; his 1978-79 squad won the MHSAA
Michigan High School Athletic Association
-About:The Michigan High School Athletic Association is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing...
basketball title. In 1998, Richmond was honored with induction to the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Hall of Fame.
Preface
For 30 years (1931–1961), Detroit public high schools did not participate in Michigan High School Athletic Association tournament events. The Detroit Board of Education insisted that emphasis be placed upon winning city championships; as a consequence, many of Michigan's finest prep athletes - including several from Mackenzie - never had an opportunity to compete for a state title.1930s - 1940s
In terms of athletic laurels, by virtue of his 1930 MHSAA high jump title, Arnold Deneau was Mackenzie's first major champion. The school's golf squad was first to win a city championship, claiming top honors for Mackenzie in 1932 and 1933. Toward decade's end, Stag MVP Roy Bradley led Mackenzie's tennis team to a city league title in 1938.At a time when the Detroit Metropolitan League and MHSAA did not sponsor championship events for female athletes, the 1939 Mackenzie field hockey team finished their season undefeated and untied. Seniors Betty Yakel, Jeanne Chambers, Betty Wine, Mary Lou Palmer, team captain Ella Heatlie and goalie Helen Geoffrion paced the Stagettes to a perfect 6-0 record.
Mackenzie's basketball team completed the 1943-44 season with an unblemished record of 20–0. Playing to a capacity crowd at Central High School, Coach Herb Spathelf and his Stags defeated Northwestern High School
Northwestern High School (Michigan)
Northwestern High School is a secondary education facility in Detroit, Michigan. The most recent enrollment figures for Northwestern indicate a student population of approximately 2,000. Northwestern High School features numerous extracurricular activities; including: Debate, US Army JROTC,...
to claim the City League championship trophy. Seniors Dick Hall, Ted Krzeminski and Tino Sabuco were honored with selection to the All-Metropolitan Squad by the Detroit News.
1944 was a very special year at Mackenzie High School; in addition to earning top basketball honors, Coach Richard Frankowski and All-Metropolitan offensive back Tino Sabuco led the Stag football team to a perfect 9-0 record. As Metropolitan League champions, Mackenzie capped its storybook '44 season with a 3-0 Goodfellows Game victory over Catholic League champion, Holy Redeemer High School. Fittingly, Michigan sportswriters rewarded Mackenzie High School with the title of consensus State Champions. Tino Sabuco would go on to play collegiate football at Wayne State University and the University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
; Sabuco also performed as a professional, with the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
.
Throughout 1946, Mackenzie's Alex Foley was the best high jumper and pole vaulter in Michigan; Foley won city championships in both events.
Following the 1948 basketball season, Arnold Domke was named to the Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
All-City and All-State team; earlier that year, Domke set a city league single-game record with 43 points in a February 3 contest versus Central - Domke's record remained on the books for six seasons.
1950s - 1960s
In 1951, halfback Ed Spala and center Tom Fraser were named to the All-Metropolitan Football Team.In the spring of 1952, senior track captain John Mackenzie won the city league 880-yard title in 1:59.0; John's time was the best by a Michigan schoolboy in 1952, and it was five seconds better than the MHSAA champion. For his efforts, John was named Michigan High School Track and Field Athlete of the Year. John would later run cross-country and track at Western Michigan University; in 1969, he coached Redford Union High School
Redford Union High School
Redford Union High School is a public educational facility in Redford, Michigan - a suburb of Detroit; the school is affiliated with the Redford Union School District. RUHS's colors are blue and gold; the official mascot is a Panther...
to the MHSAA track and field team title. The Stag track and field team was once again in the spotlight during the 1954 season, when the varsity four-mile relay squad set an American interscholastic record of 18:56.8
For Mackenzie's swimming and diving program, 1956 was a memorable year.
