Events from the year 1979 in Michigan. The

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...

(AP) selected the top Michigan news stories of 1979 as follows: # Chrysler Corporation's financial troubles, including a loss for 1979 estimated to exceed $1 billion, a federal loan guarantee program of $1.5 billion approved at the end of the year, and $462 million in concessions from workers; # A 22% decline in U.S. automobile sales and the indefinite layoffs of 141,000 workers in the automobile industry; # New collective bargaining agreements between the

United Auto Workers The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW), is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico ...

and the Big Three reached without a strike for the first time since prior to 1964; # (tie) Teacher strikes in Detroit and other communities that impacted hundreds of thousands of students in the fall; # (tie) The selection of Detroit as the host city for the

1980 Republican National Convention The 1980 Republican National Convention convened at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, from July 14 to July 17, 1980. The Republican National Convention nominated retired Hollywood actor and former Governor Ronald Reagan of California for pr ...

; # Toxic chemical dumping sites in need of cleanup; # An $18 million budget deficit for Wayne County; # Blockades by striking independent truck drivers during the summer; # A court dispute over Indian fishing rights, including the use of gill nets, in Lake Michigan; and # A record-setting $450,000 fine imposed the

Nuclear Regulatory Commission The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with protecting public health and safety related to nuclear energy. Established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, the NRC began oper ...

Consumers Power Consumers Energy is an investor owned utility that provides natural gas and electricity to 6.7 million of Michigan's 10 million residents. It serves customers in all 68 of the state's Lower Peninsula counties. It is the primary subsidiary of ...

for safety violations at the

Palisades Nuclear Generating Station The Palisades Nuclear Generating Station was a nuclear power plant located on Lake Michigan, in Van Buren County's Covert Township, Michigan, on a site south of South Haven, Michigan, USA. Palisades was owned and operated by Entergy. It had be ...

on Lake Michigan.

Office holders

State office holders

Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as th ...

William Milliken William Grawn Milliken (March 26, 1922 – October 18, 2019) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 44th governor of Michigan. A member of the Republican Party, he is the longest-serving governor in Michigan history, servin ...

(

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

) *

Lieutenant Governor of Michigan The lieutenant governor of Michigan is the second-ranking official in U.S. state of Michigan, behind the governor. The current lieutenant governor by default is Garlin Gilchrist, a Democrat, who has held the office since January 1, 2019. Proc ...

James Damman James Joseph Damman (January 16, 1933 – February 23, 2011) was an American, Republican politician from Michigan. Born in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, Damman served in the United States Army. He then served on the Troy, Michigan city commiss ...

(Republican)/

James H. Brickley James H. Brickley (November 15, 1928 – September 28, 2001) was an American judge and politician who served as the 56th and 58th lieutenant governor of Michigan and a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court from 1982 to 1999. He was a member of th ...

(Republican) *

Michigan Attorney General The Attorney General of the State of Michigan is the fourth-ranking official in the U.S. state of Michigan. The officeholder is elected statewide in the November general election alongside the governor of Michigan, governor, Lieutenant Governor of ...

Frank J. Kelley Frank Joseph Kelley (December 31, 1924 – March 5, 2021) was an American politician who served as the 50th Attorney General of the U.S. state of Michigan. His 37-year term of office, from 1961 to 1999, made him both the youngest (36 years old) ...

( Democrat) *

Michigan Secretary of State The Michigan Department of State is administered by the Secretary of State, who is elected on a partisan ballot for a term of four years in gubernatorial elections. The Secretary of State is the third-highest official in the State of Michigan. A ...

Richard H. Austin Richard Henry Austin (May 6, 1913 – April 20, 2001) was an American politician. A Democrat, he served as the Michigan secretary of state from 1971 to 1995, the first African American elected to the position, the first to win election to any sta ...

(Democrat) * Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives:

Bobby Crim Bobby D. Crim (born December 10, 1931) is a former Democratic politician from Michigan who served in the Michigan House of Representatives, and who served as Speaker of the House from 1973 through 1982. Crim is the founder of the Crim Festival o ...

(Democrat) * Majority Leader of the Michigan Senate:

William Faust William Faust (March 29, 1929 – January 21, 1995) was a Democratic member of the Michigan Senate from 1967 through 1994, and was majority leader from 1976 to 1984. Early life A native of Ohio, Faust attended Indiana University and earned a bac ...

