Events from the year 1986 in Michigan.

Top Michigan news stories

The Associated Press (AP) selected the top stories in Michigan for 1986 as follows: 1. Heavy rains in September and October that brought 20 inches of rainfall and resulted in $400 million in damage, including $289 million in losses to farmers. Gov. Blanchard declared the flooding to be the worst in state history.
2. The November gubernatorial election in which James Blanchard won re-election with 68% of the vote. Republican William Lucas, the first African-American candidate for the office, received 31% of the vote. The margin was the largest landslide in Michigan in six decades.
3. Incentives offered by General Motors and other American automobile manufacturers to reduce inventory. GM offered 2.9% financing, and American Motors offered zero percent loans on some models.
4. Record high water levels in the Great Lakes. Lake levels in October 1986 were more than a foot higher than the previous year.
5. The proposed conversion of

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 ...

Midland Nuclear Power Plant The Midland Cogeneration Venture (MCV) is a natural gas-fired electrical and steam co-generation plant in Midland, Michigan owned by Midland Cogeneration Venture Limited Partnership. When it began operation in 1991, it was the largest gas-fired st ...

to gas generation.
6. General Motors' announcement, following a $338 million operating loss in the third quarter, that it would close nine plants and scale back operations at two other plants. Seven of the affected plants were located in Michigan. The move was expected to result in the loss of 17,000 jobs in Michigan.
7. The decline in gasoline prices to 83 cents a gallon in Michigan.
8. The arraignment of Judge S. Jerome Bronson for bribery and his suicide hours later.
9. The application to the Department of Justice for a joint operating agreement between the state's two largest newspapers, '' The Detroit News'' and '' Detroit Free Press''.
10. Michigan's unemployment rate drops below 10%. The AP also separately suggested the state's top sports stories as follows: 1. The story of Chuck Long being drafted by the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

, holding out for better contract terms, and missing most of the

1986 Detroit Lions season The 1986 Detroit Lions season was their 57th in the league. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 7–9 and missed the playoffs for the third straight season with a 5–11 record. The highlight of the season was first ...

.
2. Kirk Gibson re-signing with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

after becoming a free agent.
3. The Michigan Wolverines defeated Nebraska in the

1986 Fiesta Bowl The 1986 Fiesta Bowl was the 15th edition of the Fiesta Bowl, a college football bowl game, played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, on Wednesday, January 1. Part of the 1985–86 bowl game season, it matched the fifth-ranked Michigan ...

, led by Jamie Morris who rushed for 156 yards in the game, and were ranked No. 2 in the final AP Poll.
4. The Detroit Red Wings' firing of Brad Park as head coach and hiring of Jacques Demers to replace him.
5. (tie)

Jim Harbaugh James Joseph Harbaugh (; born December 23, 1963) is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the current and 20th head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines. He played college football at Michigan from 1983 to 1986. He play ...

guaranteeing a victory over Ohio State and leading the

1986 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1986 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its 18th season under head coach Bo S ...

to a berth in the Rose Bowl.
5. (tie) The demise of the Cherry Bowl, a bowl game played in the Pontiac Silverdome in 1984 and 1985.
7. The end of Scott Skiles' college basketball career. He led the

1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team The 1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played their home games at Jenison Field House in East Lansing, Michigan and w ...

to the Sweet Sixteen round in the

1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1986, and ended with the champions ...

.
8. The Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team winning the

1986 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament The 1986 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament was the culmination of the 1985–86 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, the 39th such tournament in NCAA history. It was held between March 21 and 29, 1986, and concluded with Michigan St ...

.
9. (tie) The deaths of Detroit sports legends, Hank Greenberg (September 4),

Norm Cash Norman Dalton Cash (November 10, 1933 – October 11, 1986) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers. A power hitter, his 377 career home runs were the fourth most by an America ...

(October 11), and Bobby Layne (December 1).
10. The Detroit Pistons' trades that saw the departures of

Kelly Tripucka Peter Kelly Tripucka (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 to 1991. He was a two-time NBA All Star and averaged over twenty points a game i ...

and John Long and arrivals of

Adrian Dantley Adrian Delano Dantley (born February 28, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Dantley is a six-time NBA All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection an ...

and Sidney Green.

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 the stat ...

: James Blanchard (

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

) *

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. Proce ...

Martha Griffiths Martha Wright Griffiths (January 29, 1912 – April 22, 2003) was an American lawyer and judge before being elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1954. Griffiths was the first woman to serve on the House Committee on Ways and M ...