In February, Richard Boka, Howard Scarborough, John C. Smith and Tony Tashnick
Tony Tashnick
A native of Detroit, Michigan, versatile swimmer Tony Tashnick led his Mackenzie Stags to a first-place trophy at the 1956 city league championships. Teaming with Howard Scarborough, JC Smith and Richard Boka; Tashnick and company sealed victory for Mackenzie by defeating Denby High in the final...
led the Stags to a city championship - sealing victory during the final event. Because the Detroit public school league had not yet returned to MHSAA competition, Scarborough, Smith and Tashnick never swam for a state title; however, in the summer of 1956, all three competed at the United States Olympic Trials. 1956 also marked the first time that an athlete from Mackenzie would compete in the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. Diver Barbara Sue Gilders
Barbara Gilders-Dudeck
19-year old Detroit native and Mackenzie High School graduate, Barbara Sue Gilders represented the United States in the sport of springboard diving at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia....
, the Olympic Trials silver medalist, placed fourth in the three-meter final at the Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.
Beyond their years at Mackenzie, Howard Scarborough and John C. Smith were successful collegiate swimmers. In 1958, Scarborough won two Mid-American Conference titles for Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
. In addition to placing fourth in the 100-meter backstroke at the 1956 US Olympic Trials, John C. Smith earned All-American honors in 1958 and 1959 at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. Meanwhile, Barb Gilders won a bronze medal at the 1959 Pan American Games
1959 Pan American Games
The 3rd Pan American Games opened on August 27, 1959 in sunny 90°F heat before 40,000 people in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The first Pan American Games held in North America, they were originally scheduled for Cleveland, Ohio, but the U.S. Congress’s decision to cut $5,000,000 in federal...
; she was also the 1959 and 1960 (indoor) US Open champion.
By the late-1950s, Tony Tashnick had established himself as one of the best all-around swimmers in the United States; setting US Open records in the 100 and 200-yard butterfly, and 200-yard individual medley. Swimming for the University of Michigan, Tony won NCAA titles in the 100 and 200-yard butterfly; Tashnick also swam the 200-meter butterfly at the 1959 Pan American Games and 1960 US Olympic Trials. Tony finished third at the Trials, narrowly missing a trip to the Olympic Games in Rome, Italy.
Rightfully on this list of nationally recognized swimmers is 1958 Mackenzie graduate Gary LaPrise. Representing Bowling Green State University, Gary was a three-time (1960–62) Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
champion in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle; he was also named to the NCAA All-America team in 1960 and 1962. LaPrise was honored with induction to the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1970.
With Detroit's return to MHSAA
Michigan High School Athletic Association
-About:The Michigan High School Athletic Association is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing...
competition in 1961, it didn't take long for the Stags to make their presence known. In March 1963, junior Ron Boyd became Mackenzie's first -and only- male athlete to compete in the state swimming and diving championships; Boyd took part in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle. In June 1963, Dennis Lugar, Cotrell Poole, Duane Varner, and Charles Poindexter took top honors in the one-mile relay. In 1967, Charles Robinson was state champion in both the 100 and 220-yard dash. Two years later, at the 1969 MHSAA Finals, the team of Carlos Woods, John Ware, Darryl Arnold and, 100-yard state champion, Ken James struck gold for Mackenzie in the 880-yard relay.
1970s - 1980s
Led by All-City guard Lovelle Rivers, and John Ross, the 1971 basketball team advanced to its first city league final in 27 seasons. After coming up short in the PSL championship game, (vs. Kettering HighKettering High School
Kettering High School is a 4 year high school within the Detroit Public Schools system. Located in Detroit, Michigan United StatesThe school was built in what is now known to be a low income neighborhood...
) the Stags battled through successive rounds of MHSAA competition - all the way to the quarterfinals. Mackenzie once again faced Kettering, losing a hard-fought contest by the score of 60-57.
In the spring of 1971, versatile John Ross set a MHSAA Finals record on his way to winning the long jump title; Ross became the school's first field event state champion in forty-one years. Then, in 1972, the 880-yard relay team of Andre Payne, Ron Duncan, Ed Glass, and Gary Quick won what would turn out to be the last state championship in a men's track and field event for Mackenzie High School.
