1976 in Michigan

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1976
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Events from the year 1976 in Michigan.

The Associated Press (AP) selected the top Michigan news stories of 1976 as follows:[1]

  1. United Auto Workers strikes against Ford Motor Company lasting 28 days (from September 14 to October 12) and General Motors lasting 12 hours (from midnight until noon on November 19);[2][3][4]
  2. A forest fire lasting for two months from July until September that blackened 65,000 acres in the Seney National Wildlife Refuge in the Upper Peninsula with state and federal firefighting costs reaching $7.5 million;[5][6]
  3. Continued fallout from the Michigan PBB contamination incident in which a flame retardant chemical (PBB) was mixed with livestock feed, distributed to Michigan farms, and fed to 1.5 million chickens, 30,000 cattle, 5,900 pigs, and 1,470 sheep;[7][8]
  4. Voter approval on November 2 of a ballot proposal banning throwaway beverage containers;[9]
  5. Gerald Ford's November 2 loss to Jimmy Carter in the 1976 U.S. Presidential election, though Ford took Michigan's 21 electoral votes with 51.8% of the state's votes to 46.4% for Carter;
  6. A March 3 ice storm that left 200,000 homes in southern Michigan without power and caused millions of dollars in damage;[10]
  7. Congressman Donald Riegle's election to replace retiring U.S. Senator Philip Hart after defeating Secretary of State Richard H. Austin and Congressman James G. O'Hara in the Democratic primary on August 3 and Marvin Esch in the general election on November 2;[11][12]
  8. A violent melee on August 15 that erupted following a concert at Cobo Hall featuring Average White Band and Kool & the Gang with multiple robberies and beatings and two gang rapes;[13][14]
  9. The prosecution of two Filipina nurses, Filipina Narciso and Leonora Perez, in the Ann Arbor Hospital Murders in which 10 patients at the Veterans Hospital in Ann Arbor died mysteriously from respiratory failure;[15][16] and
  10. The state's fiscal year is extended by three months to avoid a deficit.

The AP also selected the state's top sports stories as follows:[17]

Mark Fidrych
Sheila Young
  1. The success of rookie pitcher Mark Fidrych who won 19 games for the Detroit Tigers,[18] was the starting pitcher for the American League in the All-Star Game,[19] led the American League with a 2.34 earned run average,[20] and was named American League Rookie of the Year;[21]
  2. The NCAA's imposition of three years of probation against the Michigan State Spartans football team for illegal recruiting and the firing of head coach Denny Stolz and athletic director Burt Smith;[22][23]
  3. The 1976 Michigan Wolverines football team that compiled a compiled a 10–1 record in the regular season and was ranked No. 1 before being upset by Purdue;[24]
  4. The 1975–76 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team that compiled a 25–7 record and advanced to the Final Four, losing to Indiana in the championship game;[25]
  5. Ron LeFlore compiling a 30-game hitting streak, the longest in the American League in 27 years, and stealing 56 bases for the Detroit Tigers;[26][27]
  6. Detroit speedskater Sheila Young winning gold, silver and bronze medals at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria;[28]
  7. Rick Forzano's resignation as head coach of the Detroit Lions on October 4,[29] the hiring of Tommy Hudspeth as head coach on October 5,[30] and the team compiling a 6–8 record;[31]
  8. The 1975-76 Western Michigan Broncos men's basketball team compiling a 25–3 record and advancing to the Sweet 16 round of the 1976 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament before narrowly losing to No. 2 ranked Marquette;[32][33]
  9. The Detroit Pistons selection of Marvin Barnes on August 5 with the fourth overall pick in the ABA dispersal draft;[34] and
  10. Bo Schembechler undergoing open heart surgery to perform four bypasses on May 20 and deciding to continue coaching.[35][36][37]
  1. ^ "Top State Story in '76: Editors Pick Auto Strikes". The Herald-Palladium. December 24, 1976. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Ford Workers Start Strike After Negotiations Deadlock". Detroit Free Press. September 15, 1976. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Ford Employees Ratify Pact". Detroit Free Press. October 13, 1976. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "UAW Ends GM Mini-Strike As Long Talks Bring a Pact". Detroit Free Press. November 20, 1976. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Seney Forest Fire Jumps Highway". The Herald-Palladium. September 13, 1976. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Seney estimate now $7.5 million: DNR asks more fire money". Lansing State Journal. October 15, 1976. p. B2 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "PBB a Symbol for Tragedy (part 1)". Detroit Free Press. April 19, 1976. p. 3A – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "PBB a Symbol for Tragedy (part 2)". Detroit Free Press. April 19, 1976. p. 10A – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Ban on Throwaways Wins by Big Margin". Detroit Free Press. November 3, 1976. p. 1.
  10. ^ "Ice Storm Blacks Out 200,000 Homes". Detroit Free Press. March 4, 1976. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Riegle, Austin Duel: Esch Has Big Senate Lead; State Vote Is Light". Detroit Free Press. August 4, 1976. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Riegle Winner In Senate Race". Detroit Free Press. November 3, 1976. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Cobo Fest Erupts in Gang Violence, Rapes, Robberies". Detroit Free Press. August 16, 1976. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Youth Gangs Are Target: City Recalls 450 Policemen". Detroit Free Press. August 17, 1976. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "2 Nurses Suspect in VA Deaths". Detroit Free Press. March 2, 1976. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "VA Nurses Post Bond; Ex-Patient Dies". Detroit Free Press. July 1, 1976. p. 3A – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Fidrych Top 1976 State Sports Story". The News-Palladium. December 24, 1976. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Mark Fidrych". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  19. ^ "NL Ruffles The Bird's Feathers, 7-1". Detroit Free Press. July 14, 1976. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "1976 AL Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  21. ^ "Bird Named AL Rookie of Year". Detroit Free Press. December 2, 1976. p. 1F – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Spartans Hit with 3-Year Probation". Detroit Free Press. January 26, 1976. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "More dimissals on tap at MSU". The Lansing State Journal. March 18, 1976. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference UM76 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ Cite error: The named reference UM1976 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  26. ^ "LeFlore Player of the Month". Detroit Free Press. June 6, 1976. p. 7G – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ Cite error: The named reference DT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  28. ^ George Puscas (March 25, 1976). "Sheila Makes Us All Feel Like Winners". Detroit Free Press. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "'Heartsick' Forzano Quits as Coach . . . Lions to Name Successor Today". Detroit Free Press. October 5, 1976. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "New Coach Hudspeth: Lions Will Pass More". Detroit Free Press. October 6, 1976. p. 1F – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ Cite error: The named reference DL1976 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  32. ^ Cite error: The named reference WMU was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  33. ^ "Broncos Lose". Detroit Free Press. March 19, 1976. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "Elated Pistons Get Their Man: ABA Forward Marvin Barnes Drafted". Detroit Free Press. August 6, 1976. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "Bo Getting To Be 'Ornery Old Self'". Detroit Free Press. May 22, 1976. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ "Schembechler Leaves Intensive Care Unit". Detroit Free Press. May 25, 1976. p. 2D – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ "Bo's on the Job But Doesn't Want A Fuss Over Him". Detroit Free Press. July 16, 1976. p. 1F – via Newspapers.com.