(Democrat) * Chief Justice,

Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the st ...

Mayors of major cities

Mayor of Detroit This is a list of mayors of Detroit, Michigan. See History of Detroit, Michigan, for more information about the history of the incorporation of the city. The current mayor is Mike Duggan, who was sworn into office on January 1, 2014. History ...

Coleman Young Coleman Alexander Young (May 24, 1918 – November 29, 1997) was an American politician who served as mayor of Detroit, Michigan, from 1974 to 1994. Young was the first African-American mayor of Detroit. Young had emerged from the far-left ele ...

Mayor of Grand Rapids This is a list of mayors of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The current mayor is Rosalynn Bliss, who was sworn into office on January 1, 2016. References {{Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat ...

: Abe L. Drasin * Mayor of Flint:

James W. Rutherford James W. Rutherford (April 23, 1925 – January 14, 2010) was a mayor of the City of Flint, Michigan serving as the first "strong" mayor elected under Flint's 1974 charter.

* Mayor of Lansing: Gerald W. Graves *

Mayor of Ann Arbor This is a list of mayors of Ann Arbor, Michigan, beginning with Ann Arbor's incorporation as a city on April 4, 1851. References Ann Arbor mayors, Political Graveyard website* Samuel W. Beakes, Past and Present of Washtenaw County' (Washtenaw C ...

Louis Belcher Louis D. Belcher (born 1939) is an American politician who served as the mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan, from 1978 to 1985. He won office in an unusual "special election" of 1978, held after lengthy court wranglings over the disputed 1977 mayoral con ...

(Republican)

Federal office holders

* United States Senator from Michigan:

Donald W. Riegle Jr. Donald Wayne Riegle Jr. (born February 4, 1938) is an American politician, author, and businessman from Michigan. He served for five terms as a Representative and for three terms as a Senator in the U.S. Congress. Early life and family Donald ...

( Democrat) * United States Senator from Michigan:

Carl Levin Carl Milton Levin (June 28, 1934 – July 29, 2021) was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States senator from Michigan from 1979 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the chair of the Senate Armed Services C ...

(Democrat) * United States Representative, District 1:

John Conyers John James Conyers Jr. (May 16, 1929October 27, 2019) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as a U.S. representative from Michigan from 1965 to 2017. The districts he represented always included part of western Detroi ...

(Democrat) * United States Representative, District 2: Carl Pursell (Republican) * United States Representative, District 3:

Howard Wolpe Howard Eliot Wolpe (November 3, 1939 – October 25, 2011) was an American politician who served as a seven-term U.S. Representative from Michigan and Presidential Special Envoy to the African Great Lakes Region in the Clinton Administration, wher ...

(Democrat) * United States Representative, District 4:

David Stockman David Alan Stockman (born November 10, 1946) is an American politician and former businessman who was a Republican U.S. Representative from the state of Michigan (1977–1981) and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (1981–19 ...

(Republican) * United States Representative, District 5:

Harold S. Sawyer Harold Samuel Sawyer (March 21, 1920 – April 2, 2003) was an American attorney and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sawyer represented Michigan's 5th congressional district in the United ...

(Republican) * United States Representative, District 6:

Bob Carr Robert John Carr (born 28 September 1947) is an Australian retired politician and journalist who served as the 39th Premier of New South Wales from 1995 to 2005, as the leader of the NSW Branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He later e ...

(Democrat) * United States Representative, District 7:

Dale Kildee Dale Edward Kildee (September 16, 1929 – October 13, 2021) was an American politician who served as U.S. Representative of Michigan from 1977 to 2013. He was a member of the Democratic Party. His district included Flint, Saginaw and Bay C ...

(Democrat) * United States Representative, District 8:

J. Bob Traxler Jerome Bob Traxler (July 21, 1931 – October 30, 2019), also known as J. Bob Traxler or Bob Traxler, was an American lawyer and politician from Michigan. He served ten terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1974 to 1993. Early ...

(Democrat) * United States Representative, District 9:

Guy Vander Jagt Guy Adrian Vander Jagt ( ; August 26, 1931 – June 22, 2007) was a Republican politician from Michigan. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Vander Jagt was des ...