In June 1975, Mike Brown, Carlos Armstrong, Jeff Moore, Wayne Robinson and Coach Ron Thompson led the Stag baseball team to a City League title, with a victory over Western High School
Western International High School
Western International High School is a secondary educational facility, located across from Clark Park, within southwest Detroit's Mexicantown. Western is operated by the Detroit Public Schools system....
at Butzel Field.
In 1978 (Mackenzie High's 50th anniversary), Alfreda Bronson, Lela Fitten, Myra Jones, Melanie Tillman, and Kimberly Watts joined Carman Rivers, Delisa Walton
Delisa Walton-Floyd
Delisa Walton-Floyd is a former World-Class middle distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres; she was a two-time National Collegiate champion, and two-time U.S. Open champion in her event. Delisa Walton-Floyd represented the United States at the 1987 Pan American Games; winning a silver...
and Coach Barb Halinski to win the MHSAA Girls' Track and Field championship - the school's first state title in any sport.
Side note: Delisa Walton enjoyed an impressive athletic career at the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
; for several years to follow (as Delisa Walton-Floyd) she was one of America's best runners at 800 meters. In 1988, Delisa Walton-Floyd became Mackenzie's second Olympian; placing fifth in the 800 at the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
.
In March 1979, at the MHSAA Basketball Finals, Steve Caldwell led all scorers with 28 points during Mackenzie's 72–64 victory over Pontiac Central
Pontiac Central High School
Pontiac Central High School was one of two public high schools in Pontiac, Michigan, United States. It had been an accredited high school from 1849 until its closing in 2009....
. In less than a year, Mackenzie High School had earned two state championship trophies.
At the 1979 MHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships, sisters Allison and Kathy Merriweather made history; becoming the first female athletes from the public school league to compete in a state meet final. Allison placed eighth in the 200, and 500-yard freestyle; Kathy, a sophomore, finished sixth in the 100-yard butterfly. To this day, Mackenzie's Merriweather sisters are the only DPSSAL swimmers to earn a lane in the finals at the girls' state championships.
Five years following Mackenzie's state championship season, another chapter was added to Stag basketball history; when Duane Marcellis, Derrick Richmond, Mario Person, and Doug Blanchard paced Mackenzie to the 1984 DPSSAL basketball crown; the school's first since the 1944 season.
In June 1984, pitcher Larry Simmons led Mackenzie to Tiger Stadium, for the DPSSAL championship baseball game versus Northwestern High; in the final, Simmons threw a 5–0 shutout. The Stags went on to play Catholic League champion Dearborn-Divine Child
Divine Child High School
Divine Child High School is a private Catholic high school in Dearborn, Wayne County, Michigan, United States. The principal is Peggy Knuth and the Assistant Principal is Damian Hermann. The school's pastor is Father Jim Bilot...
, in the Operation Friendship Game.
1990s - 2000s
During the 2000-01 season, senior Ricky Willis led the men's basketball team to a record of 21–3; ultimately, Mackenzie High School reached the semi-final round of the 2001 MHSAA tournament. Record books reveal that, between 1971 and 2001, the Mackenzie Stags won seven MHSAA regional basketball titles; advancing to the state quarter-finals on each occasion.Although the school's football program produced several players who enjoyed rewarding careers in the NFL, Mackenzie's win-loss record dipped during much of the 1980s and 90s. A shift occurred between 2002 and 2006, when the football team posted a overall record of 33–19. In 2003, Mackenzie went 9–3 during a campaign that ended with a one-point loss to Novi High School
Novi High School
Novi High School is a public secondary school in Novi, Michigan, United States, serving students in grades 9–12. It is operated by Novi Community School District and was awarded Blue Ribbon School status in 1986-87 and 1999-00...
, in the third-round of MHSAA tournament play.