(Democrat) * Michigan Attorney General:

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: Richard H. Austin (Democrat) * Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives: Gary Owen (Democrat) * Majority Leader of the Michigan Senate: John Engler ( Republican) * Chief Justice, Michigan Supreme Court:

Mayors of major cities

* Mayor of Detroit:

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 ...

: Gerald R. Helmholdt * Mayor of Flint:

James A. Sharp, Jr. James A. Sharp Jr. (May 28, 1933 – July 2, 2023) was an American politician who served as mayor of the City of Flint, Michigan, and the second "strong" mayor under Flint's 1974 Charter. Career Sharp defeated James W. Rutherford at his attempt ...

Mayor of Lansing List Lansing, Michigan, was incorporated as a city on February 15, 1859. * Hiram H. Smith, 1859 * John A. Kerr, 1860 * William H. Chapman, 1861–62 * Dr. Ira H. Bartholomew, 1863–65 * Dr. William H. Haze, 1866 * George W. Peck, 1867 * ...

: Terry John McKane *

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)/ Edward C. Pierce (Democrat)

Federal office holders

* U.S. 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 W ...

(

) * U.S. 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) * House 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 Detroit. ...

(Democrat) * House District 2: Carl Pursell (Republican) * House District 3: Howard Wolpe (Republican) * House District 4: Mark D. Siljander (Republican) * House 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) * House District 6: Bob Carr (Democrat) *

House District 7 A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

: Dale Kildee (Democrat) * House 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) * House District 9: Guy Vander Jagt (Republican) * House District 10: Bill Schuette (Republican) * House 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) * House District 12: David Bonior (Democrat) * House District 13:

George Crockett Jr. George William Crockett Jr. (August 10, 1909 – September 7, 1997) was an African-American attorney, jurist, and congressman from the U.S. state of Michigan. He also served as a national vice-president of the National Lawyers Guild and co- ...

(Democrat) * House District 14: Dennis M. Hertel (Democrat) * House District 15:

William D. Ford William David Ford (August 6, 1927 – August 14, 2004) was a U.S. Representative from Michigan and namesake of the Federal Direct Student Loan Program. Ford was known for his support of workers and educational opportunity. Among his significant ...

(Democrat) * House District 16: John Dingell (Democrat) * House District 17: Sander Levin (Democrat) * House District 18: William Broomfield (Republican)

Population

Sports

Baseball

1986 Detroit Tigers season The Detroit Tigers' 1986 in baseball, 1986 season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Detroit Tigers attempting to win the AL East. Offseason *November 13, 1985: Bárbaro Garbey was traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Oakland Athl ...

– Under manager Sparky Anderson, the Tigers compiled an 87-75 record and finished third in American League East. The team's statistical leaders included

Alan Trammell Alan Stuart Trammell ( ; born February 21, 1958) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, manager and coach and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a player. His entire 20-year playing career in Major League Baseball ( ...

with a .277 batting average,

Darrell Evans Darrell Wayne Evans (born May 26, 1947) is a former American baseball player, coach and manager. He played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), beginning his career as a third baseman with the Atlanta Braves (1969–1976, 1989), alternatin ...

with 29 home runs, Kirk Gibson with 86 RBIs, Jack Morris with 21 wins, and

Mark Thurmond Mark Anthony Thurmond (born September 12, 1956) is an American former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1983 to 1990. He was never on the disabled list in his career. Career San Diego Padres (1983–1986) Th ...

with a 1.92 earned run average.

American football

– Under head coach Darryl Rogers, the Lions compiled a 5-11 record and finished third in the NFC Central Division. The team's statistical leaders included

Eric Hipple Eric Ellsworth Hipple (born September 16, 1957) is a public speaker and a former professional American football player. Early life and education Eric Hipple was born in Lubbock, Texas. Hipple attended Utah State University with an athletic schol ...

with 1,919 passing yards,

James Jones James Jones may refer to: Sports Association football *James Jones (footballer, born 1873) (1873–1955), British Olympic footballer * James Jones (footballer, born 1996), Scottish footballer for Wrexham *James Jones (footballer, born 1997), Wel ...

with 903 rushing yards,

Jeff Chadwick Jeffrey Allan Chadwick (born December 16, 1960), is a former professional American football player. A 6'3", 185-lb. wide receiver from Grand Valley State University, Chadwick was never drafted by a National Football League The Natio ...

with 995 receiving yards, and Eddie Murray with 85 points scored. *

– Under head coach

Bo Schembechler Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler Jr. ( ; April 1, 1929 – November 17, 2006) was an American football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University of ...