(Republican) * United States Representative, District 10:

Donald J. Albosta Donald Joseph Albosta (December 5, 1925 – December 18, 2014) was an American farmer, businessman, and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. He served three terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1985. Most n ...

(Democrat) * United States Representative, District 11:

Robert William Davis Robert William Davis (July 31, 1932 – October 16, 2009) was an American politician from the state of Michigan. He represented the state's 11th congressional district, which at that time included the Upper Peninsula and a large portion of N ...

(Republican) * United States Representative, District 12:

David Bonior David Edward Bonior (born June 6, 1945) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976, Bonior served as Democratic whip in the House from 1991 to 2002, during which time Dem ...

(Democrat) * United States Representative, District 13:

Charles Diggs Charles Coles Diggs Jr. (December 2, 1922 – August 24, 1998) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Michigan who served in the state senate and U.S. House of Representatives. He was the first African American elected to Cong ...

(Democrat) * United States Representative, District 14: Lucien N. Nedzi (Democrat) * United States Representative, District 15: William D. Ford (Democrat) * United States Representative, District 16:

John Dingell John David Dingell Jr. (July 8, 1926 – February 7, 2019) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1955 until 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he holds the record for longest ...

(Democrat) * United States Representative, District 17:

William M. Brodhead William McNulty Brodhead (born September 12, 1941) is an American lawyer and former politician from Michigan who served four terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1983. Early life and education Brodhead was born in Clev ...

(Democrat) * United States Representative, District 18:

James Blanchard James Johnston Blanchard (born August 8, 1942) is an American retired attorney, diplomat, and politician who served as the 45th governor of Michigan from 1983 to 1991. A member of the Democratic Party, Blanchard previously served in the United ...

(Democrat) * United States Representative, District 19:

William Broomfield William S. Broomfield, (April 28, 1922 – February 20, 2019) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Early life Broomfield, the son of Scevillian C. and Fern Broomfield was born in Royal Oak, Michigan. His father was a d ...

(Republican)

Population

Sports

Baseball

1979 Detroit Tigers season The 1979 Detroit Tigers finished in fifth place in the American League East with a record of 85-76, 18 games behind the Orioles. They outscored their opponents 770 to 738. The Tigers drew 1,630,929 fans to Tiger Stadium in 1979, ranking 7th of t ...

– Under managers

Les Moss John Lester Moss (May 14, 1925 – August 29, 2012) was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the St. Louis Browns for the most significant portion of his career, a ...

Dick Tracewski Richard Joseph Tracewski (born February 3, 1935) is a retired American professional baseball player, coach and manager. During his active career, he was an infielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball, ap ...

, and

Sparky Anderson George Lee "Sparky" Anderson (February 22, 1934 – November 4, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player, coach, and manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third ...

, the Tigers compiled an 85–76 record and finished fifth in the

American League East The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (NL). This division was created before ...

. The team's statistical leaders included

Steve Kemp Steven F. Kemp (born August 7, 1954) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Texas Rangers. Profession ...

with a .318

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average i ...

, 26

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...

s, and 105

RBI RBI most often refers to: *Reserve Bank of India *Run batted in RBI may also refer to: Organisations *Radio Berlin International *Raiffeisen Bank International *Reed Business Information *Restaurant Brands International *Ruđer Bošković In ...

Jack Morris John Scott Morris (born May 16, 1955) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1977 and 1994, mainly for the Detroit Tigers. Morris won 254 games throughout his career. Armed ...

with 17 wins, and

Aurelio Lopez Aurelio may refer to: People Politicians *Aurelio D. Gonzales Jr. (born 1964), congressman in the Philippines *Aurélio de Lira Tavares (1905–1998), President of Brazil *Aurelio Martínez, Honduran politician *Aurelio Mosquera (1883–1939), Pre ...

with a 2.41

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...

(ERA).

American football

* 1979 Detroit Lions season – The Lions, under head coach

Monte Clark Monte Dale Clark (January 24, 1937 – September 16, 2009) was an American football player who served as head coach for the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions. He played college football at USC. Early years Clark attended Kingsburg High ...