Always the Mighty Stags
As postscript on the 79-year history of David Mackenzie High School, following the school's June 2007 closure, several student-athletes transferred to Martin Luther King High School. Mackenzie football standouts Nick Perry, Mario Steward and Edgar Pouncey became part of a King Crusaders team that would post a 14-0 record on its way to winning the 2007 Michigan High School Athletic Association title. Thanks in-part to the talents of Perry, Steward, and Pouncey; King High became the first Detroit public school to take home a MHSAA football championship trophy.Distinguished alumni
- Arnold Deneau (1932) Mackenzie's first sports celebrity; Deneau won a gold medal in the high jumpHigh jumpThe high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
at the 1930 MHSAA Finals
- Boyd T. Simmons (1934) Mackenzie DIAL Editor; graduated with honors from Harvard; served as City Editor of the Detroit News
- Bob Keene (1937) Played collegiate football for the University of Detroit; played professionally with the Detroit LionsDetroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
(1943–1945)
- Shirley Risburg (1938) Two-year field hockey letter-winner (captain); future wife of famed collegiate football coach, David M. NelsonDavid M. NelsonDavid Moir Nelson was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, author, and authority on college football playing rules...
- Alex Foley (1946) City champion, pole vaultPole vaultPole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
and high jump; top-ranked in both events among Michigan high school athletes (1946)
- J. Patrick Clysdale (1946) Western Michigan UniversityWestern Michigan UniversityWestern Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
Football Captain (1950); long career as WMU athletic department administrator
- Ray LaneRay LaneRay Lane is a sports broadcasting figure in Detroit, Michigan. During the late 1940s, Ray played baseball and basketball for the Stags of Mackenzie High School...
(1947) Noted Detroit sports personality; teamed with Ernie HarwellErnie HarwellWilliam Earnest "Ernie" Harwell was an American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 years, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called the action on radio and/or television...
on Detroit TigersDetroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
play-by-play broadcasts (1967–1972)
- Arnold Domke (1948) Former Athletic Director at Edsel Ford High SchoolEdsel Ford High SchoolEdsel Ford High School is a secondary school located in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. Edsel Ford, located on Rotunda, near Oakwood, is one of three high schools in the Dearborn Public Schools. Edsel Ford High School was completed in 1955, and the first graduating class was in 1956...
; coached EFHS cross country team to 1981 MHSAA title
- Tom SkerrittTom SkerrittThomas Roy "Tom" Skerritt is an American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes since 1962.-Early life:...
(1951) Emmy Award-winning actor; Tom has appeared in more than 40 motion pictures and over 200 televisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
episodes
- John Mackenzie (1952) MHSAA Athlete of the Year; City Champion (880-yard run); 1956 Mid-American ConferenceMid-American ConferenceThe Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
titlist (880)
- Don Lukens (1954) Retired track coach at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix High SchoolLoy Norrix High SchoolLoy Norrix High School is a high school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serving students from grades nine through twelve. It is one of two high schools in the Kalamazoo Public Schools district. The student body totals at approximately 1,400. The school is named for a former superintendent of...
; 26 seasons and 21 Conference championships
- Don Yarber (1954) Author: "Bodies and Beaches"; "Corpses and Canyons"
- Dallas Garrett (1956) MHS basketball captain; football & basketball letterman at Wayne State UniversityWayne State UniversityWayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
; played one season in the ABL
- Barbara Sue GildersBarbara Gilders-Dudeck19-year old Detroit native and Mackenzie High School graduate, Barbara Sue Gilders represented the United States in the sport of springboard diving at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia....
(1956) Less than one point from a bronze medalBronze medalA bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in springboard diving at the 1956 Summer Olympics1956 Summer OlympicsThe 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
- Marilyn Jean KellyMarilyn Jean KellyMarilyn Jean Kelly is a jurist in the U.S. state of Michigan. Mrs. Kelly is serving her second term in office as a Justice on the Michigan Supreme Court...
