BIRMINGHAM, Mich. (97.1 The Ticket) -- Red Wings legend Vladimir Konstantinov and former Pistons All-Star Grant Hill are among the newest Michigan Sports Hall of Fame inductees.
The 2019 hall of fame class was announced Tuesday night, with Konstantinov and Hill as the only two professional athletes among the class, while University of Michigan football legend Charles Woodson and Michigan State basketball's Morris Peterson highlight the amateur selections. "This year’s Michigan Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class features household names and incredible stories from pro and amateur sports, including some all-time legends," Hall of Fame chairman Scott Lesher said in a press release. "We thank the thousands of fans who took part in our voting process this year and look forward to celebrating and enshrining this outstanding group at our induction event, October 5th in Detroit."
The full 2019 induction class:
Professional:
- Grant Hill- 5-time NBA All-Star with the Detroit Pistons in the 1990s
- Vladimir Konstantinov – 1997 Stanley Cup Champion defenseman with the Detroit Red Wings, helped inspire back-to-back Championships in 1998
Amateur:
- Diane Dietz – An all-state multi-sport athlete at Mercy High School in Farmington Hills who set the scoring record for women’s basketball at the University of Michigan, a mark that stood for 36 years.
- Morris Peterson – A Flint native and the leading scorer on Michigan State University’s 2000 NCAA men’s basketball National Championship team.
- Allison Schmitt – A Canton native who has won 17 medals in international swimming competitions, including six Olympic medals, three of them gold.
- Charles Woodson - 1997 Heisman Trophy Winner and two-time All-American football defensive back for the University of Michigan
Coach:
- Dan Fife- In 36 years as the head basketball coach at Clarkston High School, his alma mater, he finished with more than 700 wins, third place in Michigan high school history
Media:
- Harry Atkins- As Michigan sports editor for the Associated Press for 21 years, he told Michigan sports stories to national and global audiences
- Mike O’Hara – A Detroit News sports writer from 1966 to 2008, best known for his 31-year tenure as the Lions beat writer
Contributor:
- Tom Wilson – An executive in both the Detroit Pistons and Detroit Red Wings organizations, he led the creation of two local venues that helped set the national standard for arenas, The Palace of Auburn Hills and Little Caesars Arena.
The Class was selected by a statewide task force, comprised of current and former journalists and former sports executives, along with a public online vote, which this year included more than 5,000 online participants. The class was ultimately approved by the Hall’s Board of Directors, which also selected the inductee from the Contributor category. This year’s task force is co-chaired by former National Baseball Hall of Fame and Detroit Tigers senior executive Bill Haase and Associated Press sports journalist Larry Lage. Presented by Meijer, the Induction Ceremonies will take place on Saturday October 5, 2019 at 7 p.m.at the Sound Board at MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit. Ticket prices begin at $25 and are now available at mshof.org. For more information on the 2019 Induction Event, including sponsorship opportunities, visit mshof.org.