, the Wolverines compiled an 11–2 record and a berth in the

1987 Rose Bowl The 1987 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1987, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It was the 73rd Rose Bowl Game. The Arizona State Sun Devils, champions of the Pacific-10 Conference, defeated the Michigan Wo ...

. The team's statistical leaders included

with 2,729 passing yards, Jamie Morris with 1,086 rushing yards, Ken Higgins with 621 receiving yards, and

Mike Gillette Mike Gillette (born c. 1967) is a former American football and baseball player. He was a placekicker for the University of Michigan Wolverines football team from 1985 to 1988 and a punter for the 1988 team. He also played baseball for Michigan, ...

with 59 points scored.

Basketball

1985–86 Detroit Pistons season The 1985-86 NBA season was the Detroit Pistons' 38th season in the NBA and 29th season in Detroit. The team played at the Pontiac Silverdome in surburban Pontiac, Michigan. The year got off to an excellent start as the Pistons drafted futur ...

– Under head coach

Chuck Daly Charles Jerome Daly (July 20, 1930 – May 9, 2009) was an American basketball head coach. He led the Detroit Pistons to two consecutive National Basketball Association (NBA) championships in 1989 and 1990—during the team's "Bad Boys" era— ...

, the Pistons compiled a 46-36 record and finished third in the NBA's Central Division. The team's statistical leaders included

with 1,622 points, Isaiah Thomas with 830 assists and

Bill Laimbeer William J. Laimbeer Jr. (born May 19, 1957) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who spent the majority of his career with the Detroit Pistons. Known for his rough and violent style of play, he played a big part in the P ...

with 1,075 rebounds.

Ice hockey

1985–86 Detroit Red Wings season The 1985–86 season was the team's 60th season, their 54th season as the Red Wings. This was the first of two seasons in which Red Wings games would air in the Detroit area on then-independent WXON-TV (now MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYD) channel 20 ...

– Under head coaches Harry Neale and Brad Park, the Red Wings compiled a 17-57-6 record and finished fifth in the NHL Norris Division. The team's statistical leaders included John Ogrodnick with 38 goals and 70 points and Kelly Kisio with 48 assists. The team's goaltenders were

Greg Stefan Gregory Steven Stefan (born February 11, 1961, in Brantford, Ontario) is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League and currently serves as the goaltending coach for the Flint Firebirds in the Ontario Hockey League. ...

(37 games),

Mark LaForest Mark Andrew Laforest (born July 10, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 103 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Ottawa Senators ...

(28 games), Eddie Mio (18 games), and Corrado Micalef (11 games).

Boxing

Other

Music and culture

* March 1986 - Anita Baker's album ''

Rapture The rapture is an Christian eschatology, eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an Eschatology, end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurre ...

'' was released, sold 8 million copies, and won two Grammy Awards for Baker. The single "Sweet Love" reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. * March 1986 - Ted Nugent's album '' Little Miss Dangerous'' was released. * April 1986 -

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 ...

's album ''

Like a Rock ''Like a Rock'' is the thirteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Seger, released in 1986. The title track is best known for being featured in Chevrolet truck commercials throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Content "Fortuna ...

'' was released and reached No. 3 on the album chart. The single "

" reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks. * June 1985 -

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

's album '' True Blue'' was released and reached No. 1 on the album chart. The album included five hit singles, " Papa Don't Preach" (No. 1), " Open Your Heart" (No. 1), " Live to Tell" (No. 1), " True Blue" (No. 3), and " La Isla Bonita" (No. 4). * September 1986 - Alice Cooper's album '' Constrictor'' was released. * October 1986 -

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 "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...

's album '' Blah-Blah-Blah'' was released.

Chronology of events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Births

Gallery of 1986 births

Deaths

* June 12 -

Murray Van Wagoner Murray Delos Van Wagoner (March 18, 1898June 12, 1986) was an American politician. He served as the 38th governor of Michigan from 1941 to 1943. Early life Van Wagoner was born near Kingston, Michigan in Tuscola County. In 1921, he received ...

, 38th Governor of Michigan (1941-1943), at age 88 in Farmington Hills * June 26 - Sanford A. Brown, Michigan State Treasurer (1955–1965), at age 77 in Bay Port

Gallery of 1986 deaths

References

{{Michigan year nav