(1956) Current Chief JusticeChief JusticeThe Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the Michigan Supreme CourtMichigan Supreme CourtThe Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is known as Michigan's "court of last resort" and consists of seven justices who are elected to eight-year terms. Candidates are nominated by political parties and are elected on a nonpartisan ballot...
- John C. Smith (1956) Fourth-place, 1956 U.S. Olympic Trials (100-meter backstroke); NCAA All-American at University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
(1958, 1959)
- Tony TashnickTony TashnickA native of Detroit, Michigan, versatile swimmer Tony Tashnick led his Mackenzie Stags to a first-place trophy at the 1956 city league championships. Teaming with Howard Scarborough, JC Smith and Richard Boka; Tashnick and company sealed victory for Mackenzie by defeating Denby High in the final...
(1956) US collegiate champion, 100 & 200 butterfly (1958); led University of Michigan to NCAA swimming title
- Gary LaPrise (1958) NCAA All-American swimmer for Bowling Green State University; 1970 inductee to BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame
- Jim Oliphant (1958) Two-time NCAA All-American track athlete for Western Michigan UniversityWestern Michigan UniversityWestern Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
, high jump (1961, 62)
- Chuck Wasiluk (1958) former MHS baseball player; longtime WDIV-TV producer/director on Detroit TigersDetroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
television network
- Dennis CoffeyDennis CoffeyDennis Coffey is an American guitarist. He was a studio musician for many soul and R&B recordings.-Biography:Coffey learned to play guitar at the age of thirteen, in the Michigan Upper Peninsula town of Copper City...
(1959) along with the Funk Brothers, recorded “Scorpio” in 1971; the million-selling tune earned a RIAA golden-disc
- Douglas Garrett (1962) Basketball All-PSL (West); USMCUnited States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
All-Star; JUCO All-American; Oakland City UniversityOakland City UniversityOakland City University, abbreviated as OCU, is a coeducational, small-town, urban, private university in Oakland City in eastern Gibson County, about north and slightly east of Evansville in Southwestern Indiana. Oakland City University is the only General Baptist Church-affiliated college in the...
Professor; Author
- Dennis Wayne Lugar (1964) MHSAA mile-relay champion, 1963; 1st SGT (USMC) Lugar was killed in action, South Viet Nam, 1967
- Saul GreenSaul GreenSaul Green is the former Deputy Mayor of Detroit, Michigan. He was appointed the position by former Mayor, Ken Cockrel, Jr. and was retained as Deputy Mayor by current Mayor Dave Bing.Green is an attorney who overseen both the Detroit Police and Law Department...
(1965) Appointed Deputy Mayor of Detroit in 2008; US Attorney for the Eastern District of MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
(1994–2001)
- Dr. Sidney Ribeau (1965) President, Howard UniversityHoward UniversityHoward University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
; served as President at Bowling Green State University (1995–2008)
- Sessions Harlan (1966) All Big-Sky Conference basketball player and long jumpLong jumpThe long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
performer at Weber State UniversityWeber State UniversityWeber State University is a public university located in the city of Ogden in Weber County, Utah, USA. It was founded in 1889 and is a coeducational, publicly supported university offering professional, liberal arts and technical certificates, as well as associate, bachelor's and master's degrees...
- Jerome Beacham, PhD (1967) Former VP and Certification Chairman, International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association
- Charles Robinson (1967) MHSAA Champion, 100 and 220 Yard Dash (1966)
- Homer Gaines (1968) As a WMU athlete, Gaines was the Mid-American Conference champion, 120-yard high hurdles (1972)
- Fred LaMar (1968) MHS basketball standout, shot putShot putThe shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
record holder; played collegiate football for Eastern Michigan UniversityEastern Michigan UniversityEastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
(1969,70)
- Richard Byas Jr. (1969) Former National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
defensive backDefensive backIn American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
; veteran of seven seasons with Atlanta FalconsAtlanta FalconsThe Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
- Ken James (1969) MHSAA Champion, 100-yard dash (1969)
- Roz RyanRoz RyanRoz Ryan is an American actress. She has earned wide acclaim as an actress, singer and comedian.-Life and career:Ryan was born Rosalyn Bowen in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of Gertrude and Thomas Bowen, who worked for the Board of Education. She is a 1969 graduate of Mackenzie High School...