, compiled a 2–14 record. The team's statistical leaders included

Jeff Komlo William Jeffrey "Jeff" Komlo (July 30, 1956 – March 14, 2009) was an American professional football quarterback who played for the Detroit Lions, the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL. He was born in Cheverly, Maryland. ...

with 2,238 passing yards,

Dexter Bussey Dexter Manley Bussey (born March 11, 1952) is a former American football running back. He played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions for 11 years from 1974 to 1984 and became the Lions' all-time car ...

with 625 rushing yards,

Freddie Scott Freddie Scott (April 24, 1933 – June 4, 2007) was an American soul singer and songwriter. His biggest hits were " Hey, Girl", a top ten US pop hit in 1963, and " Are You Lonely for Me", a no. 1 hit on the R&B chart in early 1967. Life and car ...

with 929 receiving yards, and

Benny Ricardo Benito Concepcion "Benny" Ricardo (born January 4, 1954 in Asunción, Paraguay) is a former American football placekicker in the NFLMiller, Bryce.Life of former Aztec, Charger Benny Ricardo is a kick, The San Diego Union-Tribune, November 18, 201 ...

with 55 points scored. *

1979 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1979 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1979 Big Ten Conference football season. In its 100th season of intercollegiate football, the 11th under head coach Bo S ...

– Under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled an 8–4 record and were ranked No. 18 in the final

AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broa ...

. The team's statistical leaders included

John Wangler John "Johnny" Wangler (born c. 1958) is a former American football quarterback. He played for the University of Michigan from 1977 to 1980. During the 1979 and 1980 seasons, Wangler and Anthony Carter formed one of the most successful passing co ...

with 1,431 passing yards,

Butch Woolfolk Harold E. "Butch" Woolfolk (born March 1, 1960) is a former American football running back and kick returner who played in college for the University of Michigan (1978–1981) and in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants ( ...

with 990 rushing yards and 78 points scored, and

Doug Marsh Douglas Walter Marsh (born June 18, 1958) is a former professional American football player who played tight end for seven seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1980 to 1986. He also played college football at the University of Michigan ...

with 612 receiving yards. *

1979 Michigan State Spartans football team The 1979 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 1979 Big Ten Conference football season. In their fourth season under head coach Darryl Rogers, the Spartans compiled a 5–6 overall record (3–5 again ...

– Under head coach

Darryl Rogers Darryl Dale Rogers (May 28, 1934 – July 10, 2018) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at California State College at Hayward—now known as California State University, East Bay (1965), California State Univers ...

, the Spartans compiled a 5–6 record. The team's statistical leaders included Bryan Clark with 800 passing yards, Steve Smith with 972 rushing yards, and Eugene Byrd with 559 receiving yards.

Basketball

1978–79 Detroit Pistons season The 1978-79 NBA season was the Detroit Pistons' 31st season in the NBA, 22nd season in the metropolitan area of Detroit, first at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, and first in the Eastern Conference. New Coach Dick Vitale did litt ...

– Under head coach

Dick Vitale Richard John Vitale (; born June 9, 1939), also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well known for his 41-year tenure as a college basketball broadcaster f ...

, the Pistons compiled a 30–52 record and finished fourth in the NBA's Central Division. The team's statistical leaders included

M. L. Carr Michael Leon Carr (born January 9, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA), and former head coach and General Manager of the Boston Celtics. ...

with 1,497 points,

Leon Douglas Leon Douglas (born August 26, 1954) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before transitioning to an extensive professional career overseas in Europe. ...

with 664 rebounds and Kevin Porter with 1,099

assist Assist or ASSIST may refer to: Sports Several sports have a statistic known as an "assist", generally relating to action by a player leading to a score by another player on their team: * Assist (basketball), a pass by a player that facilitates a b ...

s. The team moved from

Cobo Hall Huntington Place (formerly known as Cobo Hall, Cobo Center, and briefly as TCF Center) is a convention center in Downtown Detroit, owned by the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA) and operated by ASM Global. Located at 1 Wash ...

to the

Pontiac Silverdome The Pontiac Silverdome (also known simply as the Silverdome) was a stadium in Pontiac, Michigan. It opened in 1975 and sat on 199 acres (51 ha) of land. When the stadium opened, it featured a fiberglass fabric roof held up by air pressur ...

starting with the 1978–79 season. * 1978–79 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team – Under head coach

Jud Heathcote George Melvin "Jud" Heathcote (May 27, 1927 – August 28, 2017) was an American basketball player and coach. He was a college basketball head coach for 24 seasons: five at the University of Montana and nineteen at Michigan State University H ...

