Meet the Class of 2017 for the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. The enshrinement ceremony will take place on Friday, September 15, from 7-9 p.m. ET at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in downtown Detroit. Doors will open to the public at 6 p.m.
For ticket information and more on the event, you can visit the official Michigan Sports Hall of Fame website by clicking here.
Here is a list of those who will be inducted as part of the Class of 2017:
MITCH ALBOM
Sports columnist, author and radio personality Mitch Albom is not only known around these parts but nationwide as well. Albom has been a member of the Detroit Free Press for more than 30 years. He’s been named sports columnist of the year 13 times by the Associated Press Sports Editors and is a 2013 inductee into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame.
Albom was also a frequent guest on “The Sports Reporters”, a show that aired every Sunday morning on ESPN for nearly 30 years and was hosted by the late great John Saunders. He’s also quite an accomplished playwright and musician as well and has done countless charity work throughout his career.
JON JANSEN
Nicknamed “Rock” during his time at the University of Michigan, Jon Jansen was a staple up front on the line for the Wolverines in the late 1990’s. He was very productive during his time at Clawson High School on both sides of the ball, playing primarily as tight end and linebacker.
Jansen transitioned to offensive tackle at Michigan, where in four seasons he was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten. He currently holds the record for most consecutive starts made at 50 games. Jansen also served as a captain for the Wolverines during their 1997 national championship-winning season.
Jansen later went on to have a rather long career in the NFL. He was a second-round pick of the Redskins in 1999 and played ten seasons in Washington before playing his final season with the Lions in 2009.
GREG KAMPE
Greg Kampe has been the head coach for the Oakland University men’s basketball program since the 1984-85 season, only Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) Mike Krzyzewski (Duke) have had current longer tenures at their respective programs.
In his 33 years with the Golden Grizzlies, he’s compiled a career coaching record of 583-424 (.579 win percentage). He’s taken OU to seven NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournaments, four at Division II and three at Division I (most recently in 2011). Over the last nine seasons under Kampe’s watch, Oakland has participated in postseason play eight times.
JIM LEYLAND
Jim Leyland will forever be a part of Detroit sports history, helping revive baseball in the city of Detroit.
Congratulations to Jim Leyland on being named to the @MSHOF Class of 2017! pic.twitter.com/yQkUxwHbRu
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) May 31, 2017
Leyland managed the Tigers from 2006-13 and notched 700 of his 1,769 careers wins as a manager here in the Motor City, helping lead the team to four consecutive American League Central division titles and two World Series appearances.
Still currently serving as a special assistant to the Tigers, Leyland most recently helped guide Team USA to a World Baseball Classic championship, their first in the history of the event.
DEAN LOOK
Look is a former multi-sport standout at Michigan State back in the late 1950’s, being an All-American quarterback as well as an outfielder for the baseball program.
The Lansing native was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 1960 AFL Draft and eventually only played in one game for the then New York Titans in 1962. He did make a brief stint in Major League Baseball, playing outfielder in three games for the Chicago White Sox in 1961.
Look will mostly be remembered for being a long-time sports official, where he served nearly 30 years as a football official. Football junkies may remember him as the side judged who signaled “The Catch” by Dwight Clark from Joe Montana in the 1982 NFC Championship Game. Look also was a crew member for three separate Super Bowls (1979, ’81, ’93).
ANDRE RISON
Andre Rison, another former Spartan standout, played wide receiver at Michigan State from 1985-88 after a brilliant career at Flint Northwestern High School.
Rison, while at MSU, logged nearly 3,000 receiving yards over his four seasons and was a member of the team that won a Rose Bowl in 1988. He later became a first-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in the 1989 NFL Draft and went on to have a solid career, playing 13 seasons in the NFL with seven different clubs, winning one Super Bowl.
Rison also played two seasons in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts and won a Grey Cup there as well. For his NFL career, he totaled more than 10,000 receiving yards and 84 touchdown receptions.
DENNIS RODMAN
Rodman has become one of the more polarizing and intriguing figures ever, let alone sports. But he was a force to be reckoned with down low during his time with the ‘Bad Boys’ Pistons.
A former second-round pick of the Pistons in 1986, Rodman spent the first seven of his 15 NBA seasons in Detroit and was a member of the back-to-back championship winning teams in 1989 and ’90. A defensive stalwart, the two-time All-Star was named Defensive Player of the Year twice and named to the NBA All-Defensive First-Team seven times.
Rodman later went on to win three more rings with the Chicago Bulls during their dynasty run in the 1990’s. For his career, he averaged 7.3 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. His No. 10 is retired by the Detroit Pistons and he was named a 2011 inductee into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
JALEN ROSE
Jalen Rose was one of the members of the famed ‘Fab Five’ at the University of Michigan during the early 1990’s. He averaged better than 17 points per contest in three seasons in Ann Arbor, earning All-American honors as well.
Rose later was drafted in the first round by the Denver Nuggets in the 1994 NBA Draft and spent 14 seasons in the Association, averaging 14.3 points per game.
Rose, since his playing career concluded, has become a pretty recognizable figure in the media. He’s been an employee of ESPN since 2007, working primarily as an NBA analyst and now has his own radio show, Jalen & Jacoby. He also remains very much involved with the city of Detroit. The former Detroit Southwestern High School product continually strives towards improving youth involvement in academics and athletics through his “Jalen Rose Leadership Academy” founded in 2011.