(1969) Broadway performer; provided voice for Thalia in HerculesHercules (1997 film)Hercules is a 1997 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirty-fifth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker...
and Bubbie in The Marvelous Misadventures of FlapjackThe Marvelous Misadventures of FlapjackThe Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack is an American animated television series produced for Cartoon Network that premiered on June 5, 2008 and ended on August 31, 2010...
- Gary WatersGary Waters-External links:****...
(1969) Head Basketball Coach, Cleveland State UniversityCleveland State UniversityCleveland State University is a public university located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 when the state of Ohio assumed control of Fenn College, and it absorbed the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1969...
; Horizon LeagueHorizon LeagueThe Horizon League is a ten school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in five of the Midwestern United States....
Coach of the Year (2008)
- Carlos Woods (1970) As a sprinter for EMUEastern Michigan UniversityEastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
, Woods won a Mid-American Conference title at 100 yards (1974)
- William "Sugar Bear" Daniels (1971) All-City baseball pitcher; first-round MLB draft selection of the Oakland AthleticsOakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
in 1971
- John Ross (1971) DPSSAL long jumpLong jumpThe long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
champion; set state record (7.29 meters) on his gold medal jump at MHSAA Finals (1971)
- Lovelle Rivers (1971) All-State Basketball; All-DPSSAL Track & Field (shot put); played collegiate basketball for Michigan StateMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
- Leland Stein III (1973) Noted international sports columnist. Stein was an All-DPSSAL football selection; played basketball, ran track for Mackenzie (1970–73).
- Sebastian Wade (1975) MHS Swim Team Captain; current Vice-President, Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce
- Chuck Greene (1976) All-American javelin throwJavelin throwThe javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
er at WMU (1981); World Maccabiah Games1985 Maccabiah GamesThe 1985 12th Maccabiah Games brought over 4,000 athletes to Israel from 40 nations to compete in 28 sports.Twenty years after his first appearance in the Maccabiah, Olympic Champion Mark Spitz returned to Israel to carry the Opening Ceremony’s Torch into Ramat Gan Stadium...
Champion (1985)
- Kenny GarrettKenny GarrettKenny Garrett is a Grammy Award-winning American post bop jazz saxophonist and flautist who gained fame in his youth as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and of Miles Davis's band. He has since pursued a critically acclaimed solo career...
(1978) Grammy Award winning jazz saxophonist and flautist; formerly of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and Miles DavisMiles DavisMiles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
' band
- Carman Rivers (1978) MHSAA Champion, 220-yard dash; helped Mackenzie win MHSAA team title (1978)
- Keith Smith (1978) First-Team selection, Detroit Free Press & Detroit News, Dream TeamDream TeamDream Team in sport, often only as a nickname, may refer to:* The roster of the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team in Barcelona* Brazil men's national volleyball team under coach Bernardo Rezende since 2002...
All-State Basketball Squad
- Delisa WaltonDelisa Walton-FloydDelisa Walton-Floyd is a former World-Class middle distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres; she was a two-time National Collegiate champion, and two-time U.S. Open champion in her event. Delisa Walton-Floyd represented the United States at the 1987 Pan American Games; winning a silver...
(1979) silver medalist at 800-meters, 1987 Pan American GamesAthletics at the 1987 Pan American GamesThe Athletics Competition at the 1987 Pan American Games was held in Indianapolis, United States. The events were competed at the IU Indianapolis Track and Soccer Stadium.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-References:*...