, the Spartans compiled a 26–7 record and won both the Big Ten Conference championship and the

1979 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament The 1979 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 40 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 9 and ended with the championship game on ...

in a finals matching

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in th ...

's Spartans against Larry Byrd's

Indiana State Sycamores The Indiana State Sycamores are the NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic teams of Indiana State University. Since the 1977–78 academic year, Indiana State has been a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). The Indiana State foot ...

. The Spartans' statistical leaders included

Greg Kelser Gregory Kelser (born September 17, 1957) is a retired American basketball player and current television color commentator. Kelser was a key member of the 1979 NCAA Champion Michigan State Spartans and spent six seasons playing professionally in t ...

with 602 points and 278 rebounds and

with 269 assists. * 1978–79

Detroit Titans men's basketball The Detroit Mercy Titans men's basketball team is the college basketball team that represents University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit, Michigan, and competes in NCAA Division I men's basketball as a member of the Horizon League. Traditionally, the ...

team – The Titans compiled a 22–6 record under head coach

Smokey Gaines David "Smokey" Gaines (February 27, 1940 – September 5, 2020) was an American basketball player and coach. Playing career He played professionally for three games for the Kentucky Colonels during the 1967–68 American Basketball Association se ...

. *

1978–79 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team The 1978–79 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1978–79 season. The team played its home games in the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and ...

– Under head coach Johnny Orr, the Wolverines compiled a 15–12 record. The team's statistical leaders include Mike McGee with 511 points,

Phil Hubbard Philip Gregory Hubbard (born December 13, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He won a gold medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics and after graduating from the University of Michigan, played for the Detroit Pistons a ...

with 238 rebounds, and Marty Bodnar with 61 assists.

Ice hockey

1978–79 Detroit Red Wings season The 1978–79 Detroit Red Wings season was the Red Wings' 47th season, 53rd overall for the franchise. It is the last full season at the Detroit Olympia for the team. A year later, they would move to the then-newly built Joe Louis Arena. Offse ...

– Under head coach

Bobby Kromm Robert Kromm (June 8, 1928 – June 9, 2010) was a National Hockey League (NHL) head coach who in 1978 became the first coach of the Detroit Red Wings to win the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year. He led the 1977–78 Red Wings to a 37 ...

, the Red Wings compiled a 23–41–16 record and finished fifth in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

's Norris Division. The team's statistical leaders included Vaclav Nedomansky with 38 goals and 73 points and

Reed Larson Reed David Larson (born July 30, 1956) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman and former captain of the Detroit Red Wings who played 904 regular season games in the National Hockey League between 1976 and 1990. He is a member of ...

with 49 assists. The team's regular goaltenders were

Jim Rutherford James Earl Rutherford (born February 17, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and front office executive. He is the president of hockey operations of the Vancouver Canucks. Prior to his position with the Canucks, Rutherf ...

and

Rogie Vachon Rogatien Rosaire "Rogie" Vachon (born September 8, 1945) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League. Montreal ...

Other

Music

Albums and singles by Michigan artists or centered on Michigan topics that were released or became hits in 1979 include the following: * "

My Sharona "My Sharona" () is the debut single by the Knack. The song was written by Berton Averre and Doug Fieger, and it was released in 1979 from their debut album, '' Get the Knack''. It reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart ...

", written by Oak Park native

Doug Fieger Douglas Lars Fieger (August 20, 1952 – February 14, 2010) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the rock band The Knack. He co-wrote "My Sharona," the biggest hit song of 1979 in the ...

, was released in April 1979 and became the year's No. 1 hit as reflected on the

Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1979 This is a list of ''Billboard'' magazine's Top Hot 100 songs of 1979. The Top 100, as revealed in the year-end edition of ''Billboard'' dated December 22, 1979. See also * 1979 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took p ...

. * "

Old Time Rock and Roll "Old Time Rock and Roll" is a song written by George Jackson and Thomas E. Jones III, with uncredited lyrics by Bob Seger. It was recorded by Seger for his tenth studio album '' Stranger in Town.'' It was also released as a single in 1979. It i ...

" by Detroit's

Bob Seger Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and The Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s, break ...

was released as a single in March 1979. It has since become a standard in popular music and was ranked number two on the Amusement & Music Operators Association's survey of the Top 40 Jukebox Singles of All Time in 1996. * "

We've Got Tonite "We've Got Tonite" is a song written by American rock music artist Bob Seger, from his album '' Stranger in Town'' (1978). The single record charted twice for Seger, and was developed from a prior song that he had written. Further versions chart ...

" by Bob Seger was released in 1978 and became a hit in 1979; it reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was ranked No. 94 on the

. * "

Heartache Tonight "Heartache Tonight" is a song written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bob Seger and J. D. Souther, recorded by the Eagles and features Glenn Frey on lead vocals. The track was included on their album '' The Long Run'' and released as a single in 1979. ...

, co-written by Detroit natives

Glenn Frey Glenn Lewis Frey (; November 6, 1948 – January 18, 2016) was an American singer, guitarist and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. Frey was the co-lead singer and frontman for the Eagles, roles he came to share with fellow member Don H ...

, Bob Seger and

J.D. Souther John David "J. D." Souther (born November 2, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He has written and co-written songs recorded by Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles. Souther is probably best known for his songwriting abilities, espec ...

(along with

Don Henley Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. He is the drummer and one of the lead singers for the Eagles. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles hits such as " Witchy Woman", " D ...

), was released by

The Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles and six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s ...

in September 1979 and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Glenn Frey sang the lead vocals. *

Stumblin' In "Stumblin' In" is a song written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, performed by Chris Norman and Suzi Quatro. Originally released as a standalone single, it was later added to some editions of the Quatro album '' If You Knew Suzi...'' It was Nor ...

by Detroit native

Suzi Quatro Susan Kay Quatro (born June 3, 1950) is an American singer, bass guitarist, songwriter, and actress. In the 1970s, she scored a string of hit singles that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, reaching No. 1 in th ...

(duet with

Chris Norman Christopher Ward Norman (born 25 October 1950) is an English soft rock singer. Norman was the original lead singer of the English rock band Smokie, (1964–1986), who found success in Europe in the 1970s. "Stumblin' In", a 1978 duet with Suzi ...

) was released in the US in January 1979 and reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. * '' Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants"'', a studio album by Detroit native

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, sou ...

, was released in October. The album included the single "

Send One Your Love "Send One Your Love" is a 1979 soul single by American and Motown musician and singer Stevie Wonder from his album ''Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants"'' (1979). Released in November 1979 as the album's lead single, the so ...

"; it reached No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. * '' The Boss'', a studio album by Detroit native

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

, was released in May and was certified gold. The single of the same name was ranked No. 97 on the

. * "

How You Gonna See Me Now "How You Gonna See Me Now" is a song written by Alice Cooper, Bernie Taupin, and Dick Wagner, performed by Cooper and produced by David Foster. It was released on Cooper’s album, ''From the Inside (Alice Cooper album), From the Inside''. The so ...

", a single by Detroit native

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guilloti ...

, was released in late 1978, reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was ranked No. 87 on the

. * '' State of Shock'', the fifth solo studio album by

Redford Redford may refer to: Places Australia * Redford, Queensland, a locality split between the Shire of Murweh and the Maranoa Region United Kingdom * Redford, Angus * Redford, Dorset * Redford, Edinburgh * Redford, West Sussex United Stat ...

native

Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock a ...

, was released in May and reached No. 18 on the Billboard album chart. * ''

New Values ''New Values'' is the third studio album by American musician Iggy Pop. It was released in July 1979 by record label Arista. Background ''New Values'' was Pop's first record for Arista and the first collaboration by Pop and James Williamson s ...

'', a studio album by Michigan native

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...

, was released in April 1979. The album included the song "Don't Look Down", later recorded by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

. * '' La Diva'', an album by

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the "Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

, was released in September 1979 and sold less than 75,000 copies in the US -- the poorest selling album in Franklin's Atlantic catalogue.

Chronology of events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Births

* January 31 -

Robert Saleh Robert Saleh (born January 31, 1979) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). A defensive coach for much of his 20-year coaching career, Saleh has served as an assistant co ...