; 800-meters finalist, 1988 Olympic GamesOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
- Kevin BrooksKevin Brooks (American football)Kevin Craig Brooks is a former professional American football defensive end in the National Football League. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1st round of the 1985 NFL Draft....
(1981) Former NFL defensive endDefensive endDefensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
; veteran of six seasons with Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
and Detroit LionsDetroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
- Thomas "Pepper" JohnsonPepper JohnsonThomas "Pepper" Johnson is a former American football linebacker, and the current defensive line coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League.-College:...
(1982) All-AmericaAll-AmericaAn All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
at Ohio State; All-Pro linebackerLinebackerA linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
for Super BowlSuper BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
Champion New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1986, 90)
- Larry Simmons (1984) Collegiate baseball player for Wayne State UniversityWayne State UniversityWayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
- Derrick Carr (1985) Four-year varsity football player for Bowling Green State University; signed with Los Angeles Rams in 1991
- Doug SmithDoug Smith (basketball)Douglas Smith is a retired American basketball player who was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1st round of the 1991 NBA Draft. Smith played in five NBA seasons, for the Mavericks and the Boston Celtics and averaged 8.0 ppg in his NBA career...
(1987) Selected to Parade Magazine All-American Team; played professionally with Dallas MavericksDallas MavericksThe Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
& Boston CelticsBoston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
- Nefertari Imani Baraka (Barbara Andrews) (1989) Educator, author, spoken word artist and Internet radio host.
- Gilbert BrownGilbert BrownGilbert Jesse Brown, is a former nose tackle who played for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . Brown played 125 Packers games recording 292 tackles and seven sacks. Nicknamed "The Gravedigger," in honor of his celebratory dance following a thunderous tackle, Brown played in...
(1989) Played defensive tackle for 1996 NFL Super BowlSuper BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
Champion Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
- Derrick Hall (1989) His single-game scoring performance of 56 points (12-02-88) ranks third all-time in DPSSAL basketball history
- Marcus Wise (1989) CF/P, Detroit News, First-Team All-City, Michigan Chronicle, All-City Dream Team, PSL All-Star Team; .558 BA
- Sylvester Wright (1989) Played college football for KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
; played professionally with the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1995–1996)
- Jerome BettisJerome BettisJerome Abram "The Bus" Bettis is a retired American football halfback who played for the NFL's Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. Bettis is considered one of the best big backs ever because his footwork and power, and is currently fifth on the National Football League's all-time...
(1990) All-Pro running back for L.A. Rams and 2006 Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
; 14 year NFL veteran
- Daniel Lawson (1998) played collegiate basketball for Mott Community CollegeMott Community CollegeCharles Stewart Mott Community College is a publicly supported post-secondary institution located in Flint, Michigan. Its district is the same as the Genesee Intermediate School District and is governed by an elected board of Trustees...
and Oklahoma State University
- Rawle MarshallRawle MarshallRawle Marshall is a Guyanese-American professional basketball player. He is a 6 ft 7 in and 190 lb small forward.-Early life:...
(2000) Oakland UniversityOakland UniversityOakland University is a public university co-founded by Matilda Dodge Wilson and John A. Hannah whose campus is located in central Oakland County, Michigan, United States in the cities of Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills. It is the only major research university in Oakland County, from which OU...
graduate; played professional basketball with Dallas MavericksDallas MavericksThe Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
and Indiana PacersIndiana PacersThe Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
- Rickey Willis (2001) Played collegiate basketball at Western Michigan; ranked third among WMU career assist leaders
- Darrin Trammell Jr. (2006) Two-time finalist, MHSAAMichigan High School Athletic Association-About:The Michigan High School Athletic Association is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing...
track and field championships; ran for EMUEastern Michigan UniversityEastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
(2007–10)
- Darryl Blackwell (2002) 2002 PSL 400m Champion,5x all-state, all-city, Michigan all-american, 2006 Penn Relays finalist(400mH), Jesses Owens Classic 400m (47.1)5th place. He attended Siena Heights University http://www.sienaheights.edu/