, American football coach currently defensive coordinator of the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

, in Dearborn, Michigan * July 20 -

Ed Swiderski Ed Swiderski (born July 20, 1979) is an American marketing technology executive and television personality who was the winner on season 5 of the reality TV show '' The Bachelorette''. Early life and career Swiderski was born in Monroe, Mich ...

, winner on season 5 of the reality TV show ''

The Bachelorette A bachelorette is an unmarried woman. Bachelorette may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Bachelorette'', a reality television dating show part of ''The Bachelor'' franchise with numerous versions: ** ''The Bachelorette'' (American TV ser ...

'', in

Monroe, Michigan Monroe is the largest city and county seat of Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Monroe had a population of 20,462 in the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but the two are administered autonom ...

* November 28 -

Daniel Henney Daniel Phillip Henney (born November 28, 1979) is an American actor and model. He first came into international prominence with his television debut as Dr. Henry Kim on the Korean drama '' My Lovely Sam Soon'' (2005). He has gone on to star in ...

, actor (''

My Father ''My Father'' () is a 2007 South Korean film. The film, which is based on a true story, is about an adopted son who is searching for his biological parents in South Korea. During his search he meets his real father, a condemned murderer on death ro ...

'', ''

Shanghai Calling ''Shanghai Calling'' is a 2012 American romantic-comedy film written and directed by Daniel Hsia and produced by Janet Yang. Starring Daniel Henney, Eliza Coupe, and Bill Paxton, ''Shanghai Calling'' is a story about a group of Americans from diff ...

'', '' Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders''), in

Carson City, Michigan Carson City is a city in Montcalm County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,093 at the 2010 census. Carson City was first platted in 1866 on land owned by R. M. Abbott, Delia Miner, and Hiram T. Sherman and recorded in 1871. The ...

* December 28 -

Marvin Winans Jr. The Winans family is a U.S. family of gospel music artists from Detroit, Michigan. Family members * David "Pop" Winans Sr. (father; b. April 20, 1934 – d. April 8, 2009) * Delores "Mom" Winans (mother; b. September 22, 1936) * David Winan ...

, singer and producer, in Detroit * December 30 -

Tommy Clufetos Tommy Clufetos (born December 30, 1979) is an American session drummer most noted for his work with Black Sabbath during their Black Sabbath Reunion Tour, which highlighted their new album '' 13''. He also toured with them on their final tour. ...

, drummer for

Rob Zombie Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings; January 12, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and voice actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows have be ...

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...

, and

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped de ...

, in Detroit

Gallery of 1979 births

File:Ed Swiderski.jpg,

File:Daniel Henney cropped.jpg,

Deaths

* September 4 -

Turkey Stearnes Norman Thomas "Turkey" Stearnes (May 8, 1901 – September 4, 1979) was an American baseball outfielder in the Negro leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. Career Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Stearnes acquired his nick ...

, Negro leagues player inducted into

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball ...

, at age 78 in Detroit * October 27 -

Charles Coughlin Charles Edward Coughlin ( ; October 25, 1891 – October 27, 1979), commonly known as Father Coughlin, was a Canadian-American Catholic priest based in the United States near Detroit. He was the founding priest of the National Shrine of the ...

, Roman Catholic priest who had up to 30 million listeners to his weekly radio broadcast in the 1930s, at age 88 in

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Bloomfield Hills is a small city (5.04 sq. miles) in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a northern suburb of Metro Detroit and is approximately northwest of Downtown Detroit. Except a small southern border with the city of Bi ...

* November 23 -

Charles E. Potter Charles Edward Potter (October 30, 1916November 23, 1979) was a U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan. Early life Potter was born in Lapeer, Michigan and attended the public schools there. He received an AB degr ...

, U.S. Congressman (1947-1952) and Senator (1952-1959) from Michigan, at age 63 in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

* November 27 -

Jerome Cavanagh Jerome Patrick Cavanagh (June 16, 1928 – November 27, 1979) was an American politician who served as the mayor of Detroit, Michigan from 1962 to 1970. Initially seen as another John F. Kennedy, his reputation was doomed by the 1967 riots. He w ...

, Mayor of Detroit (1962-1970), at age 51 in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...

Gallery of 1979 deaths

File:CharlesCouglinCraineDetroitPortrait.jpg,

File:Charles Edward Potter.jpg,

File:Jerome Cavanagh - WJROneOfAKind.jpg,

References

{{Michigan